Justine Henin Gets the Better of Jankovic . . . Again
Posted by Aaress Lawless on Nov 7, 2007 | Print | Email | Bookmark | Free Subscription
When Jelena Jankovic looks back at her 2007 season, she’ll remember three things.
First, she will recall fondly her breakthrough year when she reached the top 5 for the first time in her career. Second, Jankovic will grimace when she remembers the exhaustion she felt after playing twenty-seven tournaments in less than eleven months.
And lastly, Jelena will never forget the year she was foiled by world number one Justine Henin.
Were it not for Henin, Jankovic might have captured more than her four singles titles in 2007. If Henin had simply skipped a few more tournaments, Jelena might be higher than her present ranking of No. 3.
Jankovic’s career record against Henin: 0-9
Jankovic’s 2007 record against Henin: 0-7 (and still counting)
Unfortunately for Jelena, each time she plays Henin her performance gets worse. She started the season with a nail-biting 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 loss in Doha. She followed it up with another close 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 defeat on clay in Warsaw.
Fast forward seven months and four more losses to today at the Sony Ericsson Championships in Madrid.
Playing in her debut match at the WTA season-ending tournament, Jankovic was blitzed by Henin in straight sets 6-2, 6-2.
What is different from the Jankovic in February and the Jankovic in November?
Exhaustion is partly to blame for today’s loss, along with the continued brilliance of Justine Henin. Unlike Jankovic, Henin plays better by the week - and has not lost a match since the semifinals of Wimbledon.
The biggest difference is that Jelena Jankovic has lost confidence that she can beat Henin.
Jankovic may joke that the only reason why she wins tournaments is Henin’s absence, but underneath the humor, you have to start wondering if the fan-favorite Serbian is believing her own jokes.
At best, Jankovic will only have one more chance in 2007 to prove that she has the game to beat Henin if they both reach Sunday’s final.
But judging from today’s performance, don’t be surprised if Justine Henin scores a perfect 10-0 record on her way to winning her 10th title of the 2007 tennis season.
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Dapxin | Nov 7, 2007 | Reply
Jankovic is a lovely tennis player. For me, she is the tennis equivalent of Ronaldinho(well, of the past??:).
If you don’t fancy her easy approach to the game, you’ll give her credits for her arresting smile when she loses a tough point. She’s just an on-court teaser anyday.
The only thing she needs to do to herself is BELIEVE that she can actually outplay the No1, or so called greats… I strongly believe this is the missing element in her game. This singular competitive conviction, or shall I say sense of pride, is always why Serena or Venus are much detested/adored depending on which side you are.
Come what may, they (the 2 sisters) never give their opponent the default psycho advantage, either in or out of a game.
Thanks aarees for a lovely coverage here, Bring on tomorrow’s games.
Comment Moderator | Nov 7, 2007 | Reply
Daxpin - part of your above comment was edited. We strive to keep On the Baseline family friendly, so you may want to read our comment policy here:
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Thanks.