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AEGON INTERNATIONALJune 16, 2014Jelena JankovicEASTBOURNE, ENGLAND THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Enjoying the grass again? JELENA JANKOVIC: Yeah, I just came a couple days ago. This is my first time on grass. I'm trying to enjoy it. I'm trying to learn, you know, playing on it. It's quite a different game. Q. Still learning after all these years? JELENA JANKOVIC: Still learning (smiling). I think, you know, I have been playing, you know, just couple of weeks per year, you know, every year. I never quite found my game on this surface. So we see how it will go. This is the surface I play I think the worst. I play well on clay, on hard. Wimbledon I never passed ‑‑ fourth round is my best result. So it shows. Q. You're not a fan of grass, then? JELENA JANKOVIC: I'm trying to enjoy playing on it, you know. The points go by so fast. Like I said, it's completely different to anything else. We don't get to practice on it, you know. It's just a couple of weeks a year that we get to play on it. Like I said, I'm trying to make the best out of it. Hopefully this year will be better than, you know, the previous years. Q. Do you welcome the extra week next year between the French and Wimbledon? JELENA JANKOVIC: Yeah, that's also another case, you know. Usually I play quite well at the French Open, so I just jump from the clay and play. In the last few years I didn't play the warmup tournaments. I didn't play Birmingham or here. So I only just played Wimbledon. It's completely different. I felt quite unprepared and not ready to go. So this year I injured my hip and my leg in French Open, so I wasn't able to play in Birmingham. You know, I'm here, you know, for the first time in like five years, six years, five, six years, last time I played here, quite a long time. So it's nice to be back here. Hopefully I can have a great tournament and prepare the best possible way for Wimbledon. Q. It seems like you're doing better again after a period where things weren't going so well.  How did you turn it around? JELENA JANKOVIC: No, but I had a great year last year. I finished No. 8 in the world. No, so I have been doing quite well, enjoying my tennis and working hard. So far, so good. I think, you know, of course I can keep improving and hopefully I can, you know, stay healthy so I can do my job in the best possible way. Q. World Cup has been on. Do you watch a lot of football? JELENA JANKOVIC: I watch football. You know, I watch it. Unfortunately there is no Serbia competing. It would be nice to have your own country, you know, and cheer. But unfortunately that's not the case. So I watch other, you know, games. It's a lot of fun. Q. Are you a sports fan in general? JELENA JANKOVIC: Yes, I am a sports fan. I'm quite athletic myself. I like to play other sports too other than tennis when I have free time. Q. What do you like to play? JELENA JANKOVIC: Volleyball. I love to play volleyball on the Seine, beach volleyball. Q. You don't worry about your hands? JELENA JANKOVIC: I didn't worry about that. Q. You will now. JELENA JANKOVIC: No, I will (smiling). No, I play for fun, you know. It's like I enjoy being outside and being active. And whatever it is, whatever sport, you know, I play it as well, a little bit of basketball with my brothers. But my favorite is volleyball, beach volleyball. Q. Do you wear one of those skimpy swimsuits? JELENA JANKOVIC: I get this little sports bra or, you know, some ‑‑ Q. Hot pants? JELENA JANKOVIC: Yeah, shorts. (Laughter.) That's it. You dive in the sand and it's fun. Q. Do you ever play with other players, other tennis players, beach volleyball? JELENA JANKOVIC: Usually when I play beach volleyball I'm on vacation. So I'm usually not on vacation with other players. I mean, if it's a coincidence that someone is there, then yeah. But that's not the case. Q. Could you imagine yourself playing beach tennis when you finish your career? Some of the ex‑pros have done it. JELENA JANKOVIC: Beach tennis? I never played beach tennis. I play with this only on those board racquets or wood and this rubber ball. But that's, you know, for fun. Q. There is a proper circuit now. JELENA JANKOVIC: I don't think so. I just, like I said, even beach volleyball, whatever other sport, you know, I play, it's just to be active, just to have, you know, have fun and be with good company. That's basically what I play, as an amateur. I'm not good at it but I enjoy doing it. Q. Are you still setting targets and goals? JELENA JANKOVIC: Yes, always. Q. What's your goal for this year? JELENA JANKOVIC: My goal for this tournament or... Q. The year. JELENA JANKOVIC: The season? Q. Yeah. JELENA JANKOVIC: First of all, my goal is to do well in the Grand Slams, in the big tournaments, and so far the short‑term goal would be that I do well in Wimbledon and make my best result so far which is the fourth round, so I would like to pass that, get into that second week. Then my goal, as well, US Open, you know, just to do well and peak my form for those biggest events that we have. You know, ranking‑wise, you know, hopefully, you know, to stay in the top 10, top 5. Depends how well I do. So we'll see. And of course, you know, working on my game on a daily basis. So it's overall work in progress. Q. You say you're always learning how to play on the grass, every year you learn more. What are the most important things for you on the grass this year? JELENA JANKOVIC: Here? First of all, it's important to serve well, return, you know, as much as you can. It's difficult to break, you know, the serve. For me, you know, the most important is the movement. I haven't been able to move as well as I move on other surfaces, you know, have that low stance and keep my ‑‑my legs need to be strong enough to sustain all this low center of gravity. So it's completely different, you know, for me playing on this surface than on any other. But I try my best, so we'll see how it will go. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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