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U.S. OPEN

August 31, 2010

Jelena Jankovic

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

J. JANKOVIC/S. Halep
6-4, 4-6, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What happened out there today?
JELENA JANKOVIC: Um, it was a tough match. It was, you know, my first match here. For me, those first matches are always the toughest. It was really hot and windy.
My opponent played really well. She was putting a lot of balls in the court. She didn't really make many mistakes, and I really had to work for every point.
But I wasn't, you know, playing my best tennis. I was just, you know, trying to find my rhythm out there and trying to do my best to get through.
I'm happy that I was able to get through this match. It was a really tough one for me.

Q. It didn't look like you had a lot of enthusiasm. Was it difficult to keep grinding?
JELENA JANKOVIC: Yeah. I just said to myself, you know, There are days when you're not going to be feeling the ball, you're not going to be moving your feet. In those days, you just really have to fight and really have to try your best and give your maximum and try to get through these kind of matches.
If you are able to do that, then it gives you a lot more confidence for the next round.

Q. But what about the confidence coming in here? It's been such a great summer.
JELENA JANKOVIC: Yeah, I got injured. I twisted my ankle, and I was completely unprepared. I wasn't able to train. I was moving really badly.
But that's the past now, and now I'm healthy. I'm just looking to build on my confidence. I've been training pretty hard the last two weeks or so.
I hope that I can transfer, you know, what I have worked on the practice courts, that I can transfer to the matches.

Q. What was the heat like?
JELENA JANKOVIC: It was pretty hot out there. But, you know, the conditions are the same for me as for my -- and for my opponent.
So like I said, the conditions were, you know, tough. But I didn't really -- I didn't want to think about that. I just wanted to focus as much as I could on the match and play each point one point at a time.
Luckily, I was able to win today.

Q. How hot was it, and how did the heat compare with other hot matches?
JELENA JANKOVIC: It was pretty hot. I don't really know exactly how many degrees, but obviously, you know, it's not easy to play in these kind of conditions. But all you have to do -- you have to just try your best.

Q. You've played in all the big stadiums around the world. Is the wind in Ashe the windiest, or where do you rank it?
JELENA JANKOVIC: It's kind of -- you know, it's kind of swirling. You know, from one side the ball kind of flies, and then on the other side it just -- you know, your balls go short and it's tough. But it also kind of changes directions at times.
So it's really important to move your feet and to really, you know, really be focused on the balls so that -- because I made a lot of errors today. I just, you know, there was some bad mistakes that I made, but, you know, I just tried to move on and stay positive and just, you know, play, you know, the best that I could on these kind of conditions.

Q. What are your thoughts about your next opponent and what she's done with her career since she was a young player?
JELENA JANKOVIC: Who am I playing?

Q. Mirjana.
JELENA JANKOVIC: Mirjana Lucic? You know, I didn't really look far in the draw.
Um, I know her. We speak a lot in the locker rooms, and she's a nice girl. You know, I look forward to playing against her. I just want to play my tennis.
But as far as for her things, I don't really get involved and I don't really know so much. It's, you know, personal things, so I don't, you know, get involved, because I don't really know, you know, much about her personal, you know, life.

Q. Are you familiar though with her determination to overcome injuries and the types of injuries she's had?
JELENA JANKOVIC: No. All I know is that she's been doing well the last couple of months and she's playing well. She's came back on the tour and she's trying her best to get better.
That's, you know, what I know. I think that's great for her.

Q. Do you remember her at Wimbledon in '99?
JELENA JANKOVIC: I don't know. Was I playing at that time?
I don't know. When did I become pro?

Q. Do you remember anything about it, if you weren't?
JELENA JANKOVIC: To be honest, I know that she made semifinals, but I don't think I watched it.

Q. Do you come into this tournament this year or any of the Slams this year with the same outlook that you've had, say, for the last four or five years, yes, I can still win of one of these things?
JELENA JANKOVIC: Yes, I believe I can do it. It's just a matter of believing in myself and having the confidence, and, as well, doing the right things on the court. Because I really want to, you know, kind of get my tennis to another level.
I know I can do that, because if I'm able to do it in the practice, I have to do it in the matches, as well.
So my goal for the next match will be to, you know, go after my shots, play with more confidence. Today I was a little bit nervous, which is normal. I haven't played many matches on hard courts. It was my first match here at the Open, so I just was a bit nervous.
Hopefully in the next match I will be better.

End of FastScripts

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