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AUSTRALIAN OPENJanuary 20, 2012Jelena JankovicMELBOURNE, VICTORIA J. JANKOVIC/C. McHale THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. You are a player who enjoys the stage a lot. Were you happy of the upgrade to Laver? JELENA JANKOVIC: Yeah, I was happy about the upgrade. It was pretty fun, you know, to be out on the Rod Laver again, and, you know, feel that atmosphere and just being on that court with the crowd supporting. It was great. So I really, you know, enjoyed my time there. I played pretty well, and, you know, I'm happy with my win. Q. Do you think you play better on big courts than you do on small courts? JELENA JANKOVIC: It's tough to say, you know. I obviously like to play on the bigger courts, you know, more than the smaller ones. But, you know, there are times when you're gonna play on the smaller courts. The dimensions of the court are, you know, everywhere the same. It's just that the crowd and, you know, just the atmosphere changes a little bit when you're on the big courts. I enjoy that a lot, so, you know, I don't complain. You know, today was fun. Q. What can you take from a match like that? It was a big win. Can you get anything out of it? JELENA JANKOVIC: You know, I played an opponent which is very young. You know, she hits a really good ball. She's a really great player. I think she has great potential ahead of her in the future. You know, I really didn't know what to expect. I came out there swinging, and there was some really tough games in the beginning, especially in that set. There were some games on my serve which lasted like nine, ten minutes. I was able to save a lot of break points and, you know, play pretty well in the crucial times and in those key moments of the match. I think that played a big role, you know, in today's match. So I did, you know, well in those moments and was able to kind of break her. I kind of cruised through, you know, throughout the rest of the match. So I was able to stay mentally strong and physically there and played, you know, those points smart and pretty good. Q. Now you're facing Caroline Wozniacki in the next round. It's a big challenge. What are your thoughts on that? JELENA JANKOVIC: Yeah, it's going to be a big challenge. You know, she's a very solid player. She doesn't really give you anything. I just have to be strong out there, you know, mentally and physically, and play my tennis and, you know, believe in my abilities and go for it. We'll see what happens. Q. The coach that Caroline has now, Ricardo Sanchez, the coach you had last year, how did that change happen, and you do you want any revenge on him? JELENA JANKOVIC: No, you know, that's the life on the tour, you know. It's going to be different. Usually he was in my box, and now, you know, he's gonna be, you know, obviously cheering against me. He's working with another player. But I don't really think about that. You know, I have my team. I have, you know, my supportive system. You know, I just focus on myself and my game and what I want to do on the court. Q. There's a big matchup with a former No. 1 against the current No. 1. Does that add anything to it for you, this chance to knock off a No. 1 in at slam? JELENA JANKOVIC: I don't really think about it. I just want to look at it as just another match. I have a tough opponent on the other side of the net, and I just want to take care of my game and what I do best and really give it a go. You know, we'll see. I don't really think about rankings. I just focus, you know, on myself. You know, I have been improving and I've been working really hard. These are the times I really want to kinda step it up and, again, go for it. It's a great opportunity for me, and we'll see. Q. Before your match against Caroline you have mixed doubles tomorrow with Bernard. What are you looking for in that? JELENA JANKOVIC: Yeah, that's gonna be a lot of fun, you know. Bernard is a really cool guy, you know. He's, you know, very funny, so I think we're gonna have fun on the court. I hope he doesn't yell at me because I'm making so many mistakes and he's so solid out there. So we'll see. Q. Do you feel like you expect, you know, a lot of pressure playing with him? JELENA JANKOVIC: No. No, I don't think so. I think we're both gonna enjoy our time on the court, and hopefully we can do pretty well and the crowd can enjoy some of the mixed doubles. I think it's different playing the singles. You're really focused and it's really intense, and playing the mixed, you know, is more fun and you can relax a little more. You don't have to be so, you know, stressed out if you make some mistakes here and there. Q. There was a mix‑up where Bernard said he forget to sign you up. What happened there? JELENA JANKOVIC: I don't know. I was watching that on TV. He was like, Oh, my god, I knew I had to do something, and, you know, I forgot to sign us. I received a message from the referee's office am I accepting the wildcard. I just heard him say that, so I was like, you know, Whoa, we're just last minute. We're just in. So we got in the draw. (Laughter.) It was pretty funny. I mean, you know, we got‑‑ as players we have lots of things to think about. We have to play our singles. We are basically singles players. So playing the mixed or, you know, doubles is something different, you know, for us, for people like me or people like Bernard. Q. The tournament helped you out and saved you there. JELENA JANKOVIC: Yeah, I think so. But it's Bernard's fault. He was supposed to sign. It was his‑‑ you know,he had the duty to do that, you know, to sign us up, and he didn't do it. But he won the singles, so that's what counts. You know, he was really focused on that. He has done a great job about that. But we are obviously in the mixed, so it's good. Q. Did you have a chance to give him a hard time or yell at him about forgetting? JELENA JANKOVIC: No, just let him focus on his singles. He's playing a big match tonight, so I think he should save all the energy for that. Q. You beat Caroline in your first four meetings, and she beat you in the latest three here. Is there anything that shifted the balance between you, something you can think of? JELENA JANKOVIC: You know, it's tough to say. You know, the last year or so, I wasn't playing so great. I wasn't‑‑ you know, really had quite a few injuries. Wasn't really confident with my game. So that also played a huge part, you know, in my tennis overall. Not just against Wozniacki, you know, throughout the whole year against different players. But now I'm feeling pretty good, and, you know, I have been training really hard and I feel motivated again. But every match is different match. We'll see. It's gonna be a tough one, and, you know, I just‑‑ I'm gonna go out there and play, you know, and hit my shots, do what I do best. Really give it a go. We'll see. Q. What do you think Caroline's weaknesses are? How will you try to exploit them? JELENA JANKOVIC: Oh, I really don't want to say that, you know, publicly. (Laughter.) Especially, you know, this is, you know, a tennis game, so it's not like I'm gonna go out here and just give you my tactical, you know, my tactics away and just, oh, I'm going to do this and that. I think everyone knows, you know, we pretty much know each other's games and weaknesses and strengths. You know, it's not like I've seen her first time and she's seen me for the first time. So it's the same thing with all of us, you know, the top players who have been around for many years. We know what to expect from each other, and it's gonna be another interesting match, another tough one. The better one will win. Q. Every time Caroline comes in here, she gets asked about being No. 1 and not winning a Grand Slam title.  Can yousympathize with the extra pressure that that brings? JELENA JANKOVIC: I'm not in that situation right now, so I don't have to deal with any of that. It's kind of‑‑ for me, it's kind of nice to be a little bit away from that and just really focus on my tennis, on my game, and don't really have to answer those questions every day from you guys. You know, I think you kind of give her a little, you know, hard time sometimes. You know, I'm just gonna be‑‑ you know,I think sometimes you just should let it go. You know, she's pretty young. I think she's gonna win, you know, those big tournaments in the future sooner or later. This is the way it is. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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