Serena Williams, Ana Ivanovic Have 'No Big Egos,' Retired Tennis Player Says

A former professional tennis player revealed his experience training with Serena Williams and Ana Ivanovic.

Imran Aswat is a Whittle-le-Woods tennis player who had to retire early because of injuries. He is largely unheard of outside tennis but he was once ranked the 1,038 best player in the world.

During his playing years, Aswat played against some of the best and even trained with them. In his recent interview with Craig Salmon of Lancashire Post, Aswat shared his thoughts about the top players in the world and his experiences with legendary women’s tennis players Williams and Ivanovic.

According to Aswat, the top players are no different from players who are ranked way lower than them. Based on his assessment, top players are just a little better in terms of strategy and mental strength.

“The thing is with the top players, they just do the simple things well. They don’t hit the ball any different really to a guy who is ranked 500 in the world, it’s just their tactical awareness and mental strength is better,” Aswat stated.

The 24-year-old retired tennis player also revealed that he used to practice with Williams and Ivanovic in the past. As expected, Aswat was kind of pressured when he finally got the chance to train with the bests. However, what Williams and Ivanovic showed him changed everything.

“I practised with Serena (Williams), (Martina) Hingis and (Ana) Ivanovic and every single one of them was really nice,” Aswat recalled.

“They all introduced themselves to me. There were no big egos or anything. So I didn’t feel daunted having this legend on the opposite side of the net. That took the pressure off really,” Aswat continued.

Among the greatest matches Aswat had in his career, the toe-to-toe against Daniil Medvedev was something he would never forget.

At 6-foot-6, Medvedev has certainly made the most of his height and is widely regarded as one of the players who will eventually reach the statutory of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. However, Aswat didn’t see Medvedev that way when he faced him.

“I played him in a futures tournament in Tunisia. It was only two-and-a-half years ago,” Aswat said.

“I lost that one but at the time, I just didn’t think this guy on the other side of the net is going to be the No.4 in the world or even top 100. I thought he was nothing special but he’s moved on,” Aswat admitted.