Jelena Jankovic

TAGS:

 

  • Jelena JankovicDate of birth: Feb 28, 1985
  • Birthplace: Belgrade, Serbia
  • Residence: Belgrade, Serbia
  • Height:  5'9 1/2'' (1.77 m)
  • Weight: 130 lbs. (59 kg)
  • Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
  • Turned Pro: 2000

  

 

Jelena Jankovic (born on February 28, 1985) is a Serbian professional female tennis player. She entered the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) top 15 in September 2006 when she reached the semifinals of the U.S. Open. In early 2007, she broke into the top 10 and subsequently entered the top 3 when she reached the semifinals of the 2007 French Open. She won the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon in 2007 with partner Jamie Murray.

Tennis career

Early career

Jankovic learned her first tennis skills in Tennis Club 'Red Star'. As a nine-and-a-half year old she was introduced to tennis by her elder brother and fitness coach Marko. She was later trained at the Tennis Academy of Nick Bollettieri. As a junior she won the 2001 Australian Open. In 2001, she started to play on the WTA Tour; she reached the second round at her first tournament at the Indian Wells Masters.

In October 2003, Jankovic entered the top 100 at No. 90 for the first time after winning her first ITF title in Dubai. Three months later, Jankovic garnered her first top 10 win against Elena Dementieva 6–1, 6–4 in the first round of the 2004 Australian Open. She then lost to Jill Craybas in three sets in the second round. In May, Jankovic won her first WTA title, a Tier V event, in Budapest, defeating Martina Sucha in the final 7–6, 6–3. Following her win in Budapest, she reached No. 51 in the world. Elsewhere in her 2004 season, she defeated top 20 players Nadia Petrova (twice), Vera Zvonareva, Patty Schnyder and Paola Suarez. Jankovic finished 2004 ranked No. 28 in the world.

2005

2005 is considered Jankovic's breakthrough season. In March, at Dubai, she advanced to the final following Serena Williams's retirement in the semifinal. Jankovic then lost in the final to Lindsay Davenport 6–4, 3–6, 6–4. She made her first Tier I semifinal in Berlin, losing to Nadia Petrova 6–4, 6–7, 6–3. In June, she reached her first grass court final at Birmingham, but lost to Maria Sharapova 6–2, 4–6, 6–1. In October, Jankovic reached her third final of the year in Seoul, ranked No. 17 in the world, her highest ranking at that time, losing to 16-year-old Nicole Vaidisova 7–5, 6–3. Her ranking at the end of the season eclipsed her 2004 record at No. 22.

2006

After winning her first round match at the Australian Open, Jankovic lost ten straight matches, not winning a match from late January into early May. She then reached the quarterfinals of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome before losing to Venus Williams in three sets. The following week, she reached the semifinals in Strasbourg, retiring against Nicole Vaidisova in the second set.

At the French Open, Jankovic upset 25th-seeded Marion Bartoli before losing to World No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo in the third round 6–3, 6–3. At Wimbledon, she upset sixth-seeded and defending champion Venus Williams in the third round 7–6(8), 4–6, 6–4. She then lost to ninth-seeded Anastasia Myskina in the fourth round 6–4, 7–6(5).

During the North American summer hard court season, Jankovic reached her fifth career final at the JPMorgan Chase Open in Los Angeles, defeating tenth-seeded Ana Ivanovic in the quarterfinals and unseeded Serena Williams in the semifinals before losing to third seeded Elena Dementieva in the final. At the U.S. Open, Jankovic defeated World No. 10 Vaidisova in the third round, World No. 7 Svetlana Kuznetsova in the fourth round, and World No. 5 Dementieva in the quarterfinals 6–2, 6–1. In the semifinals, Jankovic lost to Justine Henin 4–6, 6–4, 6–0 after Jankovic had led 6–4, 4–2 and was one point from leading 5–2. Jankovic argued with the chair umpire when the umpire refused to offer an opinion as to whether a service call had been correct, suggesting that Jankovic use one of her electronic challenges. Jankovic then lost ten consecutive games.

At Jankovic's first tournament following the U.S. Open, she reached the semifinals of the Tier II China Open, losing to Mauresmo 6–1, 3–6, 7–6 after Jankovic served for the match at 6–5 in the third set. The following week, Jankovic reached the Guangzhou semifinals, retiring against Anna Chakvetadze while trailing 7-5, 2-0. In her last four tournaments of the year, she lost to Kuznetsova, Vaidisova and Olga Poutchkova in the quarterfinals of three of them and to Kuznetsova in the second round of the other one.

Jankovic finished the year ranked World No. 12.

