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INTERNAZIONALI BNL D'ITALIA (WOMEN)


May 14, 2007


Jelena Jankovic


ROME, ITALY

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. When you play, you don't wait that much. I mean, your game is faster, isn't it, no?
JELENA JANKOVIC: When I play I try to concentrate. I try to finish as fast as possible, but this is different.

Q. When you are in Charleston the week after you had to play Fed Cup and I don't know how many ties so you were probably exhausted. How do you feel?
JELENA JANKOVIC: Yeah, I was. It was really a tough time for me because especially after winning in Bulgaria and played 16 sets in four days. But I helped my team to finally pass this group, which was my goal. So I was really happy and exhausted at that time.
But I played it and that was the most important thing.

Q. You could rest afterwards?
JELENA JANKOVIC: Now I feel Okay. I feel good and I'm ready to play here.

Q. When you were there in Charleston did you experience the local dance?
JELENA JANKOVIC: No, I didn't.

Q. The Charleston? Listen (dancing).
JELENA JANKOVIC: Oh, my.

Q. So it's nice to come to Rome, huh?
JELENA JANKOVIC: Yeah, it is. I always have the most fun press conferences here, for sure.

Q. So what are you expecting for this week?
JELENA JANKOVIC: No, I think Rome is really special for me because it all started for me here last year after I had bad period from the beginning of the year.
Here is where I won my first match and where it all started and I gradually started improving. Here I am No. 5 in the world and I'm leading the race so it's really amazing what I did, and I just want it continue like this and I'm really happy to be back here.

Q. You even remember which one was your first match, because I have very bad memory?
JELENA JANKOVIC: Likhovtseva. I beat her here in the first round and then I started.

Q. And the crowd was helpful or not?
JELENA JANKOVIC: Yeah, it was. They were helpful, yeah.

Q. Let's talk about clay, because you have some very good results on clay, and most of the players now they are more used to play on hard court. You like better to play on clay?
JELENA JANKOVIC: No, not really. I prefer to play on hard courts, but I'm getting used to the clay and I'm adapting my game to these conditions. 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. And there I have to speak French as well.

Q. Are you very emotional when you play a Grand Slam tournament?
JELENA JANKOVIC: I think I'm emotional doesn't matter which tournament I play. It doesn't matter. I'm quite an emotional person, which is something that I don't really like about myself, but this is the nature.

Q. Do you think that in the future we can find a woman player that wins 77 games on clay like Nadal did?
JELENA JANKOVIC: I don't know.

Q. Maybe a monster, or not?
JELENA JANKOVIC: Really. A women who's a monster, super woman or something. But it will be really tough whoever can do it, or even if it's possible to do it, because women are not so strong like the men and the game is more close. So anybody can beat anybody and you never know, but it can happen.

Q. Two Serbian players now in Top 10. Do you think it's good?
JELENA JANKOVIC: Yes.

Q. Or is it a competition between you and her?
JELENA JANKOVIC: No. There is not really competition because this is individual sport and both of we are trying to do the best we can and we are trying to improve. We are maybe pushing each other to go forward and to do better and better.
It's just amazing how it is for such a small country like Serbia to have two Top 10, Top 5 and one Top 10 player, and also in the men we have one Top 5 men's player.
So it's really amazing for a country like Serbia to be doing so well in tennis, because before we didn't have such a tradition in tennis and now it's amazing.

Q. Are you looking forward to playing Fed Cup together next year?
JELENA JANKOVIC: I hope so. I always try to play Fed Cup and I always try to help my team. Finally we pass this group, so we have a chance to get into the world group and we can do really well if we play in the strongest team.

Q. What's your goal in this tournament? You could be happy to advance?
JELENA JANKOVIC: I just want to play one match at a time and we'll see how it goes. I don't really look too far ahead I would liked to this or that. I think that I can beat any player in this draw, but I just have to concentrate and play one match at a time.

Q. For you who is the dangerous player on clay at the moment?
JELENA JANKOVIC: Henin, Justine, which I lost to her so many times. It's been quite difficult for me. I always came so close and I never managed to pull it through, but hopefully sometime I will do it.

Q. Let's speak about fashion, because, you know, in Italy we are sort of capital of fashion. What you are wearing, this is just something you did it by chance, or is it special model? Because you have a nude shoulder and some silver and then a black thing.
JELENA JANKOVIC: Yeah.

Q. Is that model, or no?
JELENA JANKOVIC: It's the model of Reebok, so what can I do? They made it like that.

Q. You wear it nicely.
JELENA JANKOVIC: You have the best questions, I must say. The most interesting ones for sure.

Q. Because I don't know the game well.

Q. In the women ranking it's a different situation from the men. We have Federer and Nadal and all the other players. You can think to go to increase your position in the ranking and so there is a place for you to the top of the ranking in the future?
JELENA JANKOVIC: Yes, I think so. Like I said, I'm improving almost every week and I'm getting better and better. But the most important is that my game is improving and I'm working really hard on and off the court. So it's really important for me to do that.
I don't really concentrate so much on the rankings. I just try whenever I get on the court to play the best I can, give my maximum, and we'll see the results are coming.

Q. Among the four Grand Slam tournaments, how do you rate the French Open?
JELENA JANKOVIC: What this mean, out of all the Grand Slams?

Q. The four Grand Slams.
JELENA JANKOVIC: I think each is special and you cannot compare them to each other because all different surfaces and all have special things about them. So I cannot really rate one or the other.

Q. And about Paris?
JELENA JANKOVIC: It's really amazing. I love Paris. I love Paris and I love French Open.

Q. Have you plans for the city, to visit?
JELENA JANKOVIC: We'll see. I came here to play, and we'll see. If I have time I will go to the city and do something, but I'm here to do my job.

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