It’s a big day in Charleston, where former No. 1 Jelena Jankovic will play current No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in the Family Circle Cup semifinals. Jankovic, who owns 12 singles titles and has been continuously in the Top 10 longer than any other player there now, was in a chatty mood when we caught up with her yesterday after her quarterfinal win over American Christina McHale. She talked about her goals, that well-known backhand, the smile (or lack of it), Serena Williams and her signature phrase. You know the one…even if she doesn’t.
What do you consider your biggest on-court achievement?
Becoming No. 1 in the world. Not just one result but finishing 2008 as the best player in the world. That is so far my biggest achievement and a dream come true.
What are your goals for the rest of the year and beyond?
I’ve been injured. I’ve been suffering a lot. So I just really want to play my tennis and really not put pressure on myself, thinking I gotta win this tournament, I gotta win that one. If I work hard and play my tennis, results will come.
You said this week that your backhand down-the-line, once your signature shot, isn’t what it used to be. What do you consider your strengths now?
Still my backhand is my best shot, and my serve is getting a lot better. But the most important of all is my movement, because I can rely on my fitness. Last year or the year before, I couldn’t rely on that.
Why not?
I had an injury with my ankle, and I really couldn’t move. I couldn’t really feel my legs, and it was just a nightmare. I thought I was never going to be able to move again like I used to, but it’s coming back. I’m just grateful that I can be on the court again and play my tennis and enjoy.
You’re known for enjoying yourself on court. For a while now though, people have been wondering why you’re not smiling as much as before.
You know, I’m trying to be focused a little bit more now. Maybe before I was so confident with myself and was kind of like a machine at times. It didn’t matter if I smiled or what I did—I was always somehow on the ball, and I always felt the ball. Now I have to try to focus a little bit more and kind of keep my concentration at a high level at all times. [If] you just let your concentration go down, you can go down a couple of games so quickly then it’s tough to come back.
So it’s partly because things were easier for you on court in the past?
And I’m getting a little older, a little more mature. I still enjoy it. I still smile at times, maybe less than before.
Do you think it’s also because getting to the top is more fun than actually being there?
Maybe [that’s] also coming with the age. When I was No. 1, I was 22, 23 years old. You look at everything on the bubbly side. I had a different mentality, which is good. It kind of took pressure away from me. I still smile but not as much as I did. I smile a lot more on the practice court. But during the tennis match I try to really focus, because I’m trying to come back to the top level again. Maybe if I get so confident in my game and really feel like I can do anything on the court, then I am probably going to start smiling again too. [laughs]
Some say Caroline Wozniacki is dealing with the No. 1 pressure well partly because she’s so young. What are your thoughts on that?
I don’t know, but I think the media forms all these questions. Sometimes the media can be pretty tough and harsh and can sometimes even ruin you mentally. If you listen to what everybody’s saying, it can get you down at times.
From my own learning experience you don’t have to think about it. I can talk about myself, not about her, because she obviously has to speak for herself. But I don’t have to prove anything to anybody. I play tennis mainly for myself. I have my goals, and I want to achieve them. If I win something nobody’s going to be happier than I am or my family. Even if I don’t win, I’m healthy, I have a good family, I made enough money. I’ve been No. 1 in the world, which many people dream of achieving. I have pretty much everything I ever dreamed of.
There is nothing to be down on yourself, winning a Grand Slam or not winning. I still believe I can win it, and I still have time to win it. So I don’t really know why it’s such a big deal. And they did that before to Mauresmo and Clijsters, and it can kind of get this bug in your head if you really think about it. If you can win other big tournaments, you can win a Grand Slam too. It’s seven matches, so it can be tough mentally and physically. You just have to stay strong and do it.
Oracene Price tweeted someone that you’re her favorite WTA player to watch apart from Venus and Serena. Did you know that?
No. Oh, that’s pretty cool. It’s obviously a nice thing to hear. Maybe they like me because I have some kind of personality or…I have no idea what’s the reason.
Maybe your personality reminds her of Serena?
We’re all unique in our own way. [laughs] I have no idea, but it’s nice to hear that.
Who do you like to watch play?
Actually I like to watch Serena play. I think she’s missed on tour. She has personality. What I like about her is that she’s a great fighter. And she always has these different outfits, different jewelry, different hair. You never know what to expect from her. She has this charisma on court which I like a lot. Apart from that she plays great tennis. [laughs] Yeah, that’s on top.
You miss her…
It’s fun to play against her and to have her around. Both of them, I mean. Both of the Williams sisters.
How do you feel seeing some of the older players retire or be out for some other reason?
I know, it’s like the old guard, they’re kind of gone. And they’ve been missed. Either they’ve been injured or they’re not in form or there’s something wrong. It’s been kind of a gap; the tennis level went down a little bit because of all the injuries. At times I feel like there was a lot more competition before, a lot more bigger rivalries.
Some say it’s a weaker era than usual in women’s tennis right now. Do you think so?
I don’t know. It’s tough to say. You don’t want to say anything bad about anybody. You still have to go out there and compete and do your best no matter who is here in this moment. But the styles of play are changing, and [there are] different personalities. Nowadays women’s tennis needs some really interesting characters.
But you mentioned that you may start smiling more again…
So I gotta start smiling more, the Williams sisters have to come back. Something like that, you know. [laughs]
You have a signature phrase that tennis watchers know well. Do you know it?
No.
It’s “oh my goodness”…
Do I say that?
Yeah, you didn’t realize?
I have no idea. [laughs] Or do I say “Oh Loooord”?
No, you say “oh my gooodnessss”. You haven’t been on the Internet much obviously.
Oh my God. I’m really not an Internet person. I have Facebook for the fans, but I don’t really go into those forums or chat things and stuff like that, especially not when it’s something written about me. I don’t like reading anything about myself or what fans write or don’t write, good or bad. I like to read books or newspaper or magazines.
Your parents are both economists. Do you have a favorite economist?
My dad actually. [laughs] My dad is a very intelligent man. He’s a very good businessman. It’s kind of like he has a calculator in his head. When it comes to numbers, it’s amazing what he does.
Does he do the ranking projections before the WTA puts them out?
He doesn’t focus on that. [laughs] He’s more into calculating money than calculating points.