30 AND FLIRTY – JELENA JANKOVIC IN FINE FORM AHEAD OF HER CINCY SEMI-FINAL BY ROS SATAR

Written by: Staff on 22nd August 2015

30 AND FLIRTY – JELENA JANKOVIC IN FINE FORM AHEAD OF HER CINCY SEMI-FINAL BY ROS SATAR

epa04890755 Jelena Jankovic of Serbia smiles after defeating Kardina Pliskova of the Czech Republic in their third round match in the Western & Southern Open at the Linder Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, USA, 20 August 2015. EPA/TANNEN MAURY |

Jelena Jankovic of Serbia smiles after defeating Kardina Pliskova of the Czech Republic in their third round match in the Western & Southern Open at the Linder Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, USA, 20 August 2015. EPA/TANNEN MAURY

Jelena Jankovic is nothing if not unpredictable as her off the cuff statement in her on-court interview proved as she booked her place in the Cincinnati semi-finals. She loves to play to the crowd – whether it be a stadium of excited fans, or even us poor meek press-hacks – if she can make ‘em laugh, she’s happy.

Jankovic is finding another great vein of form after making a spirited and typically amusing run earlier this year to the final of Indian Wells, before injury reared its ugly head again, throwing her clay court season in the dumpster.

Grass has never really been her best friend, and now she is back in a domain that suits her to the ground as she builds towards the US Open.

On her quip on court, she told us: “I go up there and, I’m like, I’m 30 and flirty. I’m like, Oh, my God, did I just say that? (Laughter). You know, that’s just being me. Sometimes the things that I say and the words that come out of my mouth is just… Whatever. (Laughter).”

Yet behind that seemingly impulsive exterior lies a player with solid court smarts. One of my overwhelming early memories of watching Jankovic was the 2007 Toronto final against Justine Henin, where the pair played chess on court before JJ was edged out in a highly competitive two-setter.

The same was true on Friday as she faced qualifier Anna Karolina Schmiedlova for the first time.

Jankovic explained: “I thought that my opponent played very well. She was coming from qualies, and she’s had some really good wins along the way to make it to the quarters. I have never played against her. It was our first encounter, so it took me a little bit of time to, you know, figure out her game and the way she plays and what shots she likes.

“The conditions were a little bit slower and the balls were a little heavier in the evening. It’s my first match at night. I played during the day, which is a little bit different. But overall I fought very hard. There were some long rallies, some tough points out there, and I was able to stay strong and come out as a winner.”

But that trademark humpour was not too far behind – having interviewed her after a day where it seemed she was playing on every court all of the time, she could not resist a little more laughter.

“Yeah, it was like weird that I only had match today and I was not here all day. You know, it was kind of ‑‑ it feels awkward to spend sometime in my room other than here on site. (Smiling.)

“But it was nice to get some rest. I had, you know, a longer sleep because I have been waking up quite early. I was like first on at 11:00 or second, and then I would finish late at night.”

She continued: “It’s not easy, long days, but, you know, that’s the job I chose to do and I cannot complain. Especially when you’re doing well, you know, you don’t want to complain. You know, it’s like you’re tired, but it’s that good tiredness. You know, it’s like you feel good because you have done a good job.

“It’s worse when you’re losing and you’re aching. It was the worst feeling. So when you’re winning and you’re tired, you’re fine. You love it. You have a good sleep. You’re like you’re calm, you’re happy. You have done ‑‑ you had a great day.”

With a mouthwatering repeat of the Indian Wells final, where she joked that she was too old to scamper around after Simona Halep, one of the most determined scrappers out there, this is our pick of the women’s semi-finals action today at the Western and Southern Open.

Jankovic and Halep are scheduled on Centre Court, not before 8:30pm.

Topics: Cincinnati Tennis, Jelena Jankovic, Ros Satar, Sports, Tennis News, Western and Southern Open, Wta

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10sBalls_com says:

August 22, 2015 at 9:39 am

30 AND FLIRTY – @jelena_jankovic IN FINE FORM AHEAD OF HER @CincyTennis SEMI-FINAL BY @rfsatar- http://t.co/2jk1QjRE9f #WTA #Cincinnati