Jelena Jankovic

Jankovic hires new coach

Jelena Jankovic has hired Henner Nehles, a former UNLV standout player from Germany, as her new coach. Nehles, who also helped coach the UNLV women's team, will travel with Jankovic to Australia. While the 26-year-old Serbian finished 2011 ranked No. 15 and reached two finals, she has not won a title since Indian Wells in March of 2010.

Matt Cronin (twitter.com/TennisReporters)

Jankovic, formerly No.1 in the world and the No.7 seed this week, beat Beatriz García Vidagany handily, 61 62.

Jelena lost to Caroline Wozniacki in SF Charleston 2011.

"I had a lot of chances in the first set. I was up a break a few times and I never held serve. That was kind of the key," Jankovic said. "At the same time, I missed some balls that were kind of crucial, on some important points. But that's tennis. I fought hard and played the best I could. She was more solid."

Jankovic was asked about the No.1-ranked Wozniacki's strengths. "What she does best is she runs all these balls down and makes you play the extra ball that with other players would be a winner. It somehow comes back with her. She reads the ball very well. She anticipates and she's at the ball every time. So you have to beat her because she's not going to give you anything."

Interesting article about changing a coach by Jankovic:


Jankovic Feels Coaching Change is Paying Dividends.

When former world #1 Jelena Jankovic hired Romanian Ardrei Pavel as her new coach, many were surprised by the decision. Pavel, a former top-20 player didn't have really any experience coaching a player on the WTA Tour and had just retired from a long ATP career himself.

Would he be up to the task of helping the talented Jankovic regain her form and make a charge back up the rankings? I made a point of watching the duo through two spirited practice sessions today in Charleston at the Family Circle Cup.

I left impressed and I think Jankovic has already regained some of her lost confidence.

For one, Pavel is very "hands on." Long gone are the Jankovic practice sessions that were marred with goofing around and long chatty breaks. Pavel is making Jankovic work and is running her hitting sessions like a football practice. They spend a certain amout of time on serves, then it's on to passing shots, then serve returns; every drill has a purpose and every ball hit has meaning.

Jankovic stated last month that things are progressing nicely with Pavel and she seconded that in Charleston. She now feels she has the confidence to play more agressive, and that is what she planned to do.

Pavel encouraged her over and over again to rip her forehand, espcially down the line. They worked on that and nothing else for a good 25 minutes. Pavel complemented her when she was hitting well and corrected her when she made an obvious error.

Pavel was a smart and griity player himself. He was far from the most talented player on tour, but he got the most out of his game. In Jankovic, he sees someone with immense talent, but she has veered off the path. Pavel relishes the challenge.

For the moment, Pavel has taken the steering wheel and is now in command of the vehicle. Will Jankovic go along for the ride is the question. Right now she is in the passenger seat and is ready to ultimately reach her final destination, which would be the #1 ranking. A tournament win in Charleston would be a great start.

source: http://www.thedailyforehand.com/2011/4/3/2088864/jankovic-feels-coaching-change-is-paying-dividends

Jankovic, who rolled past young American Christina McHale later in the day in a much simpler match, 62 60. Jankovic was the champion here in 2007 and is seeded No.3 this year.

"The score looked pretty easy today, but the match was a lot tougher," Jankovic said. "My opponent played really well. She has a great serve and a pretty big forehand. Maybe I was better on the important points, especially at the start of the match. I took two long games and from then on I had the momentum. But she plays very well and she's going to be a very good player in the future."

Jankovic leads Wozniacki in their head-to-head series, 4-1.

"We've never played each other on clay," Jankovic added. "Obviously we know each other's games very well, but I want to play my tennis. I want to continue to do the things I do best and not really let her do what she likes to do best."

WTA Charleston 2011: No.3 seed Jelena Jankovic beat Chanelle Scheepers, 62 62. "I played a pretty good match. There were some tough points, some interesting points where I was sliding and hitting a lot of balls," Jankovic said. "I'm trying to adjust my movement to the clay, and I think I'm doing pretty well. I still need some work, but I'm getting better. I look forward to my next match."

Jankovic, who won here in 2007, followed with a 62 63 win over another Austrian, Tamira Paszek. "I was sliding pretty well and moving the ball around pretty well; it was windy out there so I had to play smart and wait for my chances then go for it. But the most important thing was the movement. The last time I played on clay was last year at the French Open, so I'm pretty pleased."

Jankovic was asked about her dress in press. "It's my new ANTA dress. I've been working with them for two or two and a half years now, and it's pretty cool. It's a nice color for spring and I have these flowers, so it's kind of like the spring blossom. I'm blossoming. I've gotten a lot of compliments for it, so I'm happy!"

After a dreadful 2010, Jelena Jankovic has hired Andrei Pavel to coach her.

Jankovic undergoes eye surgery on Thursday November 12, 2010
Jelena Jankovic says she underwent "a small eye surgery" on Thursday.

"Had to get something removed from my left eye," she said in a web update. "Have some stitches that will be removed in a week or so. Have to wear an eye patch so guess I will look like a pirate this week."

More from Jankovic:

"I've been sick since I came from China. I got an infection and have been on antibiotics for a week. I wasn't ready to play at my level. I was suffering but didn't want to retire. I finished as well as I could but it was tough to focus on my tennis. I had a hard time breathing and I was getting tired quickly.

"I will see the doctor now. It's the end of the year and my body is exhausted. It has been a long season with lots of traveling. It's one more tournament to go and I hope I can at least be healthy so I can go out there and play the game. I really need to have energy and be able to smile on court and enjoy the game.

"Doha is a different type of tournament because you can lose a match and still win the whole tournament. So anything can happen, but for me the biggest concern is being healthy. We'll see what happens and hopefully I'll be ready."