Ana Ivanovic Finds Sudoku an Ace for Locker Room Waits

Image courtesy of Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships

Reading books, listening to iPods, and sleeping are some of the most common locker room pastimes in women’s tennis, but world No. 2 Ana Ivanovic uses the time to play a game many people around the world also enjoy–Sudoku.

It is a game not for the easily discouraged, but Ivanovic relishes the challenge the Japanese puzzles pose.

“From the time I was young, I have loved these sort of games that require some mental exercise,” Ivanovic was quoted saying in Gulf News.

“Sudoko helps me keep my focus and concentrate on my thinking. I find Sudoko is the best way to get prepared for a match.”

Sudoku, a logic-based number puzzle, took the international world by storm only three years ago in 2005. According to Wikipedia, its objective is to fill a 99 grid so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 33 boxes (also called blocks or regions) contains the digits from 1 to 9, using each number only once in every row.

Ivanovic’s pre-match routine of Sudoku is certainly much quieter than some of her other Tour mates’ activities. World No. 3 Svetlana Kuznetsova is famous for getting ready for a match by singing along with her blaring iPod in the locker room.