Jankovic already psychologically giving in...that's why she won't win and not a # 1

[Connors]

"Overall, she’s, I think, the strongest player on the tour, together with her sister,” said second-seeded Jelena Jankovic, who will meet the fourth-seeded Williams in the final. “Nobody has the power that they have. We cannot compare.”

Again, this is a woman who is CONTENT to get far in events. She's not a fierce warrior and will come up lame tomorrow, just watch.

She lacks a champion's heart. If you put her speed and other skills into somebody like Safina, you'd have a number one player. Too bad Safina is not as talented as Jankovic, because she's a much better competitor and hates to lose. Jankovic will be smiling widely after losing tomorrow.

I can't stand athletes who don't demand more of themselves and who are too willing to accept less than their potential and are okay with losing. I don't respect her for comments like this and many others I've read from her. You don't concede ANYTHING to an opponent prior to play. The reality is that she has better footwork and court coverage than Serena and has more polished strokes. But she'll go down meekly tomorrow. She's already lost half the battle!!!

 

[anointedone]

I know. Absolutely pathetic for someone to talk that way before a slam final. No wonder nobody gives a rats ass about the womens game anymore.

Sorry though you are wrong on Safina. She is not a great competitor at all, she has played her worst tennis in some of her biggest matches this year: French Open final vs Ivanovic, Olympic final vs Dementieva, U.S Open semis vs Serena today was beyond ghastly. If you could combine Safinas powerful serves and groundstrokes, Jelenas defensive game, and the mental game of someone that probably doesnt even exist on the WTA tour then you might have an impressive player, apart from a fit Williams or a motivated Henin.

 

[David L]

Talk is cheap. It doesn't matter what you say. It's what you do that counts. If you read the whole interview, it's clear Jankovic believes in herself and thinks she can beat anyone. It's like when Nadal downplays his chances, he still knows he has what it takes to win. Anyway, Jankovic is not downplaying her chances, she's just saying Serena is physically stronger than her, which is the truth.

The h2h is 3-3 and she has already beaten Serena this year, so she obviously knows she has a good chance in the final and will give it her best. I would actually put money on Jankovic winning this because, for the first time in a long time, she says she is completely healthy and she is more consistent than Serena. She says she's ready to go toe to toe with anyone.

 

[anointedone]

It is womens tennis. The winner wont be who plays better but who plays less badly. We will see.

 

[Fintendo]

Yeah you're right. I can't remember the last half decent final between women. It's always so one sided.

 

[zagor]

Nonsense,If Jelena didn't believe she could beat Serena she wouldn't have done so at AO this year,in fact she has a pretty even record against both Williams sisters.What you say before the match is one thing and what you do on the court is another and I personally expect Jelena to fight hard in her first slam final.Serena is the favourite and has the home advantage but I do think Jelena has the game to beat her so we'll see how it goes.As for Safina being a much better competitor but less talented,we'll disagree on that one.Safina is a talented girl IMO who has some good hands and powerful strokes but at the biggest stages she falls apart mentally(that Olympic final against Dementieva is a very good example).

 

[JYD]

I agree she isn't very mentally tough, but at least shes being honest. ;-)

 

[Chopin]

Let's all spew some more sexist comments...

 

[LanceStern]

Let's all spew some more sexist comments...

I prefer that they would not, it's disgusting and tiresome.

Probably the last great WTA match I saw was the Williams final at Wimbledon, but that's beyond the point.

Jankovic seems more humble in this interview and told the truth. I don't feel there was anything wrong with that, she stsill wants to be #1 and she's been the ost consistent to get there. So let her be humble and let the racket do the talking tomorrow.

 

[TennisandMusic]

I prefer that they would not, it's disgusting and tiresome.

Probably the last great WTA match I saw was the Williams final at Wimbledon, but that's beyond the point.

Jankovic seems more humble in this interview and told the truth. I don't feel there was anything wrong with that, she stsill wants to be #1 and she's been the ost consistent to get there. So let her be humble and let the racket do the talking tomorrow.

