Tennis Pro Ana Ivanovic Is Officially Our Healthy Living Role Model
Tennis pro Ana Ivanovic is known as a power player in her sport (she’s currently ranked 7th in the world) and is also an impressive source of #fitspo—just watch her moves on the court and you’ll agree. So with the U.S. Open days away, we jumped at the chance to sit down and chat with Ivanovic (a spokesperson for Shiseido Sun Care) about her fitness routine, what she snacks on to keep that fit physique, and the products she always keeps in her bag. And as an added bonus, the world-ranked athlete even shared her thoughts on the hottest male tennis player on tour. Locker room gossip, anyone?
Do you wear any makeup onto the court?
I’m not a big fan of makeup, especially when you play and you perspire so much. For me, the most important thing is sun protection. We’re always playing outdoors. Nowadays, we hardly ever have tournaments indoors, so it’s always applying sunscreen first. [Shiseido] Wet Force is amazing. It’s a great new innovation. It actually doesn’t run. It works better in contact with water and perspiration. For my hair, it’s very important that it stays in place because I have a lot of hair. And playing in sometimes humid places, I really use a lot of hairspray to keep it in place.
What no-fail products always makes your tennis bag?
Well, it’s those two things, the Wet Force by Shiseido ($36), and then hairspray. I use TRESemmé Strong Hold ($5), and Elizabeth Arden 8-Hour Cream ($21).
Do you bring along any healthy snacks in there?
Yes, because we are traveling and sometimes we’re caught at the airport and we don’t have healthy options, so I always have an energy bar with me. There are a few I like. I like organic ones that you can get in the natural, organic shops. I like Quest Bars. They’re really easy to have on-the-go.
What nutrition rules are you following to a “T”?
I think it’s very important for a person to be healthy, not only for a professional sport, but just for your overall feeling. I really try to eat a lot of fresh fruits, vegetables, and fish. Fish is my favorite. I would eat fish even twice a day. I love sushi – it’s so light, and it gives you energy. It’s a mixture of good fats, and proteins, and carbs, so it keeps you going.
Do you cook or do you go out to eat?
Sometimes I like to cook, but unfortunately I don’t have too much time to do that, and we’re constantly on the road so I don’t have a kitchen. My go-to meal is salmon with some broccoli and rice. I love to also cook soups and muffins.
What’s your favorite?
I love pumpkin soup. A creamy pumpkin soup and muffins like all-bran, apple, or banana nut muffins. I do them all.
MORE: A Ballerina’s Food and Fitness Diary
What are you doing or eating on your off days?
Sometimes I feel like I should reward myself, so I’ll have like pancakes or something. I enjoy that so much. Sometimes even waffles, but I’m not a huge sweet tooth person, so most of the days when I train I will eat egg white omelets or oatmeal porridge. When I’m having a cheat day, pancakes. And yes, sometimes ice cream. It’s my guilty pleasure—cookies and cream.
What keeps you motivated in your workouts?
For me, the workouts are actually my profession, so sometimes it’s hard because I do them daily and sometimes it’s hard to get up for it. But then again, I try to think about why I’m there. I have a big goal I want to achieve and do and that’s something that motivates me. That drives me. Another thing is that I feel like I wind down the best with long runs. But because my profession is to workout and be in a gym, sometimes you don’t want to go to the gym to relax. That’s a little bit of a conflict sometimes, but it works out.
MORE: How to Break Into the Booming Health Biz
Do you have any hobbies you like to relax with? Like reading?
Yes, I love to read. I love to sight-see. Traveling, I always feel so fortunate that I have the opportunity to do that. So you know, tennis is such a demanding sport in a physical sense, so I do have to take lots of rest. That’s when a book comes in handy, and I love to read.
Do you use any fitness apps to track your workouts?
I love MyFitnessPal. I think it’s great. It’s a great application, so sometimes I use it. And sometimes for run tracking, so you know how long you run when you’re running outside.
Are there any go-to beauty products you wear when you have a night out?
I don’t wear so much makeup, so I always think less is more. I always have lipstick with me. There are a few different ones that I use. I sort of mix and match. I like MAC lipsticks. I also like Perfect Rouge by Shiseido ($25). The texture is so light.
And finally, who do you think the hottest male tennis player on tour is right now?
I mean, there are quite a few. Roger [Federer] is such a great athlete, but also he is very sophisticated and always in style. I feel like he has that aura around him. You just look at him and you think he’s not only a great athlete, but a great person and someone with so much style.
