STANFORD, Calif. —  If anyone knows about employee turnover, it’s Ana Ivanovic.  The former No. 1 has gone through her fair share of coaches over the years, from David Taylor to Sven Groeneveld to Nigel Sears to Nemanja Kontic, just to name a few.  The latest hire is Dejan Petrovic (insert), a former touring pro who briefly coached fellow compatriot Novak Djokovic.

Playing her first match since Wimbledon, and her first under the newly-hired coach, the 11th-ranked Serb scored an impressive 7-6(2), 6-1 opening-round win over Sabine Lisicki at the Bank of the West Classic, avenging a loss to the very same player who showed her the exit at the All England Club only weeks ago.  Not even a record-shattering 131mph serve by the crafty German in the first set could halt Ivanovic on her way to the win.

“It’s never easy, changing,” said the 26-year-old Ivanovic.  “But Dejan is a great guy.  I’ve known him for a long time. He brings a little bit of a different atmosphere to the team, and I like that.”

What exactly does Ivanovic, who acknowledges her revolving door past, look for in a coach anyway now that she’s a decade into her pro career?

“We’re at the stage where we don’t change our technique much, so you really want to have good communication with the person,” she told Tennis View.  “You want someone who’s going to be there to support you no matter what, someone who’s going to help you with little things here and there, to make you motivated, to make you hungry for success.  I really want to get higher in the rankings, and I want someone who can push me in that direction.  I definitely look for someone in that manner rather than someone who’s going to be technical.”

It wasn’t as if Ivanovic didn’t have success under Kontic, whose contract she chose not to renew after Wimbledon. She’s won three tournaments in 2014 (Auckland, Monterrey, Birmingham), and has worked her way back onto the cusp of the top 10.  But something, she says, was missing.

“He helped my game a lot and was very knowledgeable about tennis,” she said.  “We had a good time.  I appreciate that he managed to sort of turn around a little bit my mindset toward the game.  I did improve.  But sometimes when you want to get higher you need to make those decisions.”

“It was a few different things — on and off the court,” she added.

Marquee wins have certainly been coming with more regularity for the 2008 Roland Garros titlist of late.  She’s downed the likes of Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Caroline Wozniacki, Angelique Kerber and countrywoman Jelena Jankovic this year.  And with those wins has come a newfound sense of belief.

“Today I was on the court and when they were introducing us, I heard that I had three titles this year,” said Ivanovic.  “I said, ‘Oh, I won a lot of matches!  I should be confident!’  It definitely helps me.”

It’s been a half-dozen years since the Serbian baseliner was perched atop the WTA Tour rankings.  Those years haven’t always been easy, as she’s tried to work her way back up.  But she’s learned much along the way.  And her ongoing education continues.

“I’m still learning… It’s still so hard,” she said.  “I love tennis and really want to do well and sometimes it’s an inner conflict I have. Sometimes the more you want it the further it gets from you.  I’m really trying to stay in the moment a little more.  It’s still work.  Everyday I have to work at it.”

NOTEBOOK: Ivanovic visited the Google campus in nearby Mountain View on Monday, where she tried her hand at bowling.  The result?  Two strikes in as many attempts.  “I was so proud, I quit right there,” she laughed.  “I got [them] all.  I was impressed.”

(Photos: Mal Taam for Tennis View)