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After a tough match, I'll do an ice bath, and that's really good for recovery because it helps circulation. Sometimes you feel really swollen.
When people talk about my charm or looks, it is very flattering. Of course, every woman likes compliments, but I don't take them too seriously.
As a people, Serbians are very tall, and we have olive skin and dark hair, which can look very nice. You have to be very beautiful to stand out.
I like to come to a tournament with a specific playlist that I can listen to before going on the court. I like five or 10 minutes just for myself.
I'm quite an emotional person. I cry a lot. I do not like conflict, so if I have an argument with my parents, I'll often cry. I become too emotional.
It was different when I was young, aged 20, playing the French Open. I didn't have so much experience. I just played tennis because I loved the game.
Pressure comes from myself, because I expect a lot, but I am trying not to put so much pressure on tournaments and to be less emotional during matches.
Obviously, if some young girl wants my advice and wants me to be her mentor, I would be very happy to offer that. But I don't really see myself as a coach.
I like men who have goals, something that they are passionate about and work hard to achieve. A good sense of humor is important too. And I like tall guys!
I like to have my privacy. I don't like people knowing what I do in my free time. I am also a very shy person, but I understand that people want to know more.
You learn you have to accept the way things are, and the sooner you accept them, the sooner you become at peace with them, and then the things start to get better.
I get massages almost daily. Sometimes I fall asleep during the massage, but it's very important to have deep-tissue massages because that type recovers muscles best.
We are constantly under lots of pressure, so I take lots of time to recover and do all the things I need for my body to be in the perfect state to compete the next day.
Most of the coaches just tell you, 'No, no, you're doing well. This is fine.' But I actually want someone who will tell me what I didn't do right so that I can improve.
Ever since I was a young girl, even in school, I was always a perfectionist, and I always wanted to do my homework as soon as I got home. Everything had to be done properly.
Tennis has given me so many opportunities, and I feel very lucky to have achieved whatever I have, especially coming from a country that does not have a great history in the game.
The media and press can be relentless, especially with women. Personally, while I take pride in my appearance and enjoy the compliments, when I'm on court, it is all about my game.
I like to be alone and listen to music. Every match I play, I have a tune in my head over and over. It might only be a few words or a small piece of the tune, but it can drive you mad.
One of the downsides of the job is that I am travelling so much, and I don't have so much time to go out and socialise as people who have a more traditional job might do, so it's hard.
When I was younger, I did have some dresses that weren't the best fits, and it can definitely affect you during a match - if you're having to constantly pull the dress down, for example!
Coaches were all saying that I was really talented and I had potential, but coming from Serbia, it wasn't easy. The '90s were the hardest years for our country - we went through two wars.
My parents themselves both went to university, and they very much expected me to be an intellectual and go through further education, and it's to kind of their surprise that I became an athlete.
I have always been very dedicated to tennis, and it's true that I made some compromises in my life. For example, I never went out to parties when I was younger, and I spent less time with friends.
I think, in every person's life, you have ups and downs. You learn so much about yourself, sometimes even more, in the down times. Unfortunately, I had to go through it in public, which was not easy.
When competing a lot and traveling, I have problems with my lower back because I'm always on the plane or sitting. That's something that does bother me from time to time, but I try to stay on top of it.
I do miss competition, but I get to travel a little bit on my own terms, which is a little bit different. And I get the chance to walk around, explore, and not have to save my energy for the match days.
There are times when the only people you spend time with are the people in your team. That's hard, because I think, 'I'm a girl. I want to hang out with other girls. I just want to be a normal young woman.'
Once I became number one, I started working even harder. I changed my technique, but injuries started creeping in - it was a big mistake, as I was doing something right to get to that spot in the first place.
For a coach to be able to help you, they need to get to know you well. They need to see what's happening - that you are not in the mood to talk, or something like this. It is very hard to find the right person.
You want a coach who is going to push you and be strong and be in your corner when it's tough, but sometimes you have coaches who think they are more important than the players. That's where the conflicts come.
