|
 There has been civil strife in Kosovo since it declared its independence from Serbia last month, but both Djokovic and Ivanovic said they do not want to discuss politics.
Serbian swimmer Milorad Cavic was suspended from the European swimming championships Friday for wearing a T-shirt proclaiming "Kosovo is Serbia" at a medal ceremony.
"I'm really sad to hear about this," Ivanovic said. "But on the other hand, I don't know much about politics and I don't get involved in that area. When I'm out here playing, I just want to represent my country in the best possible way.
"They (Serbs) really love tennis right now. It's a cool thing to wake up (in the middle of the night) and watch us play," she said, alluding to the time difference. "They're proud to be Serbians, like I think everyone is in their own country."
Djokovic, whose father and other relatives are natives of Kosovo, recently taped a video saying he believes Kosovo will always be a part of Serbia.
"It kind of touched me in that moment that this was my quest to give support to my country," he said.
Otherwise, he said, he simply considers himself an athlete representing his country.
"I think professional athletes all over the world ... are one of the biggest ambassadors of their country; considering the fact that our country is in a very difficult position, they're struggling in economics and politics, as well," he said.
"But this is something I don't want to get involved in."
Djokovic and Ivanovic figure to represent their country well in tennis, since they both already have accomplished a great deal and seem to be getting even better. He's No. 3 behind Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who both lost at Indian Wells. Only Justine Henin, who skipped the tournament, is ranked above No. 2 Ivanovic.
The Serbian stars just missed a sweep in the Australian Open. Djokovic beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for the men's title, and Ivanovic lost to Maria Sharapova in their final.
Both Djokovic and Ivanovic won their championship matches at Indian Wells mostly by powering shots down the lines, although Djokovic obviously had a tougher time with No. 98 Fish.
Djokovic, who lost to Nadal in the final last year, knocked off Nadal in the semifinals this time.
Despite the loss, Fish had a remarkable run at Indian Wells. He had never beaten two top-10 players in a tournament before, but he upset No. 4 Nikolay Davydenko and No. 7 David Nalbandian before stunning Federer in the semifinals.
[to top of second column] |
The 26-year-old Fish, who rose to No. 17 four years ago but has been hampered by injuries, will move up to the top 50 in the next rankings.
He built an enthusiastic following along the way at Indian Wells, with fans chanting "Mardy! Mardy!" during the final, and one waving a sign reading, "Go Fish."
He said his success in the tournament took a while to sink in.
"I just didn't realize what had happened," he said. "To get a few wins against players like that and to play a match like today, to be in there. A lot of great players to go through, and I was one set away."
Asked if he thought Djokovic could become No. 1, Fish said yes. But as for the top player now, he said, "I think it's Roger Federer, hands down. He's had a few results these past few weeks that are uncharacteristic for him. I think he's going to continue to be No. 1 for a long time."
Djokovic seemed on his way to an easy victory after winning the first set and going up 4-2 in the second. But Fish came back to win five of the next six games and force a third set. Djokovic seemed to slip out of his rhythm during Fish's comeback, twice slamming his racket to the court after missing shots.
But he broke Fish's serve in the second game of the final set, then each held serve the rest of the way. After wrapping it up with a service winner, Djokovic raised his eyes and arms skyward, then shook hands with Fish and hugged him.
In the women's match, Ivanovic used well-placed groundstrokes to keep Kuznetsova scrambling from side to side. She capped her victory with a shot that seemed to typify her play in the final: she whipped a forehand down the line on a service return.
[Associated Press; By KEN PETERS]
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.
|
