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TEB BNP PARIBAS WTA CHAMPIONSHIPSOctober 26, 2013Jelena JankovicISTANBUL, TURKEY S. WILLIAMS/J. Jankovic THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Obviously sort of a strange match on your opponent's side, level going up and down throughout the match. How did you adjust to it, react to it? How do you think you dealt with that? JELENA JANKOVIC: Yeah, I think when these kind of things happen, you want to focus on yourself. I mean, what she's doing on the other side, I have nothing to do with that. I cannot control that, and I can only control what's happening on my side. I tried to focus on my game, and I also have a cold, so it's a lot of things I have to worry about on my own. You know, but overall, I enjoyed the occasion. It was a fun match to play. You know, it was difficult at times to focus in a matter of when, you know, she was serving slower, and then all of a sudden she started serving so fast and you don't know what's happening. It's difficult, you know, to play when she's doing that. But like I said, it was important for me to focus on what I can do and play my game. In the third set, you know, it was 5‑1 for her, and I was one point away to level it to 5‑All, and she hit that ace which was such a great angle, and unfortunately I lost 6‑4 in the third. Anyway, it was a fun match. Q. Is it difficult in matches like that when you come in with a game plan, a tactical game plan, and you realize that, yeah, she's not serving as big, or maybe she's not running as hard out wide in the first and second sets? Was it difficult to stick to your game plan and not want to adjust? JELENA JANKOVIC: Yeah, I never saw her do this when she's leading. You know, every time she has a lead, she's running for the balls and she's hitting those big serves. For some reason, every time she starts losing, she starts serving slower or not running for certain balls. That's something that, you know, as a player you have to pay attention. It's not the first time when we played that she's doing this. That's I think her way of playing or maybe when she plays against me. I don't know. But, you know, when it's important moment, huge serve comes up, so you have to be on alert every time. You never know if she's going to come slow or really fast one. So it's, like I said, it's not easy to focus. I mean, it's important for me to focus on my game and not really let those kind of things affect me and not allow me to play my game, but it's the way it is. You know, she was‑‑ you know, she's the No. 1 player in the world, and she plays so well. She's, you know, by far I think the best player. She deserves to be in this spot. But I think it's also, you know, when you play, winning or losing, you have to, you know, be up there and be a good sportsman. Q. How do you see the final matching up, and what do you think Li Na's chances are against her? JELENA JANKOVIC: Li Na is playing very well, as well. I think Li Na is in incredible form. But Serena is playing so well, too. So it's ‑‑I think it's going to be a great match to watch. I think both of those players deserve to be in the finals. I think the fans are going to enjoy a fun match. Q. What are your feelings shortly after your last match about the season and how things have gone? Most people are pretty pleased. JELENA JANKOVIC: I had a great season as far as for coming back and making it to the Championships and finishing my year in the top 10 is great. I'm proud of myself that I was able to do that. It took a lot of hard work, and I played a great tournament here. Today was fun, as well. You know, I'm just happy with how things went here, you know. I cannot ask for more in this moment, and I look forward to my off‑season and just recovering and resting and having a good time off the court and I start my preparation for 2014, which is going to be very important for me and trying to make that next step, so that's my goal. Q. Your matches with Serena are always pretty exciting and tense sometimes. I mean, you look back at Rome 2010, Charleston earlier this year, and now this one where it seems like there is kind of other things going on on the court that can distract either her or you. Getting back to your comments from before, do you think that there is something more to that, or why do you think that the matches turn out this way? JELENA JANKOVIC: But there's nothing that turned out. It was normal game, normal tennis match. I play my tennis, and like I said, I control only what's on my side. I cannot control someone else if they are gonna serve slower or faster or, you know, not run for certain balls at certain times. That's not up to me. You know, I go out there and try to play the best that I can. You know, I think also sometimes it's difficult for me, I have a cold, and, you know, maybe if I start losing I start dragging myself and not run for balls, I can do the same. It's, you know, how you want to play the game. That's up to you. And there is nothing wrong with that. We are all competitors, and you compete the way you want to compete. You have a game plan, and you execute it. You know, I think at the end of the day, the most important is who goes through. Serena did that today, and well done to her. Q. Serena was saying she felt like she just hit a wall in terms of... JELENA JANKOVIC: She said what? Q. She hit a wall. JELENA JANKOVIC: Hit a wall? In what ways? Q. Like physically just ran out of energy, an expression in English, or she ran out of gas. JELENA JANKOVIC: Yeah, she ran out of gas and she was beating everyone in two sets. (Laughter). I mean, did she play any three‑setters? Q. Not before today. JELENA JANKOVIC: What can I say? I play a couple hours per match. I mean, yeah, it's a long season. She has had a lot of wins, and it's not easy to do that, because I remember I think in 2007 I had 70‑something wins, so I know how hard it is to work so hard like that and to achieve, you know, that many wins. It takes a lot of hard work. She's done it on those, you know, big stages, which is even more difficult. So she has had an amazing year. Of course, you know, I think all of the players are so tired physically and mentally. But I think she's very strong mentally and physically. I think more stronger than all of these players here. If she's tired, the other ones are way more tired, because she has had easier matches than most of these girls that, you know, some of them played ‑‑I think all of these‑‑ Na Li played three sets against me, and Kvitova and I did, and Serena is the only one who has had matches in two sets other than today, which I pushed her into a third set. That's I think the first time. Q. Third set you are 5‑1 down. At that point do you still have your game plan in your mind or you play by instinct? JELENA JANKOVIC: You know, I never give up. There was a lot of matches in the past when I came back from being down 5‑1. I think the match is not over until you shake the hand, and it doesn't matter if it's Serena on the other side or someone else. Anything can happen. If you fight, if you play every point and just stay focused, stay in the moment, things can turn around. I was almost there. I was one point away to level it to 5‑All. Anything can happen from there. You know, when you win four games in a row, you know, I get the momentum on my side. Who knows how she would react, and, you know, the game is open then. It was unfortunate, you know. A little bit of luck here and there. She hit an amazing serve, you know, on my break point, that ace out wide, and unfortunately I lost that game. But I think I felt very well. It's the most important thing. I did not play my best tennis. You know, I think we had a lot better matches where we both performed at a high level, but, you know, as well, I have a cold, and I really gave more than my best under these circumstances. I felt so much better than I did yesterday. Yesterday I was ‑‑I really had low energy. I was in doubt that I can even be here today and play against her. But I felt much better. Not 100%, of course. And I keep blowing this nose and it's so annoying, and it's not easy, but, you know, I did what I did and I had fun. I enjoyed the battle. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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