So saying the women's tennis these days is abysmal is "sexist"? To me saying they are good these days is far worse, because you're saying they are good just because they are women. That is truly sexist. Yet all you have to do is look at Graf or Navratilova and their eras to see women can play entertaining high quality tennis. The Williams hardly match up to those players. The women's game is a shadow of it's former self.

 

[slice bh compliment]

It is womens tennis. The winner wont be who plays better but who plays less badly. We will see.

Of course it's women's tennis, but that's just disgusting male chauvinist pig ranting there. How do you know they won't both play with courage and bravado? The beautiful game? All court brilliance at every turn?

They'll hold at times, break eachother....one of them will go up a hold, then choke trying to hold serve to finish the set, it'll go to a TB and someone will want it more than the other. Then there'll be a momentum swing, lots of shreiking, some drama as someone might need a trainer.

Then Serena will start sweating more and that vein'll protrude from her forehead and it'll be ON. And over.

If Jankovic wins, it'll be so emotional and happy...and the mom will be adorable.
'Rena will have two or three outstanding [ahem] reasons for the loss.

If 'Rena wins, it'll just be a great effort, and she won't know how she got by Venus WIlliams in the quarters....which was the toughest match she's ever gutted out.

 

[TheTruth]

Jelena stated the obvious. Serena is more powerful than her. But if she was afraid to go toe to toe with Serena, their h2h wouldn't be even. I expect her to fight for the title, but the only downside is the first final jitters that affect the best of players. It's pretty rare that a first time finalist wins. It took Ivanovic three major finals before winning her first one. Clijsters, two or three. Novak lost his first one and many others too numerous to mention. I think it will be a high quality match tomorrow night. I'm looking forward to it.

 

[zagor]

Of course it's women's tennis, but that's just disgusting male chauvinist pig ranting there. How do you know they won't both play with courage and bravado? The beautiful game? All court brilliance at every turn?

They'll hold at times, break eachother....one of them will go up a hold, then choke trying to hold serve to finish the set, it'll go to a TB and someone will want it more than the other. Then there'll be a momentum swing, lots of shreiking, some drama as someone might need a trainer.

Then Serena will start sweating more and that vein'll protrude from her forehead and it'll be ON. And over.

If Jankovic wins, it'll be so emotional and happy...and the mom will be adorable.
'Rena will have two or three outstanding [ahem] reasons for the loss.

If 'Rena wins, it'll just be a great effort, and she won't know how she got by Venus WIlliams in the quarters....which was the toughest match she's ever gutted out.

LOL! C'mon maybe it won't be that bad.But I admit even though I like Jelena a lot,her matches can be painful to watch some times(especially when she's about to serve for the set or match,I think I saw 10 deuces a few days ago).We'll see who will be up a hold first tomorrow,lol.

 

[ProfoundBasic]

Actually, i think Jankovic is going to win with the 'ready' mind.

 

[mentalcase]

Janks in the final...wow. Elena played awful, she should send a thank-you card to Serena and Safna for choking in the Olympics. That will be the only big title of her career.

 

[Purostaff]

awesome... another WTA bashing thread... will read again

 

[rosewall4ever]

Strength and power is not everything...jeebus. Janko has more to her arsenal than just that and its wrong not to concede that her OP has more power. If she did she would delude herself in thinking she can over power Serena. Its obvious that she'll wont be playing that style against Serena.

You power players are all alike.... There's more to tennis than hitting the ball hard..Jeebus

 

[Puma]

Janko has lots of game, and gamesmanship. She can say what she wants, but she will look tired, hurt, happy, smiling or whatever it takes to get into her opponents head. This is a big part of her game. I don't really care for it, but maybe its her way of screaming, "Come ON!!......

