INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA - It has been a strong start to the year for Jelena Jankovic, reaching the quarterfinals or better at all five events she has entered including her third career Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open. This fortnight she is the No.3 seed at Indian Wells and at the same time becomes the first three-time blogger for the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.
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Friday, March 21, 2008
Unfortunately, I didn't win my match tonight. It was a really close one. I felt like I let the first set slip away at the end; I was really erratic in the tie-break and let my opportunities go. In the second set I felt fine whenever I got into a rally but I wasn't serving or returning well, and that was the key to the match. Of course I'm disappointed, but I'm really happy how I'm progressing and moving forward. I have to continue to work hard on my serve and other segments of my game, but things will come for me. I have to stay positive.
I had a lot of support tonight and during the whole tournament, and it was very nice. I really appreciate all of my fans. I really want to thank everyone who has supported me on TV, through messages on my website, in person and all around the world. A big thank you to everyone who likes watching me and supporting me! I'd also like to thank all of you for reading my blog :) I'll be writing once a week on my website and hopefully I'll be writing another daily blog for the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour's website soon!
As soon as I can get a flight, I'll be going back to Miami. It might be hard to get one, because with Easter coming up a lot of flights are fully booked, but hopefully they'll squeeze us in somewhere! Since I won't be writing my blog on Sunday now, I want to wish everyone a happy Easter ahead of time. I'm really looking forward to going back home to Miami and seeing my dad and younger brother, as well as my dog. My older brother is in Belgrade, but I'm hoping to spend some time with the rest of my family this weekend, and then get ready for the Sony Ericsson Open there next week.
I'm posting a really nice picture one of my fans made for me.
Thank you all again for your support and I'll write to you all again soon!
Love,
JJ
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Thursday, March 20, 2008
Hey!
I'm happy to report I won my match against Lindsay Davenport today, although unfortunately after one set she had to retire because she injured her back. For that first set I felt I was playing quite well though. I came in hoping to have the first strike, because if I let her play her game she's one of the best out there. I didn't know anything was wrong until she called for the trainer, and then it was over. I hope Lindsay recovers as fast as possible.
When I came to Indian Wells I wasn't so happy with my game; I wasn't feeling physically fit and I felt sluggish on the court. I feel like I'm improving with each match though, taking these little baby steps forward. The smile is coming back when I'm playing and I think the fans can see it. My attitude is better and I'm finding my groove again. I hope I can continue like this, because tomorrow will be another tough match. I'm playing Ana Ivanovic and I'll have to be aggressive just like today. I hope to produce some more good tennis.
After today's match I went and played a few more points with my hitting partner, then of course did my press and everything else. A lot of the different off-court activities come earlier on in the tournament, and once you get deeper into the draw you just focus on your matches. You just want to save as much energy as possible because the opponents keep getting tougher and tougher, and you want to play your best as you approach the finish line. I feel like my cold has gotten much better and I'm getting stronger out there.
Actually another thing I did after the match was get some dry needles in my leg. I've had some tightness in my quad and the physios were working on it, and I was making some loud noises out there! I'm a big chicken when it comes to needles. I don't like them and can't bare to watch. The needles help loosen me up though, so I have to use this method!
I'll probably have a nice dinner at the restaurant in the hotel tonight and hopefully just have a good time with some friends. We like to laugh a lot, and that's really my best medicine!
I'll talk to you all tomorrow night!
Love,
JJ
Your mom is becoming famous. Do you ever get jealous? Milan, Serbia
What a question! Of course not. I'm really happy for her! My mom is always so supportive of me and although she likes to stay in the background, it seems as though people are really starting to like her. It's good for her and I would never feel jealous about it.
If you went to an island and could take only one thing, what would it be? Maryam, Egypt
A nice looking guy! Haha :) I know it's not an item but that's who I'll bring.
What is you favorite drink in the USA? Jurica and Petra, Germany
I'm really into the smoothies. I like them mostly with fruits but lately I've been having the peanut butter one, which is really different, and i like it!
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Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Today was a day of recovery and relaxation for me. I slept in until 9, which was really nice. This morning the hairdresser came to my room and put in those fuscia extensions I've been talking about. You can see it a little bit more now, but not too much! It's quite discreet. Yesterday's appointment ended up being a bit of a misunderstanding; I'm not sure what happened but she left me a message later on that she'll come by in the morning, so it was all good. It worked out very well!
I had a light training session just to keep my rhythm, then did a light workout. I didn't want to push too hard today, just because I'm trying to get over this cold. Afterwards I got a massage, which looked really funny because I had three massage therapists working on me at once! I don't want to mention their names because they'll get angry at me, because I know they're reading my blog! Haha. I just wanted to get back to the hotel as quickly as possible so there I was with one working on my left leg, one working on my right leg... it was very nice of them!
Afterwards I came back to the hotel and haven't been doing too much since. I'm watching a bit of the Nadal-Tsonga match but I don't usually watch tennis; when I'm done my matches or practices, I'm the type of person who just wants to escape from tennis and do other things. My mom went shopping and some of my friends are playing golf, but I just wanted to stay in. I woke up without a sore throat and I'm getting better but I want to make sure I'm ready for tomorrow because I have a tough quarterfinal against Lindsay.
It's going to be difficult. The last time I played her was in Beijing last fall and I beat her, but I haven't really seen her play here so I'm not sure what to expect. I know I have to be aggressive out there because if I'm not she'll dictate points, and she's a powerful hitter so that could be trouble. We'll see how it goes!
I also have to mention I watched Monica on Dancing With The Stars last night. I was cheering for her! I look forward to seeing her again next week.
Have a good night and I'll talk to you all tomorrow!
JJ
