TENNIS 2014 ROLAND GARROS – 31st of May 2014. J. Jankovic d. S. Cirstea 6-1, 6-2. An interview with Jelena Jankovic
Q. You seem exhausted, but the match was really quick for you. You’re in second week. It was great today for you?
JELENA JANKOVIC: Yeah, I think it was the match was not easy, even though it looked, the score looked like it.
You know, there was a lot of close games. You know, Sorana hits the ball so hard, every ball. You know, I needed to stay, you know, low and, you know, focus from, you know, the first ball till the last.
You know, I’m happy that, you know, I was able to, you know, stay in control. You know, I did well. I’m looking forward to my next round.
Q. The Paris crowd seemed to engulf you as you left the stadium for autographs. But in the last game there were some boos when you were toweling off. What was the thing there?
JELENA JANKOVIC: No, the thing was when she was serving and the crowd was still, you know, clapping. So I just said to the umpire that, you know, just wait a little bit until she should wait a little bit until the crowd settles down. Because I cannot hear the ball and all this.
It was nothing, but the crowd didn’t understand what’s going on and they just enjoy.
Q. You’re going to face Errani again next in the next round. That was a tough match for you in Rome. What do you think you need to make different?
JELENA JANKOVIC: Yeah, I need to play a little bit different than what I did, how I played in Rome, you know, tactic wise. And, you know, I’ve got to see what my game plan will be and how I will perform.
But overall, you know, I look forward to that match and hopefully I can do better than, you know, last time.
Q. When you look back, obviously you made the final at the US Open, made semis a few times here, is this a slam, given that you’re great on clay, that you think has kind of slipped through your fingers, that maybe you’re almost surprised you haven’t won yet?
JELENA JANKOVIC: Yeah, there was a lot of Grand Slams that I should have won. The first one I should have gone to the finals was when I was 19 years old and I played semis at the US Open against Henin. I was up set and 4 2, 40 15. I was already thinking in my young head at the time, How I’m going to celebrate I’m going to be in the finals.
That was the first, you know, and then lots more, you know, afterwards, you know, lots of semifinals, finals.
Here I had a lot of success, and this was the one would I love to win, and as well the US Open. Those two are the ONES I played best at and where I had a lot of success.
Q. Do you think you have had more chances to win this one than the U.S. or more to win the U.S. than the French?
JELENA JANKOVIC: I had also semis at the U.S. and finals at the U.S. and quarters. Here is the same, three semifinals, quarterfinals. I need to make that step further and, you know, make it to the finals.
That’s my goal. And it would be, you know, my dream to win it here.
Q. Serena, Li Na and Radwanska have lost. You’re No. 6. Do you think that you’re now one of the main favorites?
JELENA JANKOVIC: Yeah, there is still a lot of great players in the draw and still so many tough opponents, you know, to play against. I want to focus on my next match, which is against Errani. It’s going to be a tough one.
I just want to play one match at a time. I know I want to play my best tennis, and, you know, every round hopefully get better and better and hopefully it will go well. We’ll see. I’m just trying to progress as far as I can.