There may have been many laughs had at the expense of Jelena Jankovic this year, but behind all the usual diva showings, the abysmal losses and the complete lack of any effort at points in this season, it seems like the diva is finally growing up. And a couple of days she sat down with story.rs to get a bit deep and meaningful for a change.
Jelena on her relationship with water polo player Milan Janovic “Honesty and respect are the basis of our relationship, and that we understand each other. We know what obstacles we pass in our professions and mutual support is important to us. For three years we have enjoyed in our relationship, and during the Olympic Games in London will mark four years of dating. We’re still the same, but we are open to one another. Personally, it took a little longer until I started to openly express my emotions.”
On the possibility of marriage and children “I still play a professional sport and if I remain healthy it will play for several more years. There are many things that I want to achieve, but I think players’ careers are short and I have to take their chance. If I work another job, It would not be a problem to get married and have children. My life requires frequent travel, and possibly marriage would have served no purpose because of the many commitments we lived together.”
On her retirement rumours this year. “It is normal in whatever you do, at some point to reach (breaking point). Not even then did I really consider retirement, but sometimes I need to rest and analyze some of their decisions, find motivation and inspiration in something so I continued on. It is not easy to travel every week and live a fast pace as it is mine. I was separated from my family, boyfriend and friends and sometimes I want to come to his house, lying in your bed and eat local food, not to spend my life with a schedule in hand.”
On whether she still argues with her mother. “Every five minutes, and usually when it comes to makeup and clothes. (Laughter) It is normal that there are conflicts, it would be interesting if we are constantly disagreed. Diversity is beautiful, and we always find the perfect mediun.”
On her mother’s most memorable advice. “My daughter, beware of urchins.”(Laughter)
As entertaining as is the melodramatic, ‘im better than you, and I know it’ diva Jankovic – who spends most of her interviews and press conferences moaning, challenging reporters and rambling on for years about absolutely nothing in particular – it’s also refreshing to see a more honest and open side to the Serb in this interview.
Regardless of how catastrophic 2011 has been for her, she seems to be in a much better place off-court than almost ever before. There have been countless moments (you know, like, you know, when she, you know, managed to, you know, participate in only one match in the ten weeks between Roland Garros and Toronto.) and quotes from the former world number one that suggested a loooming retirement, but evidently she now seems ready to work hard. We’ll see what 2012 brings for her.
Sounds like Andy Murray wasn’t too impressed with Roger Federer’s recent attempt to play down his Asian run. And while Federer attempted to backtrack on his second day of media, Murray simply brought his own claws out and (for once in his life) went on the offensive.
“Winning three tournaments in a row is difficult – not many players have done that,” said Murray. “In Tokyo, I beat Rafa and David Ferrer, who is No 5 in the world. Who is there and who isn’t there is really irrelevant.
“You can only beat who is in front of you, but with the depth of men’s tennis you can’t expect to just turn up and win.’
“I always try, if I can, to be positive about all the other players,” Murray said, luxuriating on a Union Jack sofa. “Roger is one of the best players ever to play and I’m glad I’ve had the chance to play against him.” Did he think Federer feared him, then? Running around his backhand, Murray set himself for a forehand winner down the line.
And then the low blow:
“I don’t know if I am getting under Roger’s skin, but maybe I am [...] He’s entitled to say whatever he wants. I hope I get the chance to play against him this week and I can let the tennis do the talking.”
Maybe I’m just imagining it, but is that a touch of mind games I detect?! Sure, it’s hardly worthy of McEnroe and Connors or whatever, but it’s still something.
However, funny as his last comments were, I can’t help but feel that Murray is giving himself a little too much credit there. I mean, I’m sure Rafa’s triple slam-winning 2010 year most certainly ‘got under Roger’s skin’ while Novak’s incredible 2011 has likely had the Swiss sporadically tearing out large clumps of his hair all year. But Murray and his three tournament wins? Well..
