Serbian former world number one Jelena Jankovic believes that she can defeat overwhelming favorite Serena Williams in the upcoming Australian Open 2014 tournament. Jankovic, who made a return in the world’s top 10 following great results in the latter part of 2013, has defeated Williams four times in the past and could do it again.
“I think I’m one of the few players who has lots of wins against her and her sister. She beat me three times last year and two times in three sets. So it’s a matter of time. You have to believe that you can beat her. Of course she’s the best player in the world and plays so strong,” the world number eight said.
“She played so well last year and very consistent. She didn’t have those ups and downs and was at the top of her game for the whole year. When you step on the court, you don’t have to think that it’s Serena out there. If you were able to beat her in the past, you can do it again. That’s my mentality and that’s how I always play,” she added.
Jankovic said that the 2012 season has not been good to her which saw her ranking crash out of the world’s top ten and into the twenties due to injuries. She admitted that she did not work out as hard as she used to do when she was in the rankings summit back then.
“I spent five consecutive years in the top 10, but 2012 was not a really good year for me. I had a lot of injuries and a lot of ups and downs. I did not work as hard on the court. Last year after I tore my muscle in the second round at Melbourne and ruptured my stomach, I couldn’t play for three weeks,” she said.
“I was lying in bed and couldn’t do anything. After that it felt like I had another off season and I said to myself, ‘I really want to try and come back, get fit and stronger and work hard on my game if I want to be a top player again.'”
