* !Picby Pete Bodo*
For some time now, Jelena Jankovic has flirted with greatness (if we can use that term loosely). She finished 2008 as the top-ranked player in the world, has been to six Grand Slam semifinals and one final (l. to Serena Williams, 2008 U.S. Open).
But if you can apply the noun "coy" to a player's athletic persona, it fits her to a T.
Jankovic has undermined herself on numerous occasions, and she's made some blunders that set her back—chief among them was over-training for the 2009 season. But truth be told, her dismal performance at the Australian Open that year (she was top-seeded and presumably poised to punctuate her year-end No. 1 ranking with her first win at a major) seemed more like a complete collapse of will and confidence than a flameout you can attribute to a surfeit of muscle, and a few extra kilos.
In the ensuing years, Jankovic never did recapture the magic. Or perhaps she just became more elusive, content to live the good life of a top pro without having to deal with any of the pressures. She's absorbed some truly baffling losses, and her ranking has fluctuated within the Top 15 (she's presently No. 13, same as her seeding at the Australian Open). You can make a ton of money in that territory, no question. But are you living up to your talent?
Jankovic moves beautifully, and she hits a clean ball, especially off the backhand side. But there's an achingly elegant quality to her forehand as well. Watch her hit a good one, finishing with the racquet arm wrapped around her shoulder, her head held high and still, back foot lifted off the court, and you could pick her up and nail her to the prow of a 125-foot clipper ship as the figurehead.
I'm a huge fan of Jankovic's game and athletic ability, yet something about her always makes me think, "What's she hiding?"
If you can forgive the psychological guesswork, the obvious answer is, "insecurity."
Whatever the case, Jelena has a terrific opportunity to reclaim a lot of lost ground when she plays world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki tomorrow in the fourth round of the Australian Open.
Ironicially, Wozniacki is another Slamless No. 1; in fact, she seems to be making a career out of it. But unlike Jankovic, you get the sense that Wozniacki has pursued that first Grand Slam win, as well as the top ranking, in a straightforward manner. If Jankovic has seemed coy, Wozniacki seems committed. Honest and transparent to a flaw. But she has had problems of her own when it comes to winning majors.
The games of the two women are similar, in that both are counter-punchers who rely on excellent anticipation and movement. Wozniacki is the more stable, earthbound competitor, while Jankovic is the more mercurial—and somewhat flaky—challenger. Who can forget the way Jankovic, along with 20,000-plus other fans, seemed transfixed by the replays flashed on the Jumbotron at the U.S. Open way back then, in 2008? Hey, that's me up there, in a cool-looking yellow dress!
Much time has passed since then, and Jankovic will be 27 in February. Wozniacki is just 21, but you have to hand it to her; she's approached her career with a mature attitude. You get the sense that Wozniacki is doing the best she can, and who knows where that takes her? Jankovic, by contrast, has spent a few years now playing moth to the Grand Slam flame. And you can't put all of it down to an attack-able serve.
I don't know if tomorrow's match is a "make or break" proposition for Jankovic; it certainly is not for Wozniacki. All I know is that this is a great opportunity for Jankovic. Let's see what she does with it.