But I digress, if they do end up facing each other this week then maybe this handbags will give both just that little bit more motivation to go for the victory. May the best man win.
Yesterday saw former French Open Champion Yannick Noah launch a shocking attack on Spanish sport as he accused all of its leading ambassadors of doping, as well as suggesting that the various prominent Spanish doctors and officials have worked together to keep this doping conspiracy a secret.
Today was the turn of the accused to reply to Noah’s statements, and needless to say, they were not impressed.
David Ferrer: “(When) your son plays in the NBA, where there is no doping controls. You are not the best person to talk,” said the tennis world number five, which will debut on Monday at the Masters in London, referring to Joakim Noah, who plays the Chicago Bulls.
“I think it’s total ignorance. That a person who has played tennis and knows the sport says that (with) genuine outrage… Like I said without reason or thought,”
Four-time Grand Slam Champion Manolo Santana: “I find it incredible that an athlete like Noah, who won Roland Garros almost thirty years ago, playing good tennis players but not our current goal is not only tennis but all sports. It seems out of place. Spain is now the leading power of sport and statements (like that) are not good for him and not for sport in general.
“The Sports Council has done significant work towards the subject of doping and, personally, I have a certain respect and admiration for Contador. It has been shown that there is nothing. I find it outrageous, but when people want fame, the only way to have is by messing with a person or an entity as large as Spain in the sport. In basketball, soccer, tennis, Formula One, athletics … In all sports Spain is at the forefront and these haphazard statements. makes a dent in some athletes do.
Spanish Olympic Committee president Alejandro Blanco: “It’s very difficult for the ignorant to understand the explosion of Spanish sport. The work has been the key to success,”
“Spain makes 11,200 doping tests per year. That’s the best answer we can give,” he added.
President of Spanish Basketball Federation, José Luis Sáez: “In matters as sensitive as the doping is, it’s not about accusations without proof, but to expose without casting unnecessary doubt.”
Not content on his rubbishing of Andy Murray’s strike talk a fortnight ago in Basel, according to the Daily Mail Roger Federer this week also had a lot to say about the Scot’s on-court form. Specifically his unbeaten run in Asia which saw him pick up three straight tournament wins and rise above Federer in the rankings for the first time in his career.
‘I’m not taking anything away from what Andy did, but was Asia the strongest this year?’ asked Federer. ‘I’m not sure. Novak (Djokovic) wasn’t there, I wasn’t there and (in Shanghai) Rafa lost early. But it has been a good effort by him after losing to Kevin Anderson in Montreal (in August). Don’t forget how things were looking then.’
Oh, Roger. Regardless of whether he’s right or wrong, I can’t help but love how he seems to be doing his best to drag his fellow rivals (except Rafa, of course) through the mud. The days of his quiet superiority are long-gone, and as so many have recently taken to criticizing the ‘big four’ for their friendships and lack of fierce off-court rivalry to match their on-court battles, Bitchy!Roger couldn’t have come at a better time.
The funniest part of the prose has to be the very first sentence, with ‘I’m not taking anything away from what Andy did, but…’ being the equivalent of a person saying ‘no offence’ before throwing a barrage of insults and criticism at the other. And behind the sincere smile and graceful flick of his hair which undoubtedly came as he uttered these comments, that’s essentially what he was doing.
But he does have a point. The fact is that both Djokovic and Federer pulled out with injuries while Nadal was nursing his own injuries in Asia. It won’t be the same this week nor is it the same in Grand Slams when everyone is present. However, as many have correctly pointed out, it was of course similar story during his own runs in Basel and Paris. It’s almost like Wozniacki laughing at Safin for her Rome and Madrid while simultaneously proudly holding up her Beijing and Copenhagen titles. But I guess the difference is that Murray’s run saw the usual hype and expectations come flying back as some British journalists made comparisons to Djokovic’s form in 2010 immediately before this career year while others agreed. On the other hand, Federer has been there and done everything. He has nothing left to prove – and even if he hadn’t won Basel or Paris, in my eyes he would still be a favourite here and everywhere based on the simple fact that he has done it all already.
