Tennis Prose




Apr/19

9

Biofile Jelena Jankovic

By Scoop Malinowski

By Scoop Malinowski
 
Status: Former WTA no. 1 player (in 2008).  Won 15 career WTA singles titles and over $19 million in prize money. Recorded a 644-370 W/L record in WTA. Has not officially retired.
DOB: February 28, 1985 In: Belgrade, Serbia
First memory of tennis: My father was playing first then I went to watch him play. And then I asked the coach when he finished the practice to hit some balls too. So that was one of my first times with tennis.
 
Tennis inspirations:  Monica Seles. She used to be my idol when I was growing up.
 
Hobbies and interests:  I like to read. Shopping. I like to play basketball, golf, swimming for fun.
 
Favorite movie:  Gladiator.
 
Favorite meal:  Sushi. Pizza.
 
Favorite ice cream flavor:  Chocolate.
 
Pre-match feeling:  Just thinking about staying relaxed and focused. Play the game, you talk with your coach, which game-plan you’re going with in the match. You just kinda think how you will play and just go in there with a good attitude.
 
Greatest sports moment:  Number one ranking in the world (WTA Tour). Or, actually, finishing the year number one player in the world in 2008.
 
Most painful moment: I don’t know, it’s tough to say. Getting injured, falling down and really tweaking my ankle. It took quite a while to come back.
 
Favorite tournament(s):  Rome, French Open. Indian Wells. There’s a lot of them that I like.
 
Best match you ever played: It’s tough to say. I don’t know which match. Every match is different, you do some things well or you could have done some things better. So I never will play like a perfect match because it doesn’t exist.
 
Closest friends in tennis:  I don’t have a best friend. My best friend is from school.
 
Funniest players encountered: Who’s the funniest…Serena or Kuzutova.
 
Last book you read:  A Serbian book. I don’t know how to translate it.
 
Current car:  Porsche.
Funny tennis memory:   It’s tough to remember now what was funny on court. One time it was raining, I don’t remember against who, in Canada. Canadian Open. And it actually was on TV. And it was on center court. So it started raining. So they had this, not this small umbrella, but this (big one) for the sun. So I didn’t know what to do. And it started raining hard. So I just took the whole big thing, you know, and walked out [laughs]. You know, by myself with this huge thing. And it was pretty good because it carried me all – I didn’t get wet at all. So that was like pretty funny. One that I remember now. There’s probably many more.
 
Strangest match:  A Fed Cup match in Bulgaria. And it was not like playing a Grand Slam or a big event like this (Miami). So we had to actually pick up our own balls – we didn’t have ball kids. So all the sudden, we had our teams cheering, the opponents, all the sudden, it was 4-1 in the first set. Then some guy just comes on the court with a rose. And he gave it to me, the rose. Like in the middle of 4-1, 30-15. And I was like looking, What is going on here? So it was really funny. (Did you accept the rose?) I took it. Then I continued to play. What could I do? Let’s go for a dinner now? What do you want from me now [laughs]?!
 
Why do you love playing tennis:  I love playing tennis. I love competing. Being in front of crowds and winning matches. And I love the fact, when you work hard and then you go and sometimes when you win tournaments, you lift the trophy, the hard work has paid off. And many things as well. I get to travel the world. I get to meet different people. Different cultures. So all of this, it’s kind of – you get all this when you are a professional tennis player.
 
People/personality qualities most admired: Like people with good heart. Who are respectful, who have good family and good education.

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2 comments

  • catherine · April 9, 2019 at 12:16 pm

    I thought Jelena had retired – saw her announce it last year I think. Is she still competing ? Haven’t seen her around.

  • Scoop Malinowski · April 9, 2019 at 1:51 pm

    I don’t recall her ever officially retiring. She had a back injury last year and also some kind of eye problem. She was a very physical player, maybe her body broke down from all those long physical battles. The last time I saw her was in 2016 at US Open she lost first or second round (to Suarez Navarro 61 64 as 11 seed) and after the loss she was sitting in the hallway in Ashe Stadium at US Open by the kitchen with all the workers hustling in and out and she’s on the dirty floor crying and semi yelling at her coach for like a half hour. Unforgettable scene, will never forget it. She was a well liked popular player always good with the media so it was sad to see her so distraught like that.

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