Ivanovic won't be one-win wonder

Smiling Ana. Beautiful Ana. Take your pick. They're both appropriate for Ana Ivanovic.

Choosing between these terms is about as difficult as picking between dark-haired beauty Ivanovic and equally beautiful blonde Maria Sharapova.

One thing is certain. Sharapova now has competition for the title of the world's most glamorous female athlete. In the process, women's tennis should soar to new heights in the next 5-10 years. Luckily, Charleston already has the Family Circle Cup.

This year, Maria and Serena Williams. Next year, Maria, Ana and Serena at the Cup?

It probably won't be long before tennis telecasts will be airing commercials of Ana talking to and teasing a dark-haired pup, similar to Sharapova's cute camera commercial with that adorable little bouncing white pooch. Or maybe the commercial will include both Maria and Ana, with Ana taking the photos of Maria and coaxing her rival to "Come on." Of course, Maria would remain as uncompromising as she is on a tennis court by responding, "No, you come on!"

Seriously, the sky is the limit for women's tennis, just as it is for its new No. 1 player. This isn't all about tennis in that Ivanovic should rise beyond the game and become an international celebrity. She suddenly becomes everyone's chief rival on the court, too.

Don't look for Ivanovic to be a one-time Grand Slam wonder. Four weeks from now, the tennis world easily could be singing her praises at Wimbledon as a two-time Grand Slam tournament champion.

I know Wimbledon belongs to Serena and Venus Williams, and Sharapova. But don't count Ana with the single "n" out. This 20-year-old Serbian has the game and the ability. And with the monkey off her back as the result of her straight-set victory over Dinara Safina in Saturday's French Open final, Ivanovic could soar alongside the WTA Tour.

She's already an incredible talent. But what if this 6-1 wonder perfects and strengthens her already strong serve, improves consistency on her powerful penetrating groundstrokes and maybe adds a net presence to her game?

She no longer has to prove anything. Her erratic performances against Justine Henin in last year's French final and against Sharapova in this year's Australian Open final are history. She placed them in a sealed tomb with her spectacular play against Safina.

Point of wonder

The last point of Rafael Nadal's straight-set win over Novak Djokovic in the semifinals was the perfect illustration of Nadal. Nadal took away three apparent Djokovic winners in just a few seconds, going deep into his forehand corner to retrieve a perfectly placed Djokovic groundstroke, then sprinting toward the left netpost to pick up a drop shot before backpedaling to leap backward and spectacularly smash an overhead to end the match, then wallowing like a kid in the red clay.

Roger Federer will have to overcome that level of intensity and perfection today if he is to realize his dream of a career Grand Slam. As great as Federer is, he will need help to defeat Nadal. Federer didn't get it from Djokovic. And Nadal isn't likely to be obliging.

Small world changing

Stuart Small has announced that he is leaving the position of director of tennis at the Daniel Island Club "to pursue a new career path in medical sales . . ." Small will remain through August at the tennis club he has directed for four years.

Reach James Beck at jdbeck@postandcourier.com or 937-5540.