Last week, our majestic and charitable world number one visited Poland and travelled around to various Polish media stations, charming the press with her great charisma and beautiful voice. For once, she actually had quite a bit to say, speaking about some off-court ventures she has been recently involved in.
“I like to help others, because I am an ambassador athletes with disabilities. Some time ago we created a tennis academy in Denmark, and now with my dad noticed that the same idea can be realized in Poland. So we started cooperation with the Polish Paralympic Committee and the Polish Association of Wheelchair Tennis.
“It is nice to see how many children he wants to play tennis, although it is not an easy road. Similarly, in Denmark, where tennis has become very popular recently. Such meetings are very nice and I believe that children will be there a motivation for further training. I, too, after all once dreamed to be number one in the world. Now it came to pass, so you can, if he wants and works hard – she explained tennis player.
She also touched on the (not at all boring and dry, by the way) subject of her secret coach, simply saying;
Actually, my dad still advises me and still is my coach.
Reports also say that the highlight of her media trip was when a reporter continually called her Caroline Wozniacki – the Anglicised version of her name. Eventually she snapped and blurted out.
“Call me Woźniacka. I’m in Poland, and so the saying goes here.”
After wrapping up his victory over Bernard Tomic in 4 and watching teammate Stan Wawrinka go up 5-3 on Hewitt in the fifth set before the match was posponed due to bad light, Roger Federer was in rare form as he addressed the press afterwards.
Q: “You’re quite a big deal.” Federer: “Yeah.”
On what he thought of Bernard Tomic:
“I mean, he plays tennis.”
And on supporting Wawrinka between then and the resumption of their match tomorrow morning.
‘Oh, I mean isn’t it nice that I don’t have to come back tomorrow. I got some time off. So, if Stan wants me to do push ups to pump him up, I’ll do that. If he wants me to sleep on the floor of his bed, I’ll do that, to keep him warm… As we’re both missing our children. Whatever he wants me to do, I’m relaxed at this point.’
Interviewer: Are you going to come back and watch tomorrow?
Roger: I’ll be here, I’ll be here tomorrow, of course, yeah. Except if he doesn’t want me. Except if he tells me ‘go to Bondi Beach and relax, I’ll take care of the rest’.
We’ve heard from Wozniacki’s twitter page about her countless rendezvous with “her friends” – the Williams sisters – and after Serena Williams’ 6-2 6-4 victory over Wozniacki, her dad Richard decided to repay some of the grovelling compliments that Wozniacki has given to his daughters over the last few years.
“It was a nice fight, said Richard Williams. Caroline Wozniacki is one of the finest players I’ve seen since Martina Hingis… Tonight Serena was lucky to win, and I hope she can maintain the good momentum against Samantha Stosur, who she lost to in French Open.”
“I see her as one of my daughters”, he says, looking intently at the questioner. “When Serena was sick after her blood clot, she came and visited her. I will never, never forget what she did. What care she showed. She is like an adopted daughter to me.” says the older gentleman with something that looks like a tear in the eye hook.[/b]
Hilarious stage directions from the Ekstra Bladet journalist. Granted, Richard hugs and kisses 90% of the players and probably likens most of them to being his adopted daughters, but this is still nice. Venus was always surprisingly quick to take Wozniacki under her wing from a young age, even playing doubles withher back in 2008. It’s clear that there is a lot of respect and admiration between the two families. It’s nice.
After squandering double match point to Novak Djokovic in an epic fifth set for the second successive year at the US Open, an unimpressed Roger Federer refused to hand out free compliments to his rival, criticizing his approach to the match from double match point down.
“I didn’t hit the best serve. But it’s just the way he returns that. It’s just not — a guy who believes much, you know, anymore in winning. Then to lose against someone like that, it’s very disappointing, because you feel like he was mentally out of it already. Just gets the lucky shot at the end, and off you go…”
…..