 

[Tanya]

You power players are all alike.... There's more to tennis than hitting the ball hard..Jeebus

The Williams sisters were among the first to introduce the power game to women's tennis (along with the likes of Seles, etc.). Their styles, while similar, are still different from the other power players of today who depend on slugging it from the baseline 24/7. A few prime examples would be people like Sharapova (nothing against her, she just tends to play this way (98% of the time) and Ivanovic. Unlike the WS, these two are not fast and have mediocre movement in comparison.

Yes the Williams sisters are powerful, but they're also capable at net (especially Venus) and are among the best movers on the tour. Saying their game is one-dimensional is a statement of ignorance.

 

[Chopin]

So saying the women's tennis these days is abysmal is "sexist"? To me saying they are good these days is far worse, because you're saying they are good just because they are women. That is truly sexist. Yet all you have to do is look at Graf or Navratilova and their eras to see women can play entertaining high quality tennis. The Williams hardly match up to those players. The women's game is a shadow of it's former self.

The Williams sisters aren't amazing players? The Wimbledon final was pretty high quality to my eyes...

 

[Chopin]

The Williams sisters were among the first to introduce the power game to women's tennis (along with the likes of Seles, etc.). Their styles, while similar, are still different from the other power players of today who depend on slugging it from the baseline 24/7. A few prime examples would be people like Sharapova (nothing against her, she just tends to play this way (98% of the time) and Ivanovic. Unlike the WS, these two are not fast and have mediocre movement in comparison.

Yes the Williams sisters are powerful, but they're also capable at net (especially Venus) and are among the best movers on the tour. Saying their game is one-dimensional is a statement of ignorance.

The Williams sisters are among the greatest to ever play the women's game. I don't even like them that much, but I don't know how TW posters can pretend they aren't good.

 

[rosewall4ever]

The Williams sisters were among the first to introduce the power game to women's tennis (along with the likes of Seles, etc.). Their styles, while similar, are still different from the other power players of today who depend on slugging it from the baseline 24/7. A few prime examples would be people like Sharapova (nothing against her, she just tends to play this way (98% of the time) and Ivanovic. Unlike the WS, these two are not fast and have mediocre movement in comparison.

Yes the Williams sisters are powerful, but they're also capable at net (especially Venus) and are among the best movers on the tour. Saying their game is one-dimensional is a statement of ignorance.

Yes tell that to the OP who thinks because Serena is more powerful that Janko has been psyched out.

 

[Safinator_1]

Do i care if Jankovic or Williams win or become No.1?

A big FAT NO. The faster their match goes the faster i get to see the men's final

 

[anointedone]

Of course it's women's tennis, but that's just disgusting male chauvinist pig ranting there.

No it is not. I once liked the womens game, I always prefered the mens but the womens was worthwhile in its own right at one piont. The current field are a bunch of clowns, the likes of which I have never seen and not worth watching other then a last resort. End of story.

How do you know they won't both play with courage and bravado?

Since they never do.

The beautiful game?

Since Justine is retired.

All court brilliance at every turn?

Combination of both of the above.

They'll hold at times, break eachother....one of them will go up a hold, then choke trying to hold serve to finish the set, it'll go to a TB and someone will want it more than the other. Then there'll be a momentum swing, lots of shreiking, some drama as someone might need a trainer.

Exactly why womens tennis sucks right now. In the days of the iron maidens like Graf and Navratilova you never saw this, and if you were opponent and did this you were toast. Now you can do it and win since you are surrounded by fellow clowns or past their prime players still doing well in a hopeless field (eg-Venus, Serena, Davenport, etc...).

If Jankovic wins, it'll be so emotional and happy...and the mom will be adorable.

Yes how wonderful to celebrate a player who cant hit a half decent serve or forehand winning a slam title, especialy on a fast court.

'Rena will have two or three outstanding [ahem] reasons for the loss.

This is supposed to make womens tennis more endearing to the public.

If 'Rena wins, it'll just be a great effort, and she won't know how she got by Venus WIlliams in the quarters....which was the toughest match she's ever gutted out.

