Jelena Jankovic attacks Federer back, worships Nadal

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Jelena JankovicHihi this is juicy, Jelena Jankovic is fighting with Roger Federer via press.

Last month Federer commented that a player who has never won a Grand Slam should not be granted the number one spot, which was at the time Jankovic was at the top of the rankings, and today JJ fired back to the men’s tennis legend.

“To be honest, I do not like to talk about players, I really prefer to focus on myself,” Jankovic, currently ranked third, said at the Paris Open.

“Why should he even care? I don’t like putting my nose in other’s business.”

The Serb is celebrating Rafael Nadal’s humble personality.

“I mean, one thing I like about Nadal is that he is such a great champion, he is so humble, always has kind words for everybody, he is a role model for everybody. Federer is a great champion, I don’t want to get in a fight with him but why does he care, I really don’t understand. Why does he need to do that?”

Jankovic is currently in Paris for the Open GDF SUEZ, where she’ll face Italian Francesca Schiavone in the first round. (photo: Ralf Reinecke)

38 COMMENTS

  1. Worshiping Nadal? That strikes me more as Jelena being all, “You were mean to me, so here, let me make a dig at you by comparing you unfavorably to your main rival, to whom you just lost a very important final in a very painful way.”

    I’m torn between appreciating Roger’s honesty and feeling for JJ, because it’s not like she wasn’t getting a lot of flack already without the biggest name in the sport weighing in on it, you know? Oh well.

  2. Good on her! I think it was a well thought out comment by Jelena, cos she wasn’t really taking a swipe at Fed, but rather comparing him to the “humble” Nadal (making Fed look bad in the process lol).

    I’m glad Jelena responded and said what she felt instead of keeping quiet 😛

  3. I agree with JJ about Nadal. He’s very nice and I also see him as a humble person, and that is to be appreciated. Even when he won the Australian Open, it was evident he felt sorry for Federer and was so shy holding his trophy while standing next to tearful Federer.

  4. I see absolutely no reason why he had to say that! I think JJ was the most consistent player in the last years so she deserved to be nº 1! Federer is a great champ but sometimes he is arrogant and I don’t like that!

  5. Well,Fedex mind your own busness,so stupid to comment and talk about others in that kind of way.JJ is totaly right.She right about Nadal as well.Look ,you have Novak who is somtimes a bit arrogant on court,but when you have to talk to him about others hes very sincere and sometimes humble.>
    But,anyway Fed has to be fair and correct about his comments.A neka si mu rekla!!!!!!!!!!

  6. HAHAHAHAH shamee!! she shouldnt be angry at FEDERER the man is just telling the truth. A person who hasnt won a grandslam and is world number 1 wont b there for long because come grand slam time the numba 2 or 3 can take it from her like what happened at the Australian Open.

    She was just so defensive and paranoid about being number 1 without a grandslam that shes angry at him now. Dont hate! appreciate! Federer is way more humble then nadal..

    someone! quick! give the girl a mirror before she hits a ball kid!!

  7. Ugh! Just like JJ to get caught up in the drama. She can’t stay away! Remember when Fed, Nole, and Murray got into the whole “who’s gonna win AO?” debate? Look where it got them. And who ended up winning? The person who stayed out of the bickering.

    It’s nice and all that JJ praised Nadal for his good character, but the more important thing to learn from this is that she should follow him and not get mixed up in all that BS.

  8. I agree with JJ. Roger should mind his own business. I don’t like people who talks about others and give bad comment about them. I know Roger is a great tennis player, but he will be greater if he focus on himself rather than comment on others.

  9. I am with Jelena Jankovic! The ranking system is the same for all players, so, there is no question who was the No. 1 in the world. There are so many tournaments and they are important, not only the gran slams. Federer had to suport Jelena and other players. I would like to see Jelena with GS titles. I love her energy and tennis. I have to say that Jelena started to play tennis at 9 and half. So, she has 20 years in tennis’s year. :)))

  10. Jelena Jankovic, otherwise colloquially known as the Court Drama Queen, is at her best; extrapolating on Federer’s suggestive, yet not conclusive statement. So what if he alluded to such, antagonising him by contrasting him with Nadal no longer justifies anything-she is no longer no.1 and the next grand slam is months away, not such a great time either with the entire Tennis community sympathising for Federer. She is not enhancing her reputation or public media image and instead, should find other ways to effectively consume her time, perhaps improving her lacklustre grand slam results would be ideal, now there’s something she can learn a thing or thirteen from Federer.

    No brownie points for Jelena. 🙁

  11. Jelena should let her racket do the talking,she is just being petty and bitter since she lost the no.1 ranking.She has to win a big event for anyone to give her the respect she is yearning.If I were Jankovic I will quietly work hard enough to win and let my results do the talking and not let the childish stuff bother me.
    Grow up Jelena you complain too much!

  12. She will win GS not for media or us, she will win GS for herself. She does not play tennis for Federer and Nadal.

  13. Sonja on February 11th, 2009
    HAHAHAHAH shamee!! she shouldnt be angry at FEDERER the man is just telling the truth. A person who hasnt won a grandslam and is world number 1 wont b there for long because come grand slam time the numba 2 or 3 can take it from her like what happened at the Australian Open.

    She was just so defensive and paranoid about being number 1 without a grandslam that shes angry at him now. Dont hate! appreciate! Federer is way more humble then nadal..

    someone! quick! give the girl a mirror before she hits a ball kid!!