2007

To begin the year, Jankovic won her second title at the Tier IV ASB Classic in Auckland, defeating Vera Zvonareva in the final. At the Tier II Medibank International in Sydney, Jankovic defeated World No. 7 Martina Hingis and top-seeded Amélie Mauresmo on the way to the final. There, she lost to Kim Clijsters after Jankovic served for the match in the second set. She then reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, where she was eliminated by the eventual champion Serena Williams 6–3, 6–2. Because of her results at these tournaments, her ranking rose to World No. 10, the first time she had been included in the top ten.

At the first Tier I event of the year in Tokyo, Jankovic lost in the quarterfinals to countrywoman Ana Ivanovic 3–6, 6–4, 6–2. At the Dubai Tennis Championships, she retired from her semifinal match with Mauresmo because of an ankle injury. The following week in Doha, Jankovic again reached the semifinals, losing to Justine Henin in three sets. After that, she played at the Tier I Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, California where she was eliminated by Na Li in the fourth round 6–3, 7–6(1). To complete the spring hard court season, Jankovic lost in the third round of the Tier I tournament in Key Biscayne, Florida to Italian Mara Santangelo 2–6, 7–6, 6–4, despite holding a 6–2, 5–2 lead.

Jankovic then started her clay court season at Amelia Island, Florida, where she lost in the quarterfinals to Ivanovic 7–5, 6–3. She then won her first career Tier I title, at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina, defeating Venus Williams in the semifinals 3–6, 6–3, 7–6 and Dinara Safina in the final. On European red clay, Jankovic then lost to Henin three times and won one tournament. At the J&S Cup in Warsaw, Jankovic lost to Henin in the semifinals 7–5, 2–6, 6–4. At the Qatar Telecom German Open, Jankovic lost to Henin in the quarterfinals 3–6, 6–4, 6–4 after failing to hold a 4–0 lead in the third set. Jankovic next won her second career Tier I title at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, defeating second-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final. Jankovic was the fourth seed at the French Open. She defeated Venus Williams and Nicole Vaidisova, among others, before falling to Henin in the semifinals 6–2, 6–2. Her results at these six clay court tournaments increased her ranking to World No. 3.

On grass, Jankovic captured the DFS Classic title in Birmingham, beating top-seeded Maria Sharapova in the final. Sharapova led 3–0 in the third set before Jankovic rallied to win the match. This was her first career victory over Sharapova. The next week, Jankovic reached the final of the Ordina Open in the Netherlands and became the first player since Chris Evert in 1974 to win 50 matches in the first half of a year. Jankovic, suffering from a hamstring injury, lost the final to Anna Chakvetadze. At Wimbledon, Jankovic was the third-seed but lost in the fourth round to Marion Bartoli of France 3–6, 7–5, 6–3. In the mixed doubles competition at Wimbledon, Jankovic teamed with doubles specialist Jamie Murray to win the title by beating the fifth-seed team, Jonas Björkman and Alicia Molik, in the final 6–4, 3–6, 6–1.

During the North American summer hard court season, Jankovic lost in the third round of the Tier I Acura Classic in San Diego. Jankovic blamed her loss on the flu. In spite of her illness, she reached the semifinals of the East West Bank Classic in Carson, California the next week, falling to Ivanovic 4–6, 6–3, 7–5 after Jankovic led 4–1 in the third set and had two match points at 5–4 in that set. Jankovic said, "I cannot expect myself to play my best tennis when I am still blowing my nose on each changeover with paper towels." In August, Jankovic reached the final of the Tier I Rogers Cup in Toronto, where she lost to Henin on Henin's sixth match point. Jankovic had led 4–1 in the first set and 4–2 in the second set but was unable to maintain her lead. At the U.S. Open, Jankovic lost to Venus Williams in the quarterfinals 4–6, 6–1, 7–6(4).

To complete her hectic playing year, Jankovic traveled to Asia for two tournaments, Europe for one tournament, back to Asia for one tournament, and finally back to Europe for two tournaments.

At the Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic in Bali, Jankovic was upset in the quarterfinals by former World No. 1 Lindsay Davenport 6–4, 2–6, 6–2. This was Davenport's first singles tournament since giving birth. The following week at the China Open in Beijing, Jankovic received a wildcard into the tournament after top-ranked Henin withdrew due to illness. In the second round, Jankovic defeated Virginia Ruano Pascual 6–0, 6–0, the third time in her career she had won a match without losing a game. Jankovic lost only four points during the second set, all on her own serve. In the semifinals, Jankovic beat Davenport 6–3, 7–5 but lost in the final to Hungarian teenager Agnes Szavay after Jankovic had a match point in the second set.

After a two week break, Jankovic then played three consecutive weeks but won only two matches. At the Tier II tournament in Stuttgart, Jankovic lost to Henin in the semifinals 7–6(2), 7–5. Jankovic then retired from her first round match in Bangkok with Yan Zi. After a first round bye at the Zürich Open, Jankovic lost to Vaidisova 6–4, 6–4.