She didnt gut the match out. Most rational people who saw the match agree it was a staged match, and if it wasnt this then Venus merely outdid the worst chokes Jana Novotna had in her life. How can you gut something out when you just stand on court and let them gift you 8 or 9 set points they throw away with easy blown shots.

 

[anointedone]

So saying the women's tennis these days is abysmal is "sexist"? To me saying they are good these days is far worse, because you're saying they are good just because they are women. That is truly sexist. Yet all you have to do is look at Graf or Navratilova and their eras to see women can play entertaining high quality tennis. The Williams hardly match up to those players. The women's game is a shadow of it's former self.

BINGO!!! Thank you.

The Williams sisters aren't amazing players? The Wimbledon final was pretty high quality to my eyes...

They are amazing compared to the current field which isnt saying much. Any past player with atleast 1 slam title would be amazing compared to the current field let alone the Graf, Navratilova, Evert, and Courts of the planet. Even they are a shadow of what they were 5 years ago or so.

 

[Ljubicic for number1]

And Novak talks himself up and all the whiners and pusssies around here bag out on him for it. Seems the poor old Serbs cant win any way around here.

This entire forum is turning to crap, to many dumb kids.

 

[daddy]

She's got 3-3 record with Serena. What if this talk is all about making Serena fell superior ? If Jelena wins,what would ya'll say then > ad its not like this is not possible ?

Mind games, obviously, are something completely new to many people here ... and you know, they can give excelent results.

 

[daddy]

And Novak talks himself up and all the whiners and pusssies around here bag out on him for it. Seems the poor old Serbs cant win any way around here.

This entire forum is turning to crap, to many dumb kids.

Too many times two.

 

[gj011]

And Novak talks himself up and all the whiners and pusssies around here bag out on him for it. Seems the poor old Serbs cant win any way around here.

This entire forum is turning to crap, to many dumb kids.

Word. People here are unbelievable hypocrites.

 

[SempreSami]

Do i care if Jankovic or Williams win or become No.1?

A big FAT NO. The faster their match goes the faster i get to see the men's final

No no no, the women's final is a day before the men's. Pillock.

 

[Oui c'est moi.]

"Overall, she’s, I think, the strongest player on the tour, together with her sister,” said second-seeded Jelena Jankovic, who will meet the fourth-seeded Williams in the final. “Nobody has the power that they have. We cannot compare.”

I dunno, to me it seems she's just showing respect to the Williams'.

When Nadal has to face Federer in a final he speaks of him as if he is some kind of God. But when Nadal says such things he's deemed to be humble and respectful, is Jelena not the same here?

 

[Ignorant Genius]

"Overall, she’s, I think, the strongest player on the tour, together with her sister,” said second-seeded Jelena Jankovic, who will meet the fourth-seeded Williams in the final. “Nobody has the power that they have. We cannot compare.”

Her command of the English language isn't all that great, so what she says and what she means aren't always exactly the same thing.

And the quote above may or may not be taken out of context.

Does Jankovic or any other WTA player have the strength or power of the Williams sisters? Jankovic definitely does not. I can't think of another WTA player that does either.

But power & strength don't always win, do they? When the Williams sisters are on top of their game, they can flat out dominate other players. If they're a little bit off, that power can work against them and they make a lot of UE's, start getting frustrated and lose the match.

Jankovic didn't say that the Williams sisters are unbeatable. She just acknowledged that they are the two strongest & most powerful players on tour.

 

[Ignorant Genius]

Since Justine is retired.

You mean the time she retired in the finals of a Slam because her stomach hurt?

 

[slice bh compliment]

No it is not. I once liked the womens game, I always prefered the mens but the womens was worthwhile in its own right at one piont. The current field are a bunch of clowns, the likes of which I have never seen and not worth watching other then a last resort. End of story.....

Dude, sorry, I should have put an emoticon or something. I'm with you, and I was joking about the chauvinist thing. Just 'cause you're a purist does not mean you are a chauvinist. I was kind of referencing something from the thread about Roddick and Djerkovic.

