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DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS WOMEN

February 19, 2011

Jelena Jankovic

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

C. WOZNIACKI/J. Jankovic
7-5, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Those set points were crucial, weren't they?
JELENA JANKOVIC: Yeah, you know, I had those set points, and I kind of rushed a little bit. I didn't really take my time, you know, and play those points. But she was very solid and she ran a lot of balls down. But I had some chances. I pulled her out wide, and then I needed to come in a lot more to finish it at the net or give her a little less time. But I kind of stayed back at times and let her come back into the points.
The longer the point went, she had the advantage because she is more fresh. I spent more time on court the last couple of days so I was, you know, a little bit tired out there and had some blisters and everything.
It was tough. I had a lot of opportunities in that first set, and I kind of let them slip a way. I let her rally those -- you know, in those points. There were some really long rallies that suit her. She was, you know, the better one at the end. She was just too solid.

Q. A few double faults in the second set. Is that a result of you being a little bit tired now?
JELENA JANKOVIC: Yeah, you know, obviously, you know, I'm a little bit exhausted. You know, the last couple of days took a lot out of me, and maybe it showed today.
But I still fought very hard, you know, the hard as I could. I really gave my best, but it's unfortunate in that first set I didn't take those chances. I could have played a little bit better.
Like I said, I didn't close out the points. I had her out wide, and I just needed to go for it a little more or finish it at the net. Then she kind of came back and from the defense made some good points.
So, you know, credit to her.

Q. Do you find that difficult to do, to get into the net? It's just natural for you to stay on the baseline?
JELENA JANKOVIC: I should have been in, and I think I can do pretty well at the net. It's just that sometimes I have little doubts. You know should I go in? Should I not? Then I kind of get stuck in between in the middle of the court, and that's kind of when I make the mistake.
But if I just commit and really go for it, I think I can do pretty well. Unfortunately, you know, today, I should have done that, you know, especially in those set points. I really had her in my control. I just should have done that.
But, you know, you can always say should have, could have, would have all day long. But I didn't. So that's the main thing today. It's okay. I'm still -- you know, I had a pretty good tournament. Today was, you know, bad luck for me. But I still, you know, tried my best.

Q. Not coming to the net, a lot people say that's because of the way players are taught today. Everyone stays on the baseline. Do you agree?
JELENA JANKOVIC: I think I can -- maybe not like some other players -- but I think as a young girl, and if you maybe watch some of my tapes when I was 19 years old, I used to come in a lot more. But in the last couple of years, I kind of stopped coming in.
But I need to get that back. I think I can play pretty well at the net and I think I have a pretty good feel, it's just sometimes I doubt myself. That's when I make those mistakes or I don't come close enough or, you know, I kind of -- I'm looking at the ball and not moving my feet to come forward.
So all of these things. But, you know, all those can come, you know, by doing it, you know, by kind of really committing and really going forward without really thinking too much, just following the ball and playing aggressive.

Q. You must be very encouraged by this. You played some good matches and got out of some tough holes.
JELENA JANKOVIC: Yeah, I did. I fought very well this tournament. I had some pretty good matches. I thought I had this one under control, too. But some of those points were so long, and then they took a lot out of me.
You know, I kind of as the match went longer, I was getting out of gas. Maybe my level of play went down, because in the beginning I was, you know, doing the right things, I was controlling the points, and I was the better player.
But then as the match went on, I was going down and down. So it was tough for me. But like I said, I tried my best under those circumstances. Overall, I had a good tournament, so nothing to be sad about.

Q. Has the racquet ever flown out of your hand like that before?
JELENA JANKOVIC: No. I have no idea what that was. It just slipped away because it's humid and I was sweating. It just flew out, and all she had to do was put the ball in because my racquet was in almost the fence.
But, you know, it happens. It's just, you know, the grip was wet and all the sweating.

Q. What was she saying to the umpire?
JELENA JANKOVIC: She said that it was distracting her or something like that. But what distraction? You just have to put ball. I can't even get it back. (Laughter.)

Q. Looking ahead, as you said, you had a pretty good tournament. Compared to your mindset before the tournament started and now, where do you see yourself? In terms of some of the big tournaments coming up, the Grand Slams, in terms of competing in those and even winning some of those, what do you think your possibilities are?
JELENA JANKOVIC: Yeah, I mean, I look forward to the further competition in the upcoming tournaments. I just have to stay positive. Obviously I have a lot of things to improve that I should do a lot better than I have done maybe in this tournament.
But, you know, that's nothing, you know, major. I just have to continue to work on my game, to work on certain things, and just make those steps forward. I think I'm on the right track.
This tournament I think gives me a lot of confidence. It shows that I'm still up there and that I can beat those, you know, top players and go, you know, pretty far in the tournaments.
But because like it was my first time in a while that I played such long matches and played under pressure and all of those things, and I think it took a lot out of my mentally and physically, because it's not the same practicing many hours a day.
But then when we play a match that's couple hours, it's like you practice, I don't know, all day. It's completely different. So I just have to get used to that again.

Q. Do you think you're at the level where you could win a Grand Slam, or you're still not there yet?
JELENA JANKOVIC: You know, I think that that can just come. You know, the more you play, the more confidence you get, and the more comfortable you feel with your game. Then, you know, all your shots kind of fall in place and you start doing better and better.
I felt that here, with each match, I was playing better and better. So unfortunately today I was a little bit, you know, tired and couldn't really execute my shots all the way. But, you know, I'm just -- I can just continue.

Q. When you said you need to work on some things, what areas do you need to work on?
JELENA JANKOVIC: I need to work on, you know, like I said, those things when I have the player under control. Come closer to the net and finish those points at the net. You know, do some drop volleys and kind of really commit.
Because like I said, at some times I had some doubts, should I come in or should I not? That's when I lost those points. And especially at those important times. She's very good on the defense.
She's one of the best -- the best defensive player on the tour. So you really have to close those points out otherwise she's going to make you make an error or do some shot from the back fence, and then you kind of get mad at yourself because you didn't really execute all the way, didn't really close out the points that you should have.

End of FastScripts

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