SONY ERICSSON CHAMPIONSHIPS
Date: 2009-10-31

SONY ERICSSON CHAMPIONSHIPS

October 31, 2009

Jelena Jankovic
DOHA, QATAR
V. WILLIAMS/J. Jankovic
5-7, 6-3, 6-4

The Moderator Questions for Jelena, please.

Question What is your feeling after this long match?
Jelena Jankovic: You know, of course it's disappointing. I had so many chances. Especially I won that first set, then had a lot of breakpoints in the second set, then I let everything slip away. Then she took that second set. Again, the third I had a lot of breakpoints.
I stopped serving -- my serve went bad, the percentage went bad. I wasn't serving well, especially in that third set, and she was able to break me. And I didn't convert those breakpoints that I had, you know, a lot of chances. Especially at the end, you know, 5-4, I miss two easy forehands, she hit a let. A little bit of bad luck.
But overall I had a few chance and I just didn't use it. I could have won in two sets if I did the right things. But, unfortunately, didn't happen.

Question Is there a reason why, between you and her, it's always very, very tough every match?
Jelena Jankovic: I don't know what it is. I think we're both great athletes. We move well around the court. You know, she hits the ball so hard, of course, harder than me. She's much bigger than me.
But, you know, until now I had a positive score against her. But now we're even. So, you know, I lost this tough match. I tried my best. You know, I didn't do some of the things that I should have done. But that's part of the game. You know, I just have to learn and I just have to move on.
That was my last match of the season. Now I go to vacation, and then I can focus on other things than playing tennis.

Question You mentioned the vacation. It's going to be a happier one for you than it looked like at the start of this week when you seemed to be struggling for form. You've ended a lot better than you started, haven't you?
Jelena Jankovic: Yeah, you know, I had a good week here. You know, it's always nice to get to the end of the tournament. I made it to the semis. That is not a bad result.
But I would have liked to go further. I had a big chance today. But, you know, it's still not bad. You know, I just have to be positive, look at it in a good way. You know, it could have been worse. I could have also not made it, you know, into the semis. I could have gone out in this round robin competition.
So still a good result. You know, I don't have any regrets.

Question You're ranking has gone from 1 to 8 over the last 12 months. Can it go in the opposite direction in 2010?
Jelena Jankovic: I hope so. That will be my goal, you know, to get up there, to the top again. I have the ability to do that. I just have to work on my game. I have to focus on my tennis.
I was struggling. A lot of things have happened. It was not an easy year for me overall. I still managed to stay strong and to come here and to make it to the semis. So it's still a good result. Many players, they have all of these things, and they cannot even win a match. So I'm still positive.
I'm excited about, you know, my off-season, having some vacation, and then starting to train. I will work very, very hard because I will be motivated to be better in 2010 and come back to the top again.

Question Both players today ended up with more unforced errors than winners. Is that sort of an indication of how tough it is to play in that humidity?
Jelena Jankovic: Yeah, as well, you know, I think we are both good movers. So I think it's tough to hit winners, you know, on either side. Especially sometimes I felt like the ball was heavy. You know, sometimes I was hitting as hard as I could, but the ball didn't really have pace.
So, you know, today was more errors than winners. But that's part of the game. And also it's not easy to make winners, especially that Venus is such a tall girl and she makes two steps and she covers almost the whole court.

Question Last time you arrived in Australia, you were the No. 1 seed for the Australian Open, but you got sick in Hong Kong and didn't have a very happy month. There will be less expectations on you on your return this January. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
Jelena Jankovic: You know, I don't mind it. I don't mind expectations or anything like that. I think when you have game, when you're ready, when you're healthy, then you believe in yourself and you can do anything out there.
But this year I got really sick in the exhibition in Hong Kong, together with my mom. My mom couldn't recover for two weeks. Especially coming into the heat, you know, in Melbourne, of course, doesn't help.
You know, hopefully I will be healthy and I will be in good form. That will be my goal. I would like to do well in the Australian Open. I won it in the juniors. I won the Australian Open juniors, you know, many, many years ago. You know, I would like to win it one day in the professional, in the senior tour.