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U.S. OPEN

September 2, 2007

Jelena Jankovic

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. So what happened out there in that match?
JELENA JANKOVIC: Yeah, it was very tough for me, especially that I've been here all day and wasn't really ready and was -- I felt very flat on the court and very tight. Not motivated enough.
I just didn't have that inside of me, especially in the first two sets. Then it turned inhe third set finally and I start -- you know, I wanted to win really bad and I said to myself, I'm going to give what I have and I will come through this match as a winner. I'm not going to give up. No matter what, I will do this and this is what I did.
I played a lot better in the third set and managed to get through. But I just was struggling and the balls were a little bit heavier because it was nighttime and quite humid. It was different conditions out there and especially for being here all day, I was quite exhausted. I had to drink coffee before the match to stay awake. Even now I'm like falling asleep.

Q. Is that unusual for to you drink coffee before a match?
JELENA JANKOVIC: No. But I just didn't know what to do. My eyes were closing. I couldn't manage it. I said to my to the people from my team, Oh, God what am I supposed to do? Just my reactions are very slow.

Q. What time did you get here?
JELENA JANKOVIC: I practiced around 1:00, and the physios they tape me around 2:00. They tape my blister and they were surprised it stayed the whole day. Waiting and warming up a few times for my match, and just hang around the locker rooms. It was very bad but at the end of day I'm very happy. When you come up as a winner you don't care what happened.

Q. Last year you were against Henin your brain sort of froze on you. It backfired on you. Tonight, completely different circumstance but you stayed mentally strong. Do you look upon that as something you were really concentrating, This time I'm going get through this?
JELENA JANKOVIC: Yeah, in the third set I let down. I had a chance. And I came back in the second set, I was down love-3, and then managed to come back in that set, and then I just let my opportunities slip away, and I was very frustrated with myself that I let it go. I should have been done already an hour ago, but I didn't do the right thing and play the right game I was very flat.
I thought I was waiting for her to give it to me and it just didn't happen. I was kind of sluggish from side to side. Not the best from my side. But third set I get into it and I said, I will do it no matter what. I'm just going to hang in there and move my feet and swing at the ball a lot faster and I'm gonna play aggressive and I'm gonna win. Aggressive.
I found this kind of energy inside of me and that's what I did, I came back. Even I was tired and didn't feel the best, and I kind of motivated myself to get through and that's what I did.
And also thanks to the crowd. I had good supporters around the court and they kind of also lifted me to give my best when I really was struggling out there. I thought maybe I cannot make it, but I did.

Q. You had a difficult match in the last round as well, is this going to affect your confidence going forward?
JELENA JANKOVIC: Yeah, when you're winning matches and you're not playing your greatest tennis, it's a good thing, but I would love, you know, if I would win in two sets and play great tennis and get out of this place as soon as possible, and not being with you guys at midnight. That's the last thing I want to do.
But when you win a match, you don't care what time you play it or whatever. If I lost I would be very frustrated. I wouldn't sleep all night.

Q. What was the hang-up today? Why did you go on later than you thought?
JELENA JANKOVIC: Because out of three matches that were on my court, two matches were five sets. As I warm up I think that the guys will finish, and then all of sudden the other guy comes back.

Q. Was there any chance of them moving you to another court?
JELENA JANKOVIC: I didn't understand why they didn't move me to Arthur Ashe because they finished that match around 5:00. They started the night match, I was in the suites resting, and I saw Henin go out at 7:20 or something, and I said I could have been done by the time she went on court because it was around 5:00, 5:15. Even if I played two hours, they would go on court 7:30.
Then I waited and went on the court the same time as Djokovic and he was second after 7. I'm like oh, God, am I going survive this and drinking coffee.

Q. First of all, did the coffee bother you at all?
JELENA JANKOVIC: No, didn't bother me, but I just didn't know what to do when I'm half asleep. Like my eyes were kind of closing and I felt very slow motion. You know, because you been around the courts at this place for almost like 12 hours. What do I expect from myself?

Q. Have you in the past in your career been good at winning matches when you didn't feel good?
JELENA JANKOVIC: I don't know, but that's what I've been doing lately. I won a lot of matches, and this year I have quite big record, and I feel quite confident when it comes to the tight situations. I feel that I can get through this even when I'm not at my best. That's what helps me, being confident, winning all these matches. So I feel I can get through no matter what. Even if I'm not at my best and really struggling out there, very tired and, you know, maybe I have some pains or blisters or whatever I have, I don't think about that; all I care is to win the match no matter what.

Q. How have you come forward since playing Justine here last year?
JELENA JANKOVIC: I have no idea. I just want to win everything. I just don't care. Nothing else is in my mind except winning. That's all I care about. I never think about losing. Whoever I match up against, except for Justine for some reason, I cannot, you know, say that I'm winning against her. That's the only one I have been struggling against. But she's a No. 1 player in the world and I cannot complain. She's better for sure.
But I'm working very hard to improve on my game and to add some things in my game. Staying mentally tough is always important. But I have a lot of improvement to do mentally, physically, everywhere in my game. I have to keep going and maybe one day I'll reach No. 1, maybe No. 2. Who knows what I'm doing.

End of FastScripts

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