THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HONG KONG -- Jelena Jankovic had a stellar 2008, earning the world No. 1 ranking and reaching the semifinals or better at three of the four Grand Slams. But the 23-year-old Serbian says she has never before tried hard to stay in good physical shape. "I have never paid so much attention to being fit. Many people thought I was very fit because I look fit. But in general, I was never really fit and I always had problems when I had to play tough matches," Jankovic said Monday in Hong Kong ahead of a warmup tournament for the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year. Jankovic's focus on fitness changed during her break after the 2008 season and she hopes her improved stamina will pave the way for her first major win this year. She said she started off-season training earlier than usual in mid-November with a new emphasis on fitness that included altitude training in Mexico. The season-ending WTA Championships at Doha, Qatar, where Jankovic reached the semifinals, ended on Nov. 9. Now she said she has even attempted her first 10,000-metre run. "In my life, I have never run that long. When my fitness trainer told me I had to run that much, I thought I was going to stop in the middle after 20 minutes," Jankovic said. "Some of the things I have done I never thought I could do. I really was giving my best. I was reaching my limit. I think all of that gives me a lot more confidence. I feel I'm ready to compete. I have never been as fit as I'm now." Jankovic is playing in Hong Kong as her only preparation for the Australian Open, which starts Jan. 19. She will captain the European squad in the Jan. 7-10 team format competition, whose field also includes seven-time Grand Slam champion American Venus Williams, Russians Vera Zvonareva and Anna Chakvetadze, Hungarian Agnes Szavay, China's Zheng Jie and India's Sania Mirza. Jankovic also said she welcomes new WTA Tour rules that kick in this year allowing on-court coaching, although she doesn't expect herself to take advantage of the rule change often. "I think it's a great new thing for our game. I think tennis will be at a higher level because from the side view when the coach is watching, he can see much better. He has a better view of what the player is doing wrong. And he can give you advice, especially on certain points when you're quite lost," she said. But the Serbian added, "to be honest, I don't really use it," saying she asked for her coach only once when the new rule was being tested.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Jankovic ties Grand plans to fitness
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HONG KONG -- Jelena Jankovic had a stellar 2008, earning the world No. 1 ranking and reaching the semifinals or better at three of the four Grand Slams. But the 23-year-old Serbian says she has never before tried hard to stay in good physical shape. "I have never paid so much attention to being fit. Many people thought I was very fit because I look fit. But in general, I was never really fit and I always had problems when I had to play tough matches," Jankovic said Monday in Hong Kong ahead of a warmup tournament for the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year. Jankovic's focus on fitness changed during her break after the 2008 season and she hopes her improved stamina will pave the way for her first major win this year. She said she started off-season training earlier than usual in mid-November with a new emphasis on fitness that included altitude training in Mexico. The season-ending WTA Championships at Doha, Qatar, where Jankovic reached the semifinals, ended on Nov. 9. Now she said she has even attempted her first 10,000-metre run. "In my life, I have never run that long. When my fitness trainer told me I had to run that much, I thought I was going to stop in the middle after 20 minutes," Jankovic said. "Some of the things I have done I never thought I could do. I really was giving my best. I was reaching my limit. I think all of that gives me a lot more confidence. I feel I'm ready to compete. I have never been as fit as I'm now." Jankovic is playing in Hong Kong as her only preparation for the Australian Open, which starts Jan. 19. She will captain the European squad in the Jan. 7-10 team format competition, whose field also includes seven-time Grand Slam champion American Venus Williams, Russians Vera Zvonareva and Anna Chakvetadze, Hungarian Agnes Szavay, China's Zheng Jie and India's Sania Mirza. Jankovic also said she welcomes new WTA Tour rules that kick in this year allowing on-court coaching, although she doesn't expect herself to take advantage of the rule change often. "I think it's a great new thing for our game. I think tennis will be at a higher level because from the side view when the coach is watching, he can see much better. He has a better view of what the player is doing wrong. And he can give you advice, especially on certain points when you're quite lost," she said. But the Serbian added, "to be honest, I don't really use it," saying she asked for her coach only once when the new rule was being tested.
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