Future Tennis Stars

A few years ago, Russia dominated the tennis headlines but quickly faded as Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova went winless for a couple of years and Anastasia Myskina and Elena Dementieva dropped out of the headlines.

2007 saw the rise of Serbia with Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic getting the bulk of the press on the women’s side and Novak Djokovic quickly moving up the rankings on the ATP Tour.

At FutureTennisStars.com we’re going to be looking at those three players in greater detail and see what we can expect from them in 2008 starting with Jelena Jankovic.

Jelena Jankovic

2007 in Review
Jelena started the year ranked 12th and finished 3rd. Her biggest titles came in Charleston and Rome, both Tier I events. Her best Slam performance came at the French where she reached the semifinals. She won a total of 4 events.

What to expect in 2008
Jelena played, and won, an insane amount of tennis in 2007 so she will have a lot of points to defend. However, at the Slams and a the Tier I events, she has room to get more in 2008. She will be playing a toned down schedule so she will have more time to focus on her biggest goal, not winning a Slam, but beating Justine Henin. Jankovic was not able to beat the top ranked Henin in 7 tries in 2007. In Doha, Warsaw and Berlin, the matches went three sets and only two matches, Paris and Madrid, weren’t close with both being 6-2, 6-2 losses for Jankovic.

Jankovic can beat anyone else on tour so if Jankovic can beat Henin in a Slam, Jelena will most likely win the title. Let’s have a look at how Jankovic may fare at the Slams.

Australian Open
Jankovic started 2007 with a win in Auckland and the finals in Sydney so she can quickly adjust to the time and weather, the two big things that can affect the top players if they don’t prepare for Melbourne right. Jankovic just happened to run into a hot Serena Williams last year but this year could be different. Jelena will be determined to set the tone for 2008 and a strong showing is what she will get in Melbourne. I doubt she will overcome Henin at the Australian but a semifinal finish is what we should see.

French Open
Her best chance will come at the French where her clay game can neutralize the power of the other players and give her the opportunity to use her ball control to keep her opponents off guard. Even though Henin is extremely tough on clay, definitely the best on tour, Jelena should still pull an upset in Paris. Her strong showing in Charleston, Rome and reached the semis in Berlin. No woman has won 4 straight French titles in the Open Era and I don’t think Henin will do it in 2008. Jankovic wins the French Open and should be ranked No. 2 after the win as she is less than 300 points behind Kuznetsova.

Wimbledon
Jelena won in Birmingham and reached the finals in the Netherlands before Wimbledon last year so she can handle the transition from clay to grass better than most. An unthinkable loss to Bartoli last year (but hey, no one saw Bartoli coming) stopped her from challenging for the title. I don’t think that will happen again and Jankovic should have a clear path to the semis at least. There, she should face Ivanovic, Sharapova perhaps even Golovin. The player that should give her the most trouble here is Ivanovic and I don’t see Jankovic winning against her countrywoman on grass. A semifinal appearance at least should be her result here, but most likely not the title.

US Open
The US Open is a symbolic place for Jankovic. She completed her turnaround in 2006 in New York and she played a great match against Williams in the quarters last year. Even though Jankovic can play on the hard courts, she will face a lot more contenders in New York than probably at any other Slam. Henin, Sharapova, the Williams’, Ivanovic and others could challenge Jankovic. Still at the end of a long year, in the heat and on hardcourts, anything can happen. Henin isn’t as dominant in New York, Sharapova is prone to mental lapses, the Williams’ may not be ready depending on how much they do or do not play. Injuries play a large factor in New York so if Jelena can stay healthy, she will be one of the two or three big favourites. It’s hard to predict a win without seeing a draw, but I would say a title isn’t out of the question depending on her health.

Rankings
Jankovic can make up some ground on Kuznetsova in the rankings not only at the Slams but also at the Tier I events. In Tokyo, San Diego, Indian Wells and Miami, Jankovic lost early. Unless Henin really falls apart and Jelena tears up the schedule, it’s doubtful that Jankovic could overtake Henin in the rankings.

Hurdles
Jankovic’s biggest hurdle will be the mental aspect. For someone who almost never gets hurt, she is prone to mental letdowns if she is up in the third set. Her serve is the weakest part of her game, something she knows and has committed to working on.

In Summary
Australian Open - Semifinals
French Open - Champion
Wimbledon - Semifinals
US Open - Champion

Tomorrow: Ana Ivanovic