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SONY ERICSSON OPEN

April 2, 2008

Jelena Jankovic

MIAMI, FLORIDA

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You didn't play too much tennis today. Good for the future?
JELENA JANKOVIC: No, I think I played pretty good tennis, especially in the first set. I was really dictating the points. I thought that I played quite well. I didn't let her play her game.
I really put my -- it was my game overall that was out there on the court, and I was really happy with that. But unfortunately she stopped the match in the middle of the second set, and there's nothing I could do.
But I was really focused out there. I was executing my shots well. I was really doing the right things and playing pretty well tactically.

Q. You looked really focused. She looked like she was scrambling about and having a hard time catching up with you. You looked very poised and in control. Is that how it felt?
JELENA JANKOVIC: Yeah, I have a cold. I got a cold again for some reason. There's some cold going around here with players, and the rest of the, you know, the guests and the coaches and et cetera.
So I'm more focussed than usual because I know that I'm not 100 percent with my health. I'm coughing a lot. My nose is running.
But really when I go on court I don't really think about that. I just think about playing one point at a time, what is my game plan, what do I have to do in order to win?
I've been doing quite well.

Q. Do you take medicine for that?
JELENA JANKOVIC: Yeah, I just got antibiotics last night. Finally they gave it to me, because they always wanted -- they always think that you can get over it naturally, but it takes so long. I've been suffering the last, I don't know how many days.
So finally I got on antibiotics, and hopefully I'll be fine in a couple of days.

Q. Does that have any side effect on you? Sometimes that can maybe slow a person down.
JELENA JANKOVIC: I don't know. But I felt a little bit weak here and there. What can I do? I have to go through and have to be strong. It's okay. No problem.

Q. What's the difference in your tournament this year here as opposed to the past years?
JELENA JANKOVIC: I never played well here, and as well as Indian Wells.
Those tournaments I never really could find my game, and always had trouble playing well. But now this has changed this year. I played semis at Indian Wells and I'm playing semis tomorrow night, and hopefully I don't want to stop.
I'm playing well at this tournament. I've been working very hard. I feel like I'm playing better and better each time. My game is going to the next level, which is important. Hopefully I can step it up and go further.

Q. Did you sense that she was injured out there?
JELENA JANKOVIC: No, not at all. We were playing fine. I mean, she plays -- she played the same as she usually does, and I never felt like there was something wrong.
She never showed anything out there, and I was really focused on myself and my game, what I had to do. I never really looked at her what she was up to.

Q. Do you remember the last break? She had a pretty easy swinging volley, but she didn't put it away and you passed her with a backhand down the line.
JELENA JANKOVIC: Yeah, but it's not because she had a problem with the whatever, it was because she went to the wrong side. If she hit that forehand volley to the opposite side there would be a clearer winner, but she went to the side where I was at. I was able to make that shot.

Q. But my point is: Do you feel that just took the heart out of her and she said, Hey, I might as well bag it. My back hurts. She got that break, it's like 3-1.
JELENA JANKOVIC: I have no idea. When I'm playing I always try to finish the match and try to complete it no matter what. But some players, they don't want to risk -- it's individual, but that's her choice.
I don't want to comment on her, what kind of injuries she has, how she felt on the court. I went out there, I did my job, and I'm happy with the win. I'm in semifinal, and that's the most important thing.

Q. Basically you're saying you're going to fight to the death? You're out there to win?
JELENA JANKOVIC: I'm fighting. I'm sick, you know. I cannot play; I cannot breathe on the court. I cannot play. I don't want to go on the court. But I'm hanging in there and trying to be strong, trying to get over the cold, and that's the most important thing.

Q. The match the other night that went past midnight, you talked a little afterward, but how much confidence -- that took a lot out of you physically?
JELENA JANKOVIC: Took a lot out of my physically and mentally. The last couple of days have been really exhausting for me, because I played three days in a row. I played that night where I finished at 12:30 in the morning, and then couldn't go to bed until 2:30 in the morning. Then played, I don't know, several hours later, I played my fourth round, and then I only had a day off yesterday, which was good.
But I'm hanging there. It took a lot out of me. Especially that first match was really tough mentally. To come back after being down 5-1, I don't know, five or six match points.
It was a scary feeling, you know, just thinking that I may be over, you know, with this tournament, that it's the end of it. But I was really strong mentally and was able to get through that match, which gave me a lot of confidence for the rest of the tournament.

Q. Did you feel that it was a rather unlucky with the scheduling here, that you played that tough match and then you were on again so quickly?
JELENA JANKOVIC: I don't know. But here normally in the big tournaments we have one day we play and the next day we don't play. Here we have three days in a row where we played, and especially I played the second match after 8:00 at night. I had to play the next day, which I think can be quite tough for the players, you know, to recover. You cannot go to bed until really late in the morning, and then you have to play the match several hours later and you're quite exhausted.
I played a three-hour match, and I had to come back here the next day. It was several hours later I'm playing against Safarova, which was another tough match.
But I was able to come through all of this and I'm in the semifinal; there's no point to complain.

