Dubai: Former world No.1 and four-time Dubai semi-finalist Jelena Jankovic is hoping she can ride on her hard work and commitment to go at least one step further at the Dubai Duty Free Women’s Open that gets under way with the main draw at the Dubai Tennis Stadium on Monday.
Jankovic, who uses Dubai as her base to train and relax, first made her appearance at the annual tournament way back in 2005. And in the next eleven years, the Serbian has not missed out even once. Her best performance here has been four semi-finals, the last one coming in 2012 when she lost in three sets against Agnieszka Radwanska.
Jankovic will meet fifth seed Belinda Bencic of Switzerland in her opening round either on Monday or Tuesday. “Yes, it is a tough draw. I have played against her [Bencic] a few times and the last time she beat me on grass, and I beat her on hard court in Indian Wells last year. So I know her game very well and she knows mine. It is going to be a difficult match, but I will try my best to win,” Jankovic promised.
Holding her number one position after reaching the US Open final in August 2008, Jankovic’s career highlights include winning the mixed doubles Wimbledon in 2007 [with Jamie Murray]. After battling injuries for some time, the 30-year-old’s career has seen a resurgence mainly due to her hard work.
“I am working very hard, especially on the physical side to get into the shape I want to be at. I am still not there but my goal is to do well in the big events. At the moment, I am really working hard, trying to improve my game, trying to get stronger physically. So we will see how the year goes,” she said.
Her love affair with Dubai started to bloom in 2003 when Jankovic went on to win the Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge defeating Slovakia’s Henrieta Nagyova in the final. And this aspect of familiarity with local conditions is perhaps one of the advantages that she may have over her younger opponent who was involved with her country’s Fed Cup campaign in St Petersburg last week.
“I too have been with the Fed Cup team, but I came here earlier. I am getting used to playing outside with the wind, with the sun, with these varied conditions. But every match is a new match and I really look at it that way. I just have to go onto the court and focus on my tennis, on my game and give my maximum,” Jankovic said.
“I come here as much as I can. Due to my travelling schedule, my tournaments and my competitions, Dubai is one of my favourite places to spend time at. Overall, I enjoy it very much. I love the people, I love the food, I love the weather. So I am very, very happy to be here,” she added.
