"Jelena Janković"

Jelena Janković (Serbian Cyrillic: Јелена Јанковић, pronounced [jɛ̌lɛna jǎːnkɔv̞itɕ], born February 28, 1985) is a professional tennis player from Serbia. Janković is a former World No. 1 in singles, in the months following her finals appearance at the 2008 US Open. Janković's career highlights include winning the 2007 Wimbledon Mixed Doubles title with Jamie Murray, the 2010 BNP Paribas Open, the Internazionali BNL d'Italia twice, in 2007 and 2008 and the aforementioned appearance in the finals of the 2008 US Open. Janković is ranked No. 22 and her coach, Željko Krajan is that of fellow former World No. 1 Dinara Safina.

Janković was born in Belgrade, SR Serbia, Yugoslavia, as the third child of Veselin and Snežana, both economists. She has two brothers, Marko and Stefan. She is a student at the Megatrend University in Belgrade, studying economics; however, she has put her course of study on indefinite hold as she continues to pursue her tennis career. Janković learned her first tennis skills at the Tennis Club 'Red Star'. As a nine-and-a-half year old she was introduced to tennis by her elder brother and fitness coach Marko. With 11 years has won the national championship in the competition to 12 years. She was later trained at the Tennis Academy of Nick Bollettieri. As a junior she won the 2001 Australian Open and junior no. 1 in the world. In 2001, she started to play on the WTA Tour; she reached the second round at her first tournament at the Indian Wells Masters.

In October 2003, Janković entered the top 100 at no. 90 for the first time, after winning her first ITF title in Dubai. Three months later, Janković garnered her first top-10 win against Elena Dementieva, 6–1, 6–4, in the first round of the 2004 Australian Open. In May, Janković won her first WTA title, a Tier V event, in Budapest, defeating Martina Suchá in the final, 7–6, 6–3. Following her win in Budapest, she reached no. 51 in the world. Elsewhere in her 2004 season, she defeated top-20 players Nadia Petrova (twice), Vera Zvonareva, Patty Schnyder, Elena Dementieva and Paola Suárez. Janković finished 2004 ranked no. 28 in the world.

She was ranked world no. 1 for seventeen consecutive weeks until she was overtaken by Serena Williams on February 2, 2009. She was the year-end world no. 1 in 2008, the second player in the history of the WTA tour to do this without winning a Grand Slam title, after Kim Clijsters.

Janković has reached the singles final of the US Open and the singles semifinals of the Australian Open and the French Open. In 2007, she became the first Serbian player to win a Grand Slam title when she won the Wimbledon mixed doubles title with British partner Jamie Murray.

She is one of only seven players who has defeated both Williams sisters at the same tournament, and one of three players who were world no. 1 and as a junior and a senior. Janković also enjoyed one of the longest recent unbroken streaks in the Top 10 of recent years, entering it in early 2007, and remaining there for four years and three months, before dropping out in mid-2011.

Janković started the 2010 season in Sydney. She lost in the first round to Ágnes Szávay, 7–5, 1–6, 5–7, having been seeded seventh for the tournament. During the Australian Open, Janković, seeded eighth, defeated opponents Monica Niculescu and Katie O'Brien in straight sets, before losing to 31st seed Alona Bondarenko in the third round.

Next, Janković represented Serbia in the 2010 Fed Cup. In her first match, she rallied from 4–6, 1–4 down to defeat Alisa Kleybanova, 4–6, 6–4, 6–0. In her next Fed Cup match, she defeated reigning French Open Champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6–3, 4–6, 6–3. In the deciding doubles match, she partnered with Ana Ivanovic. Ivanovic and Janković fell to Kuznetsova and Kleybanova. Her next scheduled tournament was the 2010 Dubai Tennis Championships where she lost to Vera Zvonareva in the third round, causing her ranking to fall to no. 9 in the world.

Janković's next tournament was the 2010 Monterrey Open, where she was the top seed. She fell in the first round. Next, she traveled to Indian Wells, California for the 2010 BNP Paribas Open. At the tournament, she was seeded sixth and defeated Caroline Wozniacki, 6–2, 6–4, to take her 12th title.  Janković's next tournament was the 2010 Sony Ericsson Open, where she was seeded seventh. In the fourth round, she lost to Samantha Stosur, 1–6, 6–7(9), ending her eight-match winning streak.  Janković's next tournament was the 2010 Family Circle Cup, where she was seeded second. She lost in the quarterfinals to Daniela Hantuchová.

