MELBOURNE, Jan 14, 2008 - Glamorous world number four Ana Ivanovic has revealed a love affair with Australia, calling it her favourite country in the world. The Serbian has relatives in Melbourne and spends Christmas Down Under every year without fail, enjoying nothing more than a barbeque in the back yard. "I always love coming to Australia, it's my favorite country. I always come here for Christmas, either to Sydney or Melbourne, where I have family," the 20-year-old said in a blog for the WTA's website. "That's one of the many things that make this a special place and a special tournament for me. Having my uncle and his family come to support me is great, and my fitness trainer Scott Byrnes is an Aussie." She first came to Australia for a junior tournament when she was 14, and has never looked back. "Going to my family's house for a barbecue is always one of the highlights of my trip," she added. "I'm a very family-orientated person, and for me just relaxing in the garden with friends, family and good food is one of my favorite things to do. "I'm feeling very healthy and excited about the challenge ahead. I trained extremely hard in Sydney during the off-season and I think I'm in my best shape ever, and ready to handle the extreme conditions here." The Serb has already established herself as a crowd favourite at Melbourne Park but will be looking to display a ruthless streak that has previously been missing from her on-court displays at the tournament. She climbed from 14 to a career-high four in the world rankings last year, reaching the French Open final, the last four at Wimbledon and claiming titles in Berlin, Los Angeles and Luxembourg.
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