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Ana Ivanovic, the graceful six foot Serbian who has been called the “future of tennis” for her fifteen singles titles, millions of dollars in prize money, and devoted fan base of 540,000-plus on Instagram, is back in New York for next week's US Open and the chance to continue her rise to the top of the ranks. And while she is focused on her game, of course, she has more than the courts to look forward to. We caught up with the player recently via telephone from England to chat about her new role as the face of Shiseido’s WetForce sun protection, and not a moment too soon: “It’s sunny in London, actually!” said Ivanovic. “For once!”
The professional athlete, whose “office" tends to be an open-air clay court, admits that repping the line of high-performance SPF holds special appeal. “I used to hate wearing any sort of cream on my body when I played because it would feel so greasy and melt off, but with [Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection], it absorbs into the skin and it lasts. So I can be in Australia playing three sets and I don’t have to worry.” And considering her career relies on her ability to maintain a good grip, the product’s newest innovation—an ionic mineral sensor imbued in the WetForce technology, which claims to change the way water and perspiration interact with sunscreen so that the formula becomes more effective when wet, not less—has become a major selling point. It won’t ever drip into her eyes, and “the racket isn’t going anywhere,” Ivanovic says with a laugh.
While female players’ bodies have recently garnered the type of media attention and commentary more typically awarded to line calls (with special attention paid to those who choose to “bulk up,” or not), Ivanovic tries not to sweat the small stuff. “Everything in moderation. I keep a healthy body, a healthy look. It’s important not to be obsessive about anything—fitness, training, eating—because then you end up focusing on only that. And you can’t obsess about anything when you’re on the road.” Her workouts, she notes, are specific to her sport. “I lift weights. I’ll do a lot of running, a lot of cardio and strengthening. I use my body weight, a TRX sometimes. A lot of it is endurance.”
Similarly, Ivanovic’s beauty routine hews to the simple and straightforward: Nights out might require a rosy lip and a MAC or Shiseido shimmer-cream-accented eye for a bit of “glitter and glow,” but when it’s game time, forget about it. “A lipstick [on the courts] would be nice, but I don’t want things drying or smudging, obviously,” she says. The player favors Elizabeth Arden’s Eight Hour Cream as something of a do-everything fix, from soothing parched lips to dry patches of skin. “I’ll use it sometimes for elbows, or when I travel on a plane because you get so dehydrated,” she says—although the weather, combined with her thick, swingy hair, provides its own challenges.
“I have a lot of hair, and it’s quite heavy: Sometimes I’ll braid it for a match so it’s all together,” Ivanovic says of her Moroccanoil-maintained mane. Humidity has been known to throw a wrench into the proceedings. “In cities like Miami, my hair can get so frizzy, it looks crazy. I use TRESemmé Extra Hold hairspray. I use a lot of it.” As is so often the case in an active profession, fragrance has become the one place where she can really play: “I love Creed’s Love in White. It’s a fresh smell, and in the summer it’s great,” Ivanovic says, although she switches it up occasionally, too. “I like Tom Ford’s line, and Narciso Rodriguez’s fragrance—it’s a little bit heavier, so I’ll wear that at night.” Here’s hoping that she’ll have reason to hit the town and celebrate soon.