I'm very proud to be a professional tennis player. I'm really happy to be doing something that I love. With this comes responsibility, and I am honored when I am told that I have inspired someone to play tennis.
There's really not much friendship between the girls on tour. There's so much rivalry and jealousy, so everyone just hangs out in their own camp. In the locker room and players' lounge, you can feel the jealousy.
It's important to understand that you have to dedicate time to your sponsors, to have relationships with the people and the media, but it is also hard when you are first coming up and your primary focus is on tennis.
If I make a change to a young kid to play any sport, not only tennis, instead of spending time in front of the TV or computer, that is good. I want to give them a good example: 'Hey, go out and play and see the world.'
When we were kids, I remember we'd use lemon in our hair and go into the sun, hoping it would make us blond. Obviously, I have very dark hair and olive skin, and when I was a kid, I wanted to be blond, of course. It never worked.
You'd be surprised at how many times I'd hit the ball, and the hair would go straight into my eyes. That's why, even when I play indoors, I wear a visor, because it stops that, and I'll apply a lot of gel and hairspray to keep it tight.
It's very important to take care of yourself. Everyone's lives are so busy. Take at least an hour a day to recharge and do whatever makes you better. For grown-ups, whether it's a spa, sitting in a park with a book, or coffee, take time for yourself.
Ever since I was a kid, I've always thought it very important to be happy inside. There's a lot of bad things happening in the world, but it's important to try to stay happy and appreciate what you've got, and don't look externally for the happiness.
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.
In tennis, a lot of parents are accused of driving their kids into tennis. I would say I'm the opposite: I drove my parents into it. They didn't take it that seriously until I was about 11 or 12 years old, when they realised I had an opportunity to go pro.
Everyone wants to be happy - people find happiness in different ways. While you want to pursue your career 100 percent, I think it is very hard to give 100 percent in something else. It's important to find this balance, and priorities change throughout life.
I was watching tennis on TV, and between games, they were showing a commercial for a tennis school. I wrote down the number, gave it to my mom, and said, 'This is what I want to do.' She thought it was a joke, but I was very stubborn, and I kept bringing it up.
When you have tough times, and when you learn you can't be perfect in every situation, it's hard to accept, you know, because I still do expect that. But you just have to, because, you know, it's not about the situation. It's how you deal with it. You always have a choice.
Our job is quite strange in that we hire a coach, and therefore, we're the boss. But coaches tell us what to do, and I think some coaches might struggle with the idea of a girl being the boss and telling them, 'I don't want to see you now. I want to have some time to myself.'
Even if I play backgammon with my coach, I hate to lose. I won't talk to him for, like, an hour. So imagine how it feels when you lose at tennis. That makes me determined not to lose because I hate it so much. Even at a set down and match point, I always believe I can come back.
I used to always want to play the perfect match, and this meant not losing a point. The realisation came around the time I was 19 years old, in the French Open final in 2007. This was a key period in my career. I was told I was going for too many winners, which was affecting my game.
With experience, you understand expectations, you understand consequences, but sometimes it gets a little bit hard, especially for me, that I'm a perfectionist - I want to analyse everything. And sometimes it's most important to just let go and trust your instincts. This is what I need to do more of.
There aren't many woman coaches in general, and I actually think it's good to have a male coach. Guys and girls have different mentalities. Girls are so stressed about everything. Guys take everything much more lightly. That's great, and it's something we have to learn from. I think one woman on a team is enough!
I really just try to enjoy the game and hope that I can inspire young kids. I started playing tennis because of Monica Seles, and I try to promote the sport in the best possible way. Sometimes it's hard because you get upset on court, but I think in life one learns through experiences in order to evolve as a person.
I work out a lot, but it changes day to day. I always start out with some cardio - either a jog, a bike ride, or footwork drills designed specifically for tennis movement. Then I do weights, but I switch the days: one day it's upper body, the next day it's lower body. Then I do stomach and back pretty much every day.