Q. Did you get the call before or after you wore the cellphone dress?
JELENA JANKOVIC: Sorry?

Q. Did you have the cold before or after you wore the cellphone...
JELENA JANKOVIC: I had to call?

Q. No, I said, Did you have a cold before or after you wore the cellphone dress?
JELENA JANKOVIC: I didn't a have a cold. When I was wearing that dress, I didn't have a cold. That dress was quite open. It was wide open. Maybe the dress gave me a cold. No, I'm just kidding.

Q. How about your next opponent? Preference? You played them both, I'm sure. Talk about Safina and Zvonareva?
JELENA JANKOVIC: I played Safina, last time was in Charleston in finals where I won. No, last time was on grass in Holland, and I won that one as well.
But there, I think both of the players Zvonareva and Safina are tough players, solid players. I really have to go out there and play my game. I don't really have to worry too much about them. I have to see what I can do in order to win.

Q. Dementieva said she thought you could carry this and win. What do you think needs to happen for you to be able to do that?
JELENA JANKOVIC: Win two more matches. I think that's all I need to do. It's so easy to say, but it's always very hard to do.
I want to focus one match at a time. I have tough opponent in my next round, and tomorrow night I play at 9:00 again, which is something that I don't really, you know, like. But that's just the way it has to be.
Just go out there and try to play aggressive tennis. I've been working quite hard. I feel like I'm getting stronger. I'm getting more defined. My legs are getting a little more stronger and my arms as well.
I feel like I'm doing a lot of progress, which is the most important thing. Winning or losing, you know, maybe at the moment it's important, but also to keep improving, to work on some certain segments of your game, it's important as well.
I think I'm doing that, and I'm on the right track.

Q. Are you trying to beef up your serve at all? Seems like you could beef it up a little.
JELENA JANKOVIC: I have. I also have to get my arms stronger so I can keep hitting the serve at a consistent speed, not just hit one and then I cannot -- I don't have the power to hit it, you know, at the same speed over and over again.
So it takes time, but I'm working on it.

Q. How would you describe that dress? I've never seen a dress made of cellphones.
JELENA JANKOVIC: That dress was quite unique. That dress was especially designed for me. It was made out of approximately 700 Z750 Sony Ericsson phones, which was quite amazing. It was quite delicate and quite a work of art really.
The back was open. It was made out of phone covers and like camera lenses and I buttons here and as well as on my shoes. They were with Swarovski crystals and the whole look was quite nice. Beautiful dress.
It was very uncomfortable because I couldn't sit with all that plastic all over. It was interesting. First ever dress ever to be made out of phones, so I had a cool experience from it.

Q. Did it make a tone, dial tone?
JELENA JANKOVIC: Sorry?

Q. Did it make a noise?
JELENA JANKOVIC: Yeah, it made a noise. Every time I was walking I was making noise so people could tell where I was. Also, pieces were falling out, so if you want to find me you can follow the Sony Ericsson pieces.

Q. You're building your dream house in San Diego. What is your dream house? What makes it your dream house?
JELENA JANKOVIC: What makes it?
I mean, I don't know. I mean, there's just -- everything's going to be there. It's going to be -- I'm going to have everything. I'm going to have my own gym, I'm going to have a theatre so I can watch movies. I can invite you all. We can sit down and watch movies.
I don't know what else. There's so many things. Pool, I have a tennis court. I mean, it's going to be -- it's going to be a great house. But I have a huge closet to put my clothes, my shoes, everything in there. A big garage to put my cars.

Q. What kind of cars do you have? I know you like fast cars. I read it somewhere.
JELENA JANKOVIC: I have a Porsche 911, a turbo. It's a 2008, and it's a very fast car. It's a new one from this year. I'm a promoter of Hyundai cars in Serbia, so I'm driving there Hyundai cars, a Jeep.

Q. Do you ever speed?
JELENA JANKOVIC: No, no, no. I'm quite careful.

Q. Is that house a big achievement for you just in the context of your life?
JELENA JANKOVIC: No, but I'm -- it's also just not a house where I will live. I'm not quite sure where I will live when I finish my career, but it's something that I think it's a pretty good investment at the moment. You know, because I think money can go by.
You can spend it so easily, and if you invest in good things it's very important to take care of it when you're young and doing well, so that was a good step for me to do.
I don't know in the future where I will live. Maybe in Europe, maybe in the States. But it's cool to have houses in different places of the world.

End of FastScripts

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