Jelena Jankovic goes into today’s French Open semi-final against fellow Serb Ana Ivanovic with both form and fitness weighing heavily against her.
Second seed Ivanovic will walk on to Court Philippe Chatrier as fresh as a daisy after conceding just 20 games in her five matches so far as she seemingly walks towards a first grand slam title with total assurance.
The pair have met six times and Jankovic has prevailed only once in Los Angeles two years ago, and Ivanovic won in straight sets in their only previous meeting on clay.
But what Jankovic lacks in fitness and previous form, she more than makes up for in self-belief.
"My dream is to become number one in the world, and now I’m very close. So I will try my best, and hopefully I can do it," said the third seed, who will replace Maria Sharapova at the top of the pile if she takes the title.
"I had troubles in the past against her, but I don’t think we played on clay many times. So it’s a different game and it’s different circumstances, so I think it will be a completely different match. So we will see how it will goes this time.
"I really have to attack. She has some weaknesses in her game, and I really need to play good tactically to play the right shots, play the right game, and then we will see."
Justine Henin’s crown as queen of Roland Garros is looking like an increasingly perfect fit for Ivanovic. She has destroyed the opposition this fortnight, clubbing winners off both wings and appears the clear heir apparent to the now retired four-times champion from Belgium.
"She’s a tough opponent and she defends really well. [I need to] step in and be aggressive and play my game," said Ivanovic, who also has Sharapova’s top spot in her sights. "Every match is a new match, a new experience, and I just have to keep playing like I played so far."
