Does Jelena Jankovic Have What It Takes to Win the French Open?
Posted by Aaress Lawless on May 17, 2007 | Print
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But Serena failed to mention one person who may be the biggest wild-card of all, new world number five Jelena Jankovic.
If Justine is the clay court queen, Serena the diva in pursuit of the Grand Slam, and Venus the five-time major champion struggling to get her game back on track, Jelena Jankovic is the wild-card, the player who could remind the tennis world just why we love Paris in the spring.
Unlike Wimbledon, which hardly ever produces a surprise champion, the French Open has a long and storied history of underdogs triumphing on the terre battue.
In 2000, Mary Pierce gave France their first, if not home-grown champion, in over thirty years. Jennifer Capriati in 2001 and Serena Williams in 2002 figuratively shook their fists in the face of the so-called clay court specialists as if to say that native-born Americans can actually slide around on clay without falling on their faces. Anastasia Myskina shocked the world with a spectacular run to the title in 2004, only to fade away by the ensuing stress of becoming a Grand Slam champion.
Justine Henin and Serena Williams are once again the favorites for this year’s title, but could this be the year for another underdog to rise to prominence?
Out of all the players being touted as dangerous floaters for this year’s French Open, Jelena Jankovic leads the field. She has already brought home one Tier I title on clay this season, shot through to the top five, and has consistently proven that she is the only person on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour capable of pushing world number one Justine Henin on clay.
Ironically, Jankovic does not consider clay her favorite surface, rather hard courts.
“I prefer to play on hard courts, but I’m getting used to the clay and I’m adapting my game to these conditions,” said Jankovic on Monday at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia where she is the third seed.
“But I played a lot of matches on clay and I feel now quite confident. I think that I can do really well. Especially, I hope to do really well in the French Open, which is my main goal.”
Her main goal may be to go deep at Roland Garros, but Jankovic is well aware that a formidable opponent is standing in her way and even went so far to name her the most dangerous opponent on clay this season.
“It’s been quite difficult for me,” said Jankovic on her lopsided 0-5 record against Justine Henin. “I always came so close and I never managed to pull it through, but hopefully sometime I will do it.”
Technically, Jankovic has the goods to beat Justine Henin on any surface. Her backhand is just as lethal, and her forehand can almost match the accuracy of Justine’s bread-and-butter shot.
What is the main culprit keeping her from defeating Justine? It all boils down to her mental strength.
Jankovic has come tantalizingly close to beating Henin in most of their recent matches, but lacked the confidence and nerves to see her through on match point.
Many times you can even pinpoint a tangible moment in the match when the momentum started swinging back to Henin. At the US Open it was after an argument with the chair umpire. Last week at Berlin, Justine was down a set and love-4 when Jankovic became tight, opening up the door for Henin to come back to win in three sets.
Jankovic is well aware of the fact that her emotions tend to get in the way of her game at times.
“I’m quite an emotional person,” admitted Jankovic. “[This] is something that I don’t really like about myself, but this is the nature.”
Her emotional nature may be stopping her from closing out big matches, but eventually, her tennis nurturing will lead her straight for her first Grand Slam title.
One emotion that has not gotten in the way of Jankovic’s career is her love of the game - and her love for the French Open.
“It’s really amazing,” said Jankovic about Roland Garros. “I love Paris and I love the French Open.”
Her love for Paris, the French Open, and more importantly, her tennis may just be the ticket to her first ever Grand Slam title.
The 2007 French Open begins on May 27. Be sure to check back at On the Baseline during the tournament for daily previews!
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Nexty | May 18, 2007 | Reply
She may be able to beat Hustine, when she10 % down…but if she plays Serena it won’tbe easy at all…I would even say she has no chance!