Anyway, I do think Serena will win by one hold per set.

Now, characterizing the WTA field as a bunch of clowns...while that did have me laughing, I'd probably go more with ''one-dimensional", ball machine/academy ''drones'', and ''teen prodigies'' who never learned the whole game.

 

[thalivest]

Does Jankovic or any other WTA player have the strength or power of the Williams sisters? Jankovic definitely does not. I can't think of another WTA player that does either.

Vaidisova perhaps although she unfortunately cant keep more then 2 balls in a row in the court it seems. She probably is overreaching to reach that level of power she gets. Safina on a good day maybe. Sharapova with a healthy shoulder maybe.

You are right there is very few if any. However the womens game is at an all time low in every respect now, including even the power aspect of the womens game being at its lowest point since graphite racquets and Graf entered the scene (evaluating the power aspect of the game before graphie is useless). There was much more overall power in the game back in the 90s when Graf, Seles, Pierce, Schultz-McCarthy (contrary to what CBS say she has the WR serve speed at this moment btw), Capriati, Spirlea, Huber, Majoli, and others all together. In the early 2000s you had Serena at her peak, Venus at her peak, Capriati at her peak, Davenport at her peak, Seles still ripping the ball hard, Dokic, Clijsters, Henin, so again much more power then now. Today there is mostly just Venus and Serena, and a Russian or two, as top end power hitters, and the sisters dont even hit the ball nearly as hard as they did back in the early 2000s at all, but still probably lead despite that since there is so much less power around them also then in the early 2000s.

 

[TheTruth]

And Novak talks himself up and all the whiners and pusssies around here bag out on him for it. Seems the poor old Serbs cant win any way around here.
This entire forum is turning to crap, to many dumb kids.

No matter what they do, it's never right. It's gotten old to me too.

 

[gj011]

No matter what they do, it's never right. It's gotten old to me too.

Yes. Thank you. It is getting ridiculous here with anti Serbian bias and trolling. It looks like a small country success is not forgivable thing around here.

 

[Stchamps]

It is womens tennis. The winner wont be who plays better but who plays less badly. We will see.

haha that was funny

 

[tennisdude42]

She lacks a champion's heart. If you put her speed and other skills into somebody like Safina, you'd have a number one player. Too bad Safina is not as talented as Jankovic, because she's a much better competitor and hates to lose. Jankovic will be smiling widely after losing tomorrow

Jelena just said that Serena is the better player but she didn't says she was going to lose. The better player doesn't always win.

Jankovic will be smiling widely after losing tomorrow.

That's called being a good sport. Tennis should be fun. If she smiles when she's losing then that's less pressure and negativity that will affect her game.

 

[boredone3456]

Jankovic has not already conceded...her point was that the williams have more power than anyone and she can't match her in pure firepower...if she psychologically gave up everytime she played serena they would not be all square at 3 wins a piece head to head and jankovic would not have beaten her at the australian open. I can understand Williams fans and americans wanting serena to win...but putting words in jelena's mouth isn't getting anyone anywhere.

 

[PRINCE DARWIN]

"Overall, she’s, I think, the strongest player on the tour, together with her sister,” said second-seeded Jelena Jankovic, who will meet the fourth-seeded Williams in the final. “Nobody has the power that they have. We cannot compare.”

Again, this is a woman who is CONTENT to get far in events. She's not a fierce warrior and will come up lame tomorrow, just watch.

She lacks a champion's heart. If you put her speed and other skills into somebody like Safina, you'd have a number one player. Too bad Safina is not as talented as Jankovic, because she's a much better competitor and hates to lose. Jankovic will be smiling widely after losing tomorrow.

I can't stand athletes who don't demand more of themselves and who are too willing to accept less than their potential and are okay with losing. I don't respect her for comments like this and many others I've read from her. You don't concede ANYTHING to an opponent prior to play. The reality is that she has better footwork and court coverage than Serena and has more polished strokes. But she'll go down meekly tomorrow. She's already lost half the battle!!!