At the Fed Cup qualifying, Janković defeated Slovakia's Magdaléna Rybáriková in her first singles match, but fell to Hantuchová in her second. Janković and Bojana Jovanovski then fell to Rybáriková and Hantuchová in the deciding doubles match.

Janković was the fourth seed at the 2010 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. She lost against Justine Henin in the quarterfinals, 6–3 6–7(4) 3–6, for the tenth time in a row.

Janković was the seventh seed at the 2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia. In the quarterfinals, she defeated fourth seed Venus Williams, 6–0, 6–1, with Williams suffering her heaviest loss in her career, having never won fewer than two games in a match. She then beat reigning world no. 1 Serena Williams in the semifinals, after saving a match point and later being down 5–2 in the final set tie-breaker, 4–6, 6–3, 7–6(5), in 2 hour and 47 minutes. As a result of defeating these two opponents, she became one of the few women in the history of women's tennis to defeat both Williams sisters in the same tournament and the first player who beat both sisters in less than 24 hours in one tournament. However, she was then shocked by unseeded María José Martínez Sánchez and lost in the final, 6–7(5), 5–7. Nevertheless, her ranking increased to world no. 4.

Seeded seventh, Janković received a first-round bye at the 2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open and where she lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Aravane Rezaï, 5–7, 4–6.

Janković's next tournament was 2010 French Open, where she was seeded fourth. She lost in the semifinals to Samantha Stosur, 1–6, 2–6. Two weeks later, her ranking increased to world no. 3.

Janković then played in the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, where she was seeded fourth.  Struggling with injuries, Janković retired trailing 21st seed Vera Zvonareva in the fourth round, 1–6, 0–3. Although she retired in the fourth round, her ranking increased to world no. 2.

Janković defeated fellow Serb Bojana Jovanovski, 6–3, 6–3 in the first round of the 2010 Banka Koper Slovenia Open, but had to retire in her next match against Anastasiya Yakimova due to twisting her ankle while leading 6–1, 2–0, and ultimately retired at 6–1, 3–6, 0–1.

She then traveled to San Diego to play in the 2010 Southern California Open, where she was the top seed. Due to her seeding, she received a bye to the second round, but fell to Russia's Alisa Kleybanova, 5–7, 2–6, despite leading 4–0 in the first set and also having three set points in the first set.

Janković then traveled to Cincinnati for the 2010 Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open, where she was the top seed and defending champion.  In the third round, Janković failed to defend her title, as she had was upset by Akgul Amanmuradova. This caused her ranking to fall to world no. 3. Janković then entered the 2010 Rogers Cup as the top seed. After receiving a bye in the first round, she was upset by Iveta Benešová, 6–73, 3–6, in the second round. Due to her early exit, her ranking dropped to no. 5.

Janković then traveled to New York to play in the 2010 US Open, where she was seeded fourth. She was defeated by Kaia Kanepi in the third round, 2–6, 6–7(1).  Janković's next tournament was the 2010 Toray Pan Pacific Open, where was seeded third and was the runner-up the previous year. In the third round, she lost for the second straight time to Kaia Kanepi, 4–6, 4–6. She then traveled to China to play in the 2010 China Open, where she was seeded third where she fell in the third round against fellow Serbian player Bojana Jovanovski in three sets, 6–4, 2–6, 2–6.

Despite her recent slump, Janković still qualified for the 2010 WTA Tour Championships as the sixth seed. Her next tournament was the 2010 Kremlin Cup, where she was the top seed. Due to her seeding, she received a bye to the second round, where her bad form continued as she fell to Kazakhstani qualifier Zarina Diyas, 1–6, 2–6.

Janković's final event of the year was the 2010 WTA Tour Championships, where she qualified for the fourth consecutive year, as the sixth seed. She was placed in the White Group, consisting of second seed Vera Zvonareva, third seed Kim Clijsters, and eighth seed Victoria Azarenka. After losing her opening match to Zvonareva, Janković reportedly collapsed in the locker room. She was advised to go to hospital, but refused and came out to play Clijsters the next day and lost the match. Janković's time in Doha came to an end when she lost her third and final group match to Azerenka. This loss, again in straight sets, meant that she had lost her last 10 sets of tennis played, bring an end to her 2010 season.

On November 30, Janković played a humanitarian match in Pionir Hall. Revenue from tickets was intended to help elementary school in Kraljevo damaged by an earthquake.

At the start of the year, Janković announced her decision to work with Andrei Pavel on a trial basis.

