Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic, fresh off her win at the China Open, says she is determined to finish the year as the WTA’s top player and is eyeing Grand Slam glory next season.
The world No. 2, now just 21 points behind Serena Williams at the top of the rankings, beat Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets on Sunday, avenging her defeat the previous week in Tokyo at the hands of the Russian.
Jankovic also made up for defeat in the China Open final last year where she led by a set and 5-1 over underdog Agnes Szavay.
PHOTO: EPA
But the Serbian, who briefly reached No. 1 in August, insisted that topping the rankings was of secondary importance to winning the race to amass the most points in 2008 before the season-ending championships in Doha.
She is currently atop that list at 4,055 points, ahead of US Open champion Williams at 3,680.
“I’m happy to win the title of course. I’m coming very close to regaining that No. 1 spot,” Jankovic said following her 6-3, 6-2 win over Kuznetsova in Beijing.
“I’m not really thinking about the number one ranking in the moment. I’m just playing one match at a time and working hard at my game and really trying to develop something and improve some technique in my game, which is the most important thing for me,” she said.
“Of course, I’d love to come back to the No. 1 position and most importantly end the year as the No. 1 player,” she said.
The 23-year-old Jankovic has insisted she feels under no pressure to win her first Grand Slam.
“I’ll work very hard in the off-season and try to get stronger and fitter and try to bring my tennis into the next level and hopefully I can win a Grand Slam next year,” she said.
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