Ana Ivanovic shared her delight at taking part in a star-studded mixed doubles exhibition at the Geneva Open on Sunday. The Serbian former World No. 1 retired in 2016 and is rarely seen on a tennis court these days. She was enticed by an invitation from the Geneva Open organizers to play with a mixed doubles match against old rival Martina Hingis, and celebrated Frenchmen Henri Leconte and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
The Geneva Open is celebrating its tenth anniversary as an ATP 250 event. Ana Ivanovic won the French Open title in 2008, and after her retirement, married the famous German footballer Bastian Schweinsteiger. The couple has since had three children, and Ivanovic has left her playing days behind her.
Geneva is home territory for five-time Grand Slam winner Martina Hingis. Surprisingly, Hingis never managed to capture the French Open title, losing twice in the final. She and Ivanovic share a 1-1 head-to-head record. Ivanovic posted a series of images of the two icons sitting courtside on Instagram, with the caption:
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"No other feeling like playing tennis with old friends."
Ana Ivanovic defeated an 18-year-old Hingis, 6-2, 6-3, in the final of the Rogers Cup in 2006. Six months later, Hingis got her revenge when she beat Ivanovic 6-4, 6-2 at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.
Ana Ivanovic and Martina Hingis were joined by Henri Leconte and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Henri Leconte is a former Geneva Open champion. Seeded No. 1, the Frenchman played in the seventh edition of the tournament in September 1986 and beat Thierry Tulasne 7-5, 6-3. Leconte, now 61, won nine ATP titles in his 16-year career and was a French Open finalist in 1988, losing in three sets to Mats Wilander.
Leconte is in high demand as an exhibition player, due to his sense of humor on court and his engaging personality. In 2019, he hilariously swapped places with the chair umpire during an invitational match at Wimbledon, shared by the All-England club's Instagram page:
Making up the foursome was Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who retired in 2022 after an 18-year career, which saw him win 18 career ATP titles. The Frenchman never won a Major title, but was a finalist at the 2008 Australian Open, losing to Novak Djokovic in four sets. He also appeared in four Major semifinals - twice at Wimbledon and twice at Roland Garros.
In the exhibition, Ana Ivanovic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga paired up against Hingis and Leconte. The match score has not been recorded, but Ivanovic and Tsonga won the friendly match.