She began 2011 by falling in the first round to France's Aravane Rezaï in three sets at the Medibank International Sydney. Her poor form continued at the Australian Open, losing in the second round against Shuai Peng, 6–7(7–3), 3–6, after defeating the Russian Alla Kudryavtseva in the first round.

Despite a dismal start to the season, Janković reached the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships, beating Kaia Kanepi and fourth seed Samantha Stosur. However, she lost to Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinal, 5–7, 3–6, despite having a 4–0 head-to-head against her, as well as having four set points in the first set. She attributed the defeat to tiredness.

Up next for Jankovic was the Qatar Ladies Open. She reached the semifinals again, losing to Vera Zvonareva, 1–6, 6–2, 4–6. The Russian had then beaten the Serb in their last five meetings. She then reached the final of the Monterrey Open, where she was defeated by Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 6–2, 2–6, 3–6, despite being up a set. Indian Wells Masters was next for Jankovic, where she was the defending champion. She was defeated by Ana Ivanovic in the fourth round, 4–6, 2–6.

Jankovic's next tournament was the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, where she was the sixth seed.  She lost to Andrea Petkovic in the quarterfinals, 6–2, 2–6, 4–6, despite leading 4–2 in the final set.

Jankovic's next tournament was Family Circle Cup in Charleston where she lost in the semifinals to world no. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, 4–6, 4–6.

She then played in the Fed Cup against Slovakia. She appeared on Sunday's singles match against Daniela Hantuchová, which she won, 6–2, 3–6, 7–5, despite being down 3–1 in the third set. Later on, she won an epic doubles match with Aleksandra Krunic against Daniela Hantuchová and Magdalena Rybarikova, 2–6, 7–5, 9–7, despite being down, 6–2, 5–1 (30–0) and saving three match points. With this, Serbia was placed in World Group I again.

Her next tournament was the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. She was seeded seventh and was defeated in the second round by Germany's Andrea Petkovic, 6–3, 1–6, 3–6. Next up for Jankovic was the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open.  She lost to Lucie Šafářová in the second round, 4–6, 6–4, 5–7.

At 2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia, Jankovic lost to world no. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in the quarterfinals, 3–6, 6–1, 3–6, for the third time in a row. Her ranking dropped to no. 10, the lowest it had been since the beginning of 2007.

Her next tournament was the Brussels Ladies Open where she lost in the second round to Sofia Arvidsson, 6–3, 3–6, 3–6.

Jankovic was the tenth seed at the 2011 French Open. In the fourth round, Jankovic fell to fifth seed and defending champion Francesca Schiavone, 3–6, 6–2, 4–6. As a result, she dropped out of top 10 for the first time since early 2007, with her position being no. 15.

Jankovic was the 15th seed at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, but lost to María José Martínez Sánchez in the first round, her first opening-round exit in a Grand Slam since the 2005 French Open.

Her next tournament was 2011 Rogers Cup, where she fell in the first round to Julia Georges, 1–6, 3–6.

Jankovic was seeded 13th at the 2011 Western & Southern Open, where she lost in the final to Maria Sharapova, 6–4, 6–7(3), 3–6.

She reached the third round at the US Open, losing to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 4–6, 4–6. She reached the semifinals of the 2011 Generali Ladies Linz tournament, falling to Petra Kvitová, 6–4, 4–6, 3–6.

Jankovic began 2012 at the Brisbane International as the 6th seed. After winning her opening two matches comfortably, she lost to Francesca Schiavone in the quarterfinals, 5–7 7–6 (2) 6–3. She then lost in the second round of the Apia International to 3rd seed Victoria Azarenka, 6–4 6–2. At the 2012 Australian Open Jankovic was the 13th seed. She was defeated by Caroline Wozniacki in the fourth round. She then teamed up with Australian Bernard Tomic in the mixed doubles, losing in the second round.

Jankovic pulled out in Paris due to injury. Jankovic next played the 2012 Qatar Total Open where she received a bye into the 2nd round. She was beaten by Peer 7–6 (3) 6–2. She next played the Dubai Duty Free Open and advanced to the semifinals without dropping a set. In the semifinal though she was beaten by the in form Agnieszka Radwanska 6–2 2–6 6–0. She then received a wildcard to play in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as the 2nd seed.  She won through to the semifinals before losing to 5th seed Petra Martic, 6–7(5) 7–5 7–6(5).

