As Ana Ivanovic lifted the French Open crown on Saturday, and claimed the world No.1 position, in the process she also dismissed the notion that she could not conquer the clay of Roland Garros. Ivanovic, you see, overcame her 'kryptonite'.

But not all sportsmen are as lucky as Ivanovic — heck, who is? — and they have never overcome their 'kryptonite'.

We list some of sport's biggest mental blocks:

Roger Federer:

Federer is undoubtedly the best player of his generation, but before he can claim the title of 'Best Ever' he needs to add the French Open title to his list of Grand Slams. Unfortunately for the Swiss master, that does not seem very likely with the past three seasons reading played three, lost three — all to the same opponent, Rafael Nadal.

Darryl Cullinan:

Regarded as one of the most talented batsmen South Africa has ever produced, Darryl Cullinan never really lived up to his promise. Mentally, Cullinan just never seemed to cope, but it was his contest with Aussie spinner Shane Warne that inevitably left Cullinan a quivering mess. To say that Warne has Cullinan's number would be an understatement — Cullinan was Warnie's bunny from the moment he walked out onto the pitch to when he returned to the pavilion.

Ivan Lendl:

The stone-faced Czech still holds the record for most Grand Slam finals in men's tennis — winning eight — but despite dominating the game during the late 80's Lendl never won Wimbledon. After reaching the semifinals in 1983 and '84, he played in the final in '86 and '87 only to lose in straight sets to Boris Becker and Pat Cash, respectively. You probably could not tell by looking at him, but we reckon Ivan was crying on the inside every time he saw the title slip him by...

Okkert Brits:

One of South Africa's all-time greats, Brits boasts a long list of achievements; Silver at the World Champs in 2003, gold at the Commonwealth Games in 2002. Brits was one of the world's best pole-vaulters, but when it came to the Olympics he just never left the ground. He qualified for the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Games, but his best finish was a lowly seventh.

Paula Radcliffe:

Paula Radcliffe has dominated the women's marathon in recent years, winning the London Marathon in 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2007; the Chicago Marathon in 2002; and the New York City Marathon in 2004 and 2007. She was the favourite to win gold at the Athens Olympics in 2004, but the British superstar came spectacularly unstuck in the marathon, pulling out after 36 laps before dropping out of the 10000 metres after just eight laps. The English press, never the most sympathetic, were predictably severe on Radcliffe.

Sergio Garcia:

Poor Sergio, not only is he playing in an era dominated by one Tiger Woods, but he has frequently let himself down in the Majors. Once considered one of the brightest prospects in golf, Garcia now finds himself the not-so proud owner of the tag of 'Best golfer not to win a Major'. He has come close before, but it was at last year's British Open that Garcia crumbled so dramatically — needing just a par on the final hole he stroked his final putt wide, leading to a play-off, which he eventually lost to Padraig Harrington. Garcia tearfully explained: "I don't know... I'm playing against a lot of guys out there, more than the field." Maybe next time...

All Blacks:

Let's face it, the All Blacks are consistently the best team in the world. Nobody else comes close in terms of wins, but despite this they continue to come unstuck at the Rugby World Cup. It is not as if the other teams are suddenly getting better, it is just that the ABs seem to lose all forms of logic and reason when they play at the global showpiece. If you were to go on form before the tournament they should have won it in 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007, but then form doesn't mean much if you don't have it upstairs does it?

Steve Waugh's Australia:

With Steve Waugh in charge, Australia took the mental game to new territory even coining the phrase 'mental disintegration', the process of wearing down the opposition team's confidence through a sneaky barrage of verbal volleys. (For proof of this, see our mention of Cullinan above!) So it is somewhat ironic that Waugh never led his team to a single series win in India, a country he held close to his heart. Despite conquering all other opponents it was a victory that eluded Waugh his entire career as skipper of the side. Mental block? We think so!

The Proteas:

No, we're not going to mention the World Cup — that would be far too easy. Nope, we are looking at England and the fact that the Proteas have not been able to win a Test series there since 1965! We managed a draw in 1994, followed by a loss in 1998, but a series victory seemed assured last time round in 2003 when new skipper Graeme Smith led his side into a 2-1 lead with one match remaining. So what happened? We lost — by nine wickets — and had to settle for another draw! Odds are that this time we break the mental block, but we're not prepared to put any money on it.


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