Jankovic took a three week break before playing the year-ending WTA Tour Championships in Madrid. However, Jankovic lost all three of her round robin matches, to Henin, Chakvetadze, and Bartoli (retiring in the second set after losing the first set).

Jankovic had successful nose surgery immediately after Madrid to correct a breathing problem. The surgery prevented her from practicing for three weeks.

2008

Jankovic stated that she would cut back on her schedule during 2008 and focus on Grand Slam and Tier I events.

Instead of defending her title in Auckland, Jankovic joined Novak Djokovic in playing for Serbia in the Hopman Cup, an exhibition team event sanctioned by the International Tennis Federation. In the final, Jankovic and Djokovic lost to the American team of Serena Williams and Mardy Fish, with Jankovic unable to play her singles rubber because of injury.

In her final preparation event for the Australian Open, the Medibank International in Sydney, Jankovic lost in the third round to Nicole Vaidisova.

Her first match at the Australian Open was against Tamira Paszek, which Jankovic won 2–6, 6–2, 12-10 in three hours, fifteen minutes. Both players needed medical attention during the final set. Jankovic then reached the quarterfinals for the first time, defeating defending champion Serena Williams 6–3, 6–4. In her third career Grand Slam singles semifinal, Jankovic lost to Maria Sharapova 6–3, 6–1.

Jankovic then played two tournaments in the Middle East. At the Tier I Qatar Total Open in Doha, Jankovic lost in the quarterfinals to Li Na 6–3, 6–4. The next week at the Tier II Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships, Jankovic lost in the semifinals to Svetlana Kuznetsova 5–7, 6–4, 6–3.

Jankovic's next tournament was the Tier II Canara Bank Bangalore Open '08 in India. Although she was the top seeded player, she lost in the quarterfinals to Yan Zi of China 6–3, 3–6, 6–3.

At the Tier I Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, California, Jankovic was the third seed and defeated 24th-seeded Lindsay Davenport in the quarterfinals when Davenport retired from the match with a shoulder and back injury after losing the first set. Jankovic then lost to fellow Serb Ana Ivanovic in the semifinals 7–6(3), 6–3.

The following fortnight, Jankovic was the runner-up at the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, losing to Serena Williams 6-1, 5-7, 6-3 after Williams was unable to convert on seven match points in the third set.

Jankovic was the defending champion at the Tier I Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina but lost in the quarterfinals to Vera Zvonareva 6-2, 3-6, 6-2.

Her next tournament was the Tier I Qatar Telecom German Open in Berlin, where she again lost in the quarterfinals, this time to Elena Dementieva 6-3, 2-6, 6-3.

Jankovic's next scheduled tournament is the Tier I Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome where she will be the defending champion.

Playing style

Jankovic is often regarded as one of the fittest and toughest players in recent years of women's tennis for her great defensive abilities and footwork, which classifies her as a counterpuncher. Jelena is known for being one of the few players who can slide on all surfaces, further enhancing her defense. In 2007, she played more matches than any other player did and maintained her third rank as well, which is the proof of her incredible stamina and well-balanced performance. Jankovic has very consistent groundstrokes and likes to go down the line more often than crosscourt. Her signature shot is her two-handed backhand down the line; she hits it with excellent pace and can drive it deep for an outright winner and also the fact that she can hit her backhand any angle from her court position. She also has a solid forehand and a decent net game, being able to hit effective drive, drop and swinging volleys. Her main weakness is the fact her serve is very attackable. She likes to spin it in on the first and second serve which can lead to her getting broken many times in matches against good baseline players.

Personal life

Jankovic was born in Belgrade, in then Yugoslavia, now Serbia, as the third child of Veselin and Snezana Jankovic, both economists. She also has two brothers, Marko and Stefan. She is a student at the Megatrend University in Belgrade, studying economics; however, she has put her course of study on indefinite hiatus as she continues to pursue her tennis career. She trained at tennis club "Crvena Zvezda".

At Wimbledon 2007, in a mixed doubles match at the semi-final stage she invited a ballboy to come and sit with her and began asking him questions, much to the crowd's amusement. Though the boy was clearly enjoying himself, he swiftly jumped out of the chair when a riled Jamie Murray returned from his toilet break. The British press have linked Jankovic and Murray romantically but she has remained coy about their relationship, though she joked in interviews that she used kisses as a way of motivating the Scot.

On December 5, 2007, Jankovic has become a UNICEF National Ambassador for Serbia, for Children's Fund. "I am happy to have become a UNICEF ambassador for Serbia. This is a great honour for me and I will try to justify the role that has been given to me", she said. Jankovic is the second Serbian tennis star to have volunteered to help promote the rights of children and collect funds for UNICEF after Ana Ivanovic, the world's second-ranked player, became an ambassador in September.

source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


 

Go Back