Jankovic, J
Serbia

  • Full name Jelena Jankovic
  • Nickname JJ
  • Birth date February 28, 1985
  • Birth place Belgrade
  • Current age 39 years 20 days
Jelena Jankovic waves to the crowd
Profile

Jelena Jankovic boasts the unenviable record of being one of only two players to have been world No. 1 without having won a Grand Slam title.

A relatively late starter, Jankovic didn't pick up a tennis racquet until she was nine, but she wasted no time and after winning the 2001 Australian Open girls' title aged 15, Jankovic made her debut on the WTA Tour.

But after winning her first WTA Tour title in Budapest in 2004, Jankovic failed to win another title for three years and struggled to make a breakthrough.

After winning her second title at Auckland in January 2007, Jankovic went on to reach the final in Sydney a week later and broke into the top ten for the first time. She went on to win three more tournaments that year, more than any other woman on the Tour.

In July 2007 she became first Serbian to win a Grand Slam title, partnering Jamie Murray to beat Jonas Bjorkman and Alicia Molik to win the mixed doubles.

In August 2008 she replaced fellow Serb Ana Ivanovic to reach the No. 1 spot for the first time, and third woman to top the rankings without having won Grand Slam title (Amelie Mauresmo and Kim Clijsters won Major titles after becoming No.1). Although she was replaced after only a week at the top, she ended the year at No. 1 after back-to-back triumphs in Beijing, Stuttgart and Moscow.

However, her 2009 season was plagued by inconsistency and she failed to reproduce the form that propelled her to the top of the world rankings, and she ended the season ranked eighth in the world.

Career high
Becoming the first Serbian to win a Grand Slam title, narrowly beating compatriots Novak Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic to the claim.

Career low
A ten-match losing streak in 2006 that prompted her to consider quitting the sport. Between late January and early May Jankovic failed to win a single match. After losing in the second round of the Australian Open to world No. 188 Olga Savchuk, she went on a run of ten straight defeats.

Quotes
"I don't pay attention to what people say. There are always some people saying something, and I have my own goals. I play tennis for my own goals. What people say isn't going to distract me from that. And not many people can say that they have been the world No 1."

"When it was a breakpoint I was telling him if he got a good return he would get many kisses, but he kept putting it out. What do I have to do to pump him up a little bit to play great tennis?" Jankovic reveals her ways of motivating doubles partner Jamie Murray after winning the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon in 2007.

Trivia
Jankovic is studying for a degree in economics at the Megatrend University in Belgrade, but has put her studies on hold to pursue her tennis career.

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Jun 5, 2013

Jelena Jankovic does the splits

Jun 5, 2013

Jelena Jankovic puts in a big effort

Jun 3, 2013

Jelena Jankovic smashes a forehand

Aug 30, 2012

Jelena Jankovivc hits a serve

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