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©John Meaney
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In view of her imperious form at Indian Wells 2010, when she dismissed a number of in-form players like Peer, Kleybanova, Stosur, and most impressively of all, Wozniacki with relative ease, you would have to be brave indeed to bet against Jelena returning to the top of the women's game.
How does she do it, especially since in her relatively short career, she has endured (and overcome) injuries to her ankle, right shoulder, lower back, and most recently, neck pain.
"When we go on court, it's like we're going on a war" -- Jelena Jankovic Like many young Serbian (and Croatian) young tennis stars, Jelena grew up surrounded by a terrible war. JJ has said that she believes this is what gives them their 'fighting spirit'. Finding a place to practise was a real problem, not only during the war, when they had to train very early before the bombings, but also in winter. Jelena recalls that she had to practise in her winter gloves, hat, and jacket, and this was indoors! Both her and her Serbian compatriot, Ana Ivanovic, had to play tennis in a drained, carpeted Olympic sized swimming pool. The pool walls were only 18 inches from the sidelines, so cross-court play was nearly impossible, forcing the young players to play down the lines.
"I always give my best, and I fight until the end" -- Jelena Jankovic Jelena's hard work paid off when the great tennis coach, Nick Bollettiieri, recognized her talent and invited her to attend his boarding school tennis academy in Bradenton, Florida. The alumni of this prestigious tennis academy read like a Who's Who in ATP and WTA tennis. But in early 2006, Jankovic nearly gave up after nine consecutive first round match defeats. She was already a part-time student at the Megatrend University in Belgrade, studying business administration and was considering dropping her WTA touring to study full-time. Thankfully for women's tennis, she changed her mind, but she still keeps an eye on her future and is still a part-time student.
"It helps me to stay relaxed, to smile on-court." -- Jelena Jankovic This ability to go out and really enjoy her game might be the key to her success. It was noticed in the world's media that she was laughing and giggling in her chair prior to a game with Venus Williams, whilst Venus sombrely read her match notes. Her relatively poor season in 2009 might be at least partially explained by the temporary loss of this ability to smile at key tense moments during the match. The close support of friends, family and colleagues during the long tennis season is another weapon in Jelena's formidable armory.
"No better way to finish a rainy day than with a big smile, watching Serbian comedy on TV." -- Jelena Jankovic It's hard to imagine how such a fantastically determined, world-class athlete could be so, let's say, normal. Like many women of her age, she loves the latest fashion in women's tennis clothes. Her favorite brand now is Chinese apparel company ANTA, after she split from Reebok in 2009. After some initial mixed reviews, the partnership is 'finding it's feet' with Jelena now benefitting from some stylish designs. It's a shame that they're very difficult to find outside Asia.
Jelena isn't obsessive about her appearance though. She recently complained that the Italian media was only concerned about her make-up and hair, but not her backhand. During one of her recent matches in Rome, there were wolf-whistles when she bent down on court to tie her shoe laces in her tennis skirt. But really, looking like Jelena, who could blame them?
"I'm a girl...." -- Jelena Jankovic She's much more than a girl, and then again, she isn't. With her outgoing personality, and her ever cheerful attitude, she is a brilliant role model for young women everywhere. It is heartening that many such young WTA Stars are performing so well, but the 'Golden Girl', Jelena Jankovic, seems to be sparkling the shiniest.
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