Jelena Jankovic

The first tennis moves Jelena Jankovic has learned in Tennis Club “Red star”. Into her original club, for which she oficially plays nowadays, Jelena came when she was 9 advised by her older brother Marko. After only few trainings, Jelena Jankovic started to single out from a number of talented girls for her extra talent. Then a period of hard work in Belgrade, at the time when it was almost impossible to provide all the necessary training conditions to practise tennis at the highest level. However, thanks to her family and club, Jelena has come out of that period as one of the best young tennis players in Eastern Europe. Her great performances in young category competitions were simply the introduction into her extraordinary junior competition matches.

Extrodinary talents are always recognised, even from isolated Serbia. Jelena’s talent was noticed by the most famous and best coach today Nick Bolletieri. Young girl from Belgrade has soon after that become the member of the famous Bolletieri tennis camp on Florida. From that moment her sensational raise to the world’s top, has started that culminated with Jelena’s winning the junior Australian Open in 2001. It was at that very season when the whole world recognized the hairess of Monika Seles. Even though Jelena Janovic sencerely admires Monika and lesembles former tennis queen’s playing style, Jelena went her own way and started her own career. In 2001 she became second at US Open and was a finalist of prestigious Orange Bowl. That year Jelena ended as the best ranked tennis player in junior world competition and in her country she became the best young sportwoman. At the same time with junior competitions she played senior tournaments. She entered number of ITF tournaments, but her first WTA tournament was at Masters in Indian Wells.

The year of 2002 Jelena Jankovic used to transfer to senior competitions as less painfull as possible. She began that season as 361th and ended as 194th player on the world. That year she played her first ITF final and qualification matches at US Open. She will remember that period for few matches against players from the very top, nevertheless she will remember esspecially the match against number 17 on the WTA list Daja Bedanova, when she won.

In 2003 Jelena menaged to accomplish all three goals she had planned to. She entered the group of first 100 players on the world’s WTA circuit, she played matches at Grand slams and won her first senior trophy. As number 85 on the WTA list Jelena ended this season, which means she had moved towards top of the list for 109 places. At that year’s Australian Open she passed the first round , while in the second round she was defeted by Amanda Kucer. Once again she proved that she played her best at the courts on the Australian Open, which she prefered the best. It was the year she played numerous senior tournaments in Miami, Casablanca, Budapest, Rome, Shangay, Philadelphia, ect. She did well at ITF circuit, sucessfully ending the season with the tournament in Dubai where she won her first title.

Success waited for Jelena in 2004. She moved 57 places on the WTA list and ended that year as 19th European tennis player, 28th on the WTA list with total of 1063 points. Out of first 30 tennis players on the world she had most played matches on the different tournaments. Among first fifty players only Check player Iveta Benesova had played more matches. The best Serbian tennis player played in 2004 at all four Grand Slam tournaments passing first rounds in Paris and London, and second rounds in New York and Melbourn. In the middle of April in 2004, as eight seed player Jelena won her first professional title in Budapest. On her way to title she won matches against Marrero, Vinci, Cervanova, Pennetta and in her final match she defeated Martina Sucha with the resoult 7:6 6:3. Also, in 2004 Jelena played one semi-final and six quarter-final matches. As total she won 39 single matches, including the one in Atens, where she represented Serbia and Montenegro as the only tennis player from our country on the 2004 Olympic Games. At the end of 2004 Jelena Jankovic was presented as the best tennis player in Serbia and Montenegro.

Jelena Jankovic in the National Team

For federation Cup nationl team of Serbia and Montenegro Jelena Jankovic first played when she was 16. Her first official match for national team Jelena played on April 24th 2001 on the tournament in Mursia and won against Polish player Katarina Strazi ( 6:2 6:3 ). For her country ( first Yugoslavia, then SMn ) Jelena has played thirteen matches, so far. She won 8 of those matches and lost 5. In 2004 she played 4 times and remained undefeated at the competition of the first Afro-European group of the Fed Cup.

Jelena in private

Eventhough Jelena’s biggest love and occupation is tennis she tries to make as much free time as possible to spend it with her family, friends and for her own pleasure.Through her all career so far her family was always on the top of her priorites ( her father Veselin, brothers Marko and Stefan, and esspecially her mother Snezana, who escorts Jelena on her major world tours ). Jelena’s parents are economists and brothers are students. There are some members of her family who played tennis for pleasure but Jelena is the first one to do it professionally.Jelena loves to travel, read and watch TV in her free time. The favourite book is “The bridge on the Drina”, ( by famous Serbian Nobel prize winner Ivo Andric ) her favourite film is “Titanic”and actor Robert de Niro.Jelena speaks English, as well French language since she went to French diplomatic school in Belgrade. Jelena has, also, attended piano lessons. Today, Jelena is a student of a private “Megatrend” colledge in Belgrade.

Jelena Jankovic Official website