Jankovic then kicked off the American hard court season in spring by starting off in Indian Wells. She received a bye into the second round, but was upset by American Jamie Hampton 6–4 6–3. Next up in Miami, she again lost in the same stage to up and coming German player Mona Barthel very comfortably 6–0 6–3. Jankovic then concluded her American season by playing in the South Carolina Open in Charleston, receiving a bye as the 7th seed, but continuing her losing streak by going out to another former no.1, resurgent Venus Williams 7–5 6–0 despite serving for the opening set at 5–4.

Jankovic started her European season by playing in the E-boks Sony Ericsson Open in Copenhagen as the 3rd seed. She was defeated in the semifinals by 2nd seed Angelique Kerber 6–2 6–1. In the Fed Cup semifinals against Russia in Moscow, Jankovic defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Svetlana Kuznetsova, both in straight sets, to propel Serbia to the Fed Cup final for the first time to verse the Czech Republic, with an aid from Ana Ivanovic who defeated Pavlyuchenkova.

Opening her clay court season at the Porsche Tennis Grand Pix in Stuttgart, Jankovic retired against 6th seed Caroline Wozniacki in her opening match, trailing 3–6 0–1. She then lost in the first round of the Mutua Madrid Open 4–6 7–6 (5) 6–4 to unseeded Carla Suarez Navarro, and the opening round of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia to Sorana Cirstea 6–3 4–6 7–6 (4). Jankovic's terrible run continued with a first round loss in Brussels to Simona Halep 6–2 3–6 7–6 (3), and a second round loss at the French Open to young American Varvara Lepchenko 7–6 (4) 4–6 6–4.

Jankovic turned her fortunes around by reaching the finals of Aegon Classic 2012, losing to Melanie Oudin, 6–4 6–2. However, she lost in the opening round of Wimbledon to unseeded former World No. 1 Kim Clijsters 6–2 6–4. It was the second year in a row that Jankovic lost in the opening round of Wimbledon.

Jankovic lost in the opening round of the Olympic tennis tournament to eventual Gold Medallist Serena Williams, 3–6 1–6.

Jankovic reached the third round of the 2012 US Open, but she was defeated by second seed Agnieszka Radwańska. This brought her record against the Pole to 1–3.

Jelena Janković is often regarded as a counterpuncher. Jelena is known for being able to slide effectively on all surfaces. Janković has very consistent groundstrokes and prefers to go down the line more often than crosscourt. Her weapon is her two-handed backhand. She also has a decent forehand and a fair net game, being able to hit effective drive, drop and swinging volleys. Her main weakness is her serve. She likes to spin it in on the first and second serve which can lead to her getting broken many times in matches. Her weakest surface is considered grass and her best surface is fast hard court where she can use her defense and speed to win matches.

Janković was the subject of the 2008 autobiographical documentary, Jelenin svet (Jelena's World), featuring Justine Henin, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Ana Ivanovic, Elena Dementieva and other notable players.

On December 5, 2007, Janković became a UNICEF National Ambassador for Serbia, for Children's Fund. "I am happy to have become a UNICEF ambassador for Serbia. This is a great honour for me and I will try to justify the role that has been given to me", she said. Janković is the second Serbian tennis star to have volunteered to help promote the rights of children and collect funds for UNICEF after Ana Ivanovic became an ambassador in September.

Janković is currently sponsored by Chinese sportswear company ANTA. Before Janković had endorsed Reebok sportswear, and had her own line with them for her tournament wear. Janković also has an endorsement with Prince Sports and now uses the Prince O3 Speedport Pro White Racquet after formerly using the Prince O3 Red Racquet. She now uses the Prince EXO3 Black.

Awards

2002

    Junior Sports Girl of the Year In Yugoslavia

2003

    Best Sportswoman of SD Crvena Zvezda

2004

    Best Tennis Player In Serbia and Montenegro

2006

    WTA Most Improved Player of the Year
    Best Tennis Player In Serbia

2007

    WTA Tour ACES Award
    National Tennis Association Award Best Female Player
    Best Female Tennis Player In Serbia

2008

    ITF Women's Singles World Champion
    Status Magazine's The Personality of the Year
    Best European Award
    AIPS Best Third Athlete
    Best Female Tennis Player In Serbia

2009

    Guinness Book of World Records In Making a Photo-Mosaic
    Oscar Of Popularity Best Female Athlete
    Best Female Tennis Player In Serbia

2010

    Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Heart Award
    Oscar Of Popularity Best Female Athlete
    Best Female Tennis Player In Serbia

2011

    Best Female Tennis Player In Serbia

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org