“Confidence? Are you kidding me? I mean, please. Look, some players grow up and play like that. I remember losing junior matches. Just being down 5 2 in the third, and they all just start slapping shots. It all goes in for some reason, because that’s the kind of way they grew up playing when they were down. I never played that way. I believe in hard work’s gonna pay off kinda thing, because early on maybe I didn’t always work at my hardest. So for me, this is very hard to understand how can you play a shot like that on match point. But, look, maybe he’s been doing it for 20 years, so for him it was very normal. You’ve got to ask him.
“
Recently, I’ve really begun to see huge parallels between Roger and Serena. We all remember Serena’s infamous “lucky shots” comment on Henin here four years ago and this is in the same vein. Much like the media whirlwind that Serena caused after this, it’s easy to call Federer “classless” and a “sore loser” (not that most of the media, who eat out of the palm of his hand, will) after this, but to me, his candidness is refreshing.
It may lead him to be reactionary after tough losses as he is here, but he speaks his mind 100% of the time and he isn’t afraid to give his own unbashed opinion on any given subject, even badmouthing his opponent if he sees fit. The idea that a player must “give credit” after losses has always disturbed me. Tennis is so much about mental strength and belief, and part of what makes him and many others such great champions is believing that no player has the better of him, and regardless of whether it’s true, he’ll go to bed thinking that Novak simply got lucky, and he’ll strive to right that wrong the next time the play. And of course, who doesn’t love a bit of bitchiness? You then look at Rafa, who for half this year has been lamenting about how tough it is to play Djokovic and find weaknesses in his game. Even though he will always go out and try his hardest, from where I’m standing he is losing these matches before they’re even played.
The funny thing is, to an extent, I actually agree with Federer’s comments. As he went match point down, the first thing I thought after seeing Djokovic’s reaction was “Novak has given up”. He walked to the deuce court shaking his head and smiling humourlessly, clearly disgusted and angry at the 25k people in the crowd who were roaring their support for Federer, rudely cheering Djokovic’s errors just as loud as Federer’s winners. And the return was certainly a split-second decision without much prior thought behind it.
However, being a champion is knowing, when your back is against the wall, when to close your eyes and trust your instincts and when to use your brain and common sense to dig you out of holes. Djokovic trusted both his brain and instincts so well in that final set. The return was not “luck”; he is the best returner on the planet and if anyone is capable of making such a shot off a first serve, it’s Novak Djokovic. And there’s no doubt that he has made similar shots in his career. Much like last year, he did close his eyes instinct simply took over, but unlike those juniors that Federer so diligently described, Djokovic’s risk-taking only lasted only one shot. Even though there was still one match point, Djokovic clearly sensed a shift in momentum, and from that point onwards he completely tightened up his game, smartly looking to prolong the rallies and asking Federer if he really had the balls to close him out after what happened exactly a year ago on that same court. Needless to say, he didn’t.
Yesterday, Novak Djokovic captured his fifth masters title of the year and ninth title of his career with a 6-2 3-6 6-4 victory over Mardy Fish. Most expected him to drop down after he lost his first match of the year in Paris, and then once again after he achieved ‘his dream’ at Wimbledon last month, but he just kept on going.
“There is always energy if there is motivation. There is plenty of motivation and desire to continue on and play well and win matches and win tournaments. Look, you know, even though I have achieved my two biggest dreams in my tennis career, I’m still 24, and I still want to play tennis as long as I do have this inspiration and motivation in myself.
“I’m aware of the fantastic year that I had and a great streak, but I’m not thinking how many matches will I lose, I’m thinking how many matches will I win. As long as it’s like that, I think I’m in the right direction.”
During her match against Agnieszka Radwanska, Andrea Petkovic sprinted offcourt mid-match to vomit her guts out in the toilets. After the match she was asked about the dramatic incident;
“Is it more embarrassing running off the court like a maniac or throwing up on court and being on SportsCenter for the next 25 years? Yeah, running off the court is better, so that’s what I did.”