    Sonja,NE SERI,ZIVOTA TI!!!

    Well done JJ! Federer is so arogant and HE’s the one who should learn from Jelena how to behave!
    Go JJ!

  14. Federer should learn from her? are you serious? do you see him running into ball kids and yelling at them like someone amazonian? noo i dont think so!

    Federer is the model of a pro tennis player hes modest and humble but most of all he has the grandslam wins to validate his position at number 1 or number 2. jelena was number 1 because she happened to win the minor tournaments. its the general view of the tennis world that unless youve won a grandslam you SHOULD NOT BE world number 1 =)

    jelena needs to get over herself BADLY i hope to god shes neva world number 1 again she doesnt deserve it she got beaten by someone no one even heard of! ahaha so embarassing

  15. She didn’t complain or wanna talk about it until some stupid journalists asked her about Roger’s comments. There’s nothing wrong that she defended herself! What she said is right and I think it was so unnecessary for him to drag WTA in in the first place.

  16. Federer is a tennis legend and he is a fantastic player but Jelena did not buy No. 1 position, Sonja. What about you? Why you are angry with Jelena? The ranking system is the same for all the players. She deserved it. Now, she is not a number 1 player. Serena is the best. So? WTA made ranking system, not JJ.

    http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/columns/story?columnist=garber_greg&id=3671264

    “We did have parity this season,” said Scott, the chairman and CEO of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. “It’s unusual to have that kind of balance. Jelena might not have won a major, but the great thing about the rankings is they don’t lie. No one did better. There’s no one in the locker room that questions whether she deserves to be No. 1.”

  17. http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/columns/story?columnist=garber_greg&id=3671264

    And what about those who would criticize Jankovic for being No. 1 without collecting a coveted major title?

    “I wouldn’t waste one ounce of my energy answering those that say that,” Bollettieri said with typical spirit. “How many people have reached No. 1 in the world? I used to say to Anna Kournikova, ‘You must understand that the more famous and successful you become, the more chatter you’ll hear.’

    “They say your name, and no matter what they’re saying about you, you say ‘Thank you.’ Jelena made it to the top of tennis, and no one can take that away from her.”

  18. And I like this quote from Forty Deuce:

    Or perhaps a well-placed “You know what I think is ridiculous? That Roger fucking Federer, who’s won 23840103 Grand Slams and has made it his business to dash the hopes and dreams of 99.9% of the ATP tour, cried like a fuckin’ baby because he lost in the Australian Open final. It wasn’t even Wimbledon or the US Open. It’s the Slam that no one really cares about. He lost and be cried like a little girl. Who has two thumbs and didn’t cry like a little girl when she lost a final? This girl.”

  19. Djoko and Jelena are an embarrassment to their respective tours,no class at all…unfortunately they cant buy that

  20. Well said JJ! If Federer is loosing, he shouldn’t be blaming other peole for his bad results in the last couple of months. In fact, I don’t know why is he still playing tennis if he knows that he can’t make any better result than going to final of some tournament, not when Nadal is in good shape!!! And when Murray and Djokovic come too, the only thing he’s going to do is CRY!!! Like he did in the final of AO.. ‘Oh my god, I didn’t win my 14th grandslam, what am I giong to do now… What is Miroslava going to say when she sees me not comming home with a big trophy, just comming with a little plate… Now I am going to cry, maybe someone will take me serious!!!’

  21. Guys I think that this has got a little bit out of hand! I agree that Roger shouldn’t have said what he said about JJ and that JJ has every right to defend herself. However, it should be pointed out to JJ that Nadal was not asked his opinion about JJ only Roger was, and Roger replied (albeit a little artlessly!) Who knows what Nadal would have replied if asked about JJ!

  22. Tennis requires dedication……..Personally I think that JJ should spend more time on the tennis court than on the modeling assignments she is SO interested in, if she EVER wants to win a GS.
    Poor Roger was just expressing his opinion….JJ need not take it to heart. Amelie and Kim also faced this when thet ascended to number 1 without winning GS. I think what he says is correct…

    Come on JJ…dont be such a baby…work hard!

  23. milena.. i believe my english is much better then yours so find another thing to complain about (this is the internet try to keep up sweetie)

    and vladan.. im angry at her bcoz she lost to a nobody, bcoz she pretends that shes all that when she isnt, bcoz shes so stuck up its not funny and because shes way 2 in love with herself its pathetic

    she embarassed herself at the australian open shes a loser. thank GOD serenas #1 atleast shes some1 ppl can respect she doesnt complain she gets the job done. dinara wouldve done nicely aswell but the rankings are as they should be!

  24. There,there…chill out Sonja! Just keep it cool!! And one more thing JJ don’t gives a fuck about what some sonja or akanksha think! People get your own life and stop talking about people who did something you can only imagine about!

  25. I love Jelena as a player but I totally agree with Federer. You are not truly a number one player until you win a Grand Slam. The Grand Slams are where tennis legends are made. If you want to be considered one of the greats, you have to win Slams. Any good player can play in a lot of tournaments and rack up enough points to be number one. It takes a truly great player to win on the biggest stages in your sport against the best players–something Roger has done numerous times, something Jankovic has yet to do.

  26. Dear Marija,
    Women’s Tennis Blog should be inhibited from any foul language, and readers this is WOMEN’S TENNIS BLOG so since when has it become yet another