Jelena Jankovic
Jelena Jankovic is one of a new generation of eastern-European female players who have dominated women's tennis for the past five years. While Jankovic has lost her way somewhat in recent seasons, the Serb has the skill and power to emerge as a title contender at the 2009 US Open Tennis championships.
Player Biography
Jelena Jankovic was born in Belgrade, Serbia in 1985. She was introduced to tennis by her brother, Marko, who now serves as her fitness coach. Jankovic began training at the Red Star club in Belgrade before moving to the United States to train with Nick Bollettieri – trainer of Maria Sharapova.
Career
Jelena Jankovic began playing on the WTA circuit part time in 2001, whilst still contesting youth tournaments. That year Jankovic proved her class by winning the junior women's singles title at the Australian Open.
Grand Slam Record
The 2003 Australian Open introduced Jelena Jankovic to grand slam tennis. In her first outing at a grand slam Jankovic won a single match before exiting the tournament in the second round. The young Serb failed to play in another grand slam that year.
In 2004 Jelena Jankovic made her first full grand slam debut, meeting with minimal success as she failed to advance beyond the second round of any of the tournaments. The following season saw Jankovic put in a stronger showing as she improved on her placing in each of the grand slams, reaching the 3rd rounds of both Wimbledon and the US Open.
Away from the grand slams, Jelena Jankovic was beginning to make her presence felt on the WTA tour as she took three tour titles. 2006 saw Jankovic's steady improvement continue as she once again put in good performances in the grand slams – most notably the US Open, where she advanced to the semi-finals of a grand slam for the first time.
The 2007 grand slam season was Jelena Jankvic's best to date, with the young Serb making it through to at least the 4th round of each tournament, claiming a semi-final berth at Rolland Garos and making her second appearance in the quarterfinals of the US Open.
She made to her first Grand Slam Final at the 2008 US Open, only to be defeated by Serena Williams, even though she lost in the final, her ranking soared to number 1 after defeating Vera Zvonareva at the Kremlin Cup and Nadia Petrova at the Porsche Grand Prix.
Having reached the heights of women's tennis, Jankovic's form went into a tailspin as she failed to impose herself on either the grand slams or Tier I tournaments in 2009. There have been recent signs of a revival by the Russian, and signs are she could be amongst the final 16 at the 2009 US Open.
Playing Style
Jelena Jankovic is one of the most resilient players on the WTA circuit. Her most potent shot is her powerful double-handed right hand backhand. Jankovic's weakest shot is her serve which is overly reliant on spin and opens her up to counterattack.