Do you know who she would make a perfect couple with? Sorry ass JAMES BLAKE. And although Blake is nowhere near as talented as she is on the men's side, they both lack that "eye of the tiger" go get-em, I'm okay with losing and giving praise to those to beat me, spirit.

 

[joeri888]

Is it some american mentality? In Europe in a lot of sports it's perfectly normal to put yourself in the underdog position, while youre gonna go out there and give your everything.

 

[PRINCE DARWIN]

Is it some american mentality? In Europe in a lot of sports it's perfectly normal to put yourself in the underdog position, while youre gonna go out there and give your everything.

I guess you miss the point ... exactly how many Slam titles does Janko or Sorry Ass James Blake have?

 

[slice bh compliment]

Yes. Thank you. It is getting ridiculous here with anti Serbian bias and trolling. It looks like a small country success is not forgivable thing around here.....

Sorry you feel that way. Sorry people are doing that, but honestly, I think people really like Jelena Jankovic, Janko Tipsarevic and Ana Ivanovic. I think it's more an anti-***** thing, rather than a bias against a small country like Srbija.

I love when small countries succeed...Americans are generally fans of the underdog believe it or not! Very happy for Cyprus with Baghdatis, Croatia with Goran and Ljubo, Jamaica with their track success, that Tunisian guy who swam so well in Beijing, the Iraqi soccer team at the last World Cup...the Greek soccer team a few years back, Leander Paes winning a Bronze in singles in 1996, etc...too many examples.

I really think this is more about the Djokovic family and NOT at all about an entire country.

EDIT:
And if I may add...
Would things be any better for Nole if the Djokovic family were Russian, British, Australian, Chinese, American, German, French, or from one of the other large countries?

 

[joeri888]

I guess you miss the point ... exactly how many Slam titles does Janko or Sorry Ass James Blake have?

None, but I was referring to the whole thread, not to your comparison with Blake. Blake just hasn't got the ability imo. I don't think it's mental. Jankovic can be lacking mental strength, but there's little wrong with saying the other player is the strongest in the world. She isn't saying she doesn't stand a chance, is she?

 

[THUNDERVOLLEY]

The Williams sisters were among the first to introduce the power game to women's tennis (along with the likes of Seles, etc.). Their styles, while similar, are still different from the other power players of today who depend on slugging it from the baseline 24/7. A few prime examples would be people like Sharapova (nothing against her, she just tends to play this way (98% of the time) and Ivanovic. Unlike the WS, these two are not fast and have mediocre movement in comparison.

Yes the Williams sisters are powerful, but they're also capable at net (especially Venus) and are among the best movers on the tour. Saying their game is one-dimensional is a statement of ignorance.

QFT.

Some ish to toss the WS in the same idiot baseliner catagory as the players you mention, but the WS have never been afraid of net play.....like the majority of the women's field...and the men's for that matter.

 

[Spin Doctor]

Other reaons why Jankovic won't win a Grand Slam or be #1:

1. Applies glitter to hair for grand slam final.
2. Wears full make-up, including foundation!, for grand slam final.
3. During grand slam final looks up at jumbo screen 200 times.
4. Smiles when she loses points.
5. 30 seconds after losing her first grand slam final.....applies pink lip gloss.

This girl does not have a serious mind and while I respected her play tonight, I was glad to see Serena win. Serena was focussed, serious and determined. Jankovic has none of these qualities. And as the analysts pointed out tonight, she doesn't seem to mind losing, not a quality of a great champion.

 

[Gaudio2004]

I think Safina is better technically than Jankovic, especially on the forehand side..

 

[crazylevity]

Yes. Thank you. It is getting ridiculous here with anti Serbian bias and trolling. It looks like a small country success is not forgivable thing around here.

Nay, not so. We love the Swiss Miss and the Mighty Fed, no?