Australian Open 2011: Ana Ivanovic Makes First-Round Exit

Get the latest news from Australia on our daily newsletter at www.TennisNow.com.

(January 18, 2011) Injury is something that an athlete must face every day. From shin splints to knee blowouts, the body can only repair so much in one offseason.

In the case of Ana Ivanovic, it seems her stomach tear, which forced her to retire from the Hopman Cup in Perth and to completely pull out of the Sydney Medibank Tournament, wasn't able to heal.

The former world No. 1 was sent packing in the first round at the Australian Open. Pushing herself farther than most have seen in some time, Ivanovic didn't simply roll over and hand a victory to Russia's Ekaterina Makarova. She fought and rallied until the very end, when the score came in 3-6, 6-4, 10-8.

After the match, the No. 19 seed was willing to point fingers in one direction as the reason for her early exit: fitness. Well, a lack of fitness that prevented Ivanovic from lasting well into the two-hour and 47-minute matchup. 

"I was really unlucky, for the last 10 days I couldn't push hard in practice because of my abdominal strain," said Ivanovic. "I really only had Sunday and Monday that I could push a little bit more and could actually serve...I think that at the end got to me. Energy-wise I felt good, but it was just that few little extra steps that were lacking."

As for her opponent, Makarova is Russia's ninth-best player and No. 49 in the world rankings. Her second-round opponent is Lesya Tsurenko of Ukraine. The No. 157 player beat world No. 44 Patty Schnyder of Switzerland 6-2, 6-3 in the first round.

Get the latest news from Australia on our daily newsletter at www.TennisNow.com.