Ana Ivanovic believes it was important Serbia got off to a good start at the Hopman Cup after she beat Francesca Schiavone on Monday.
The former world number one was dominant as she crushed her Italian opponent 6-4 6-0 in warm conditions inside Perth Arena.
Ivanovic was thrilled with her performance, and said the victory will give her confidence as she and team-mate Novak Djokovic prepare to face Australia on Wednesday.
"Definitely it was an amazing start. The first game was crucial. I managed to hold after serving on a few break points and then I really got into a momentum and I didn't do much wrong in that first set," she said.
"In the second set it got tougher. She (Schiavone) started playing better and I still tried to be aggressive and I'm really happy I managed to win today. It really means a lot."
The world number 13 revealed she has been training rigorously in the off-season and while her second set was not without errors, she was happy to see the aspects of her game she has been working on showing improvement on the court.
"I've worked a lot in the off-season and actually today I wasn't as good in the second set. The beginning was fine but I really feel my serve has improved and obviously in the first match you're going to have a few more nerves and I think the last service game of mine was the toughest one. Other than that I was really pleased," she said.
"I feel I have a lot more (power) on the ball and I'm playing the way I used to play before, setting up the points from my forehand and working on my serve again. These are the things I worked on in the off-season and I'm really happy they are paying off.
"That's the style of game I've always had (to attack). I have always been an aggressive player and I try to dominate and that means taking big risks sometimes. It doesn't always go your way but that's the way I have to play and it worked well for me today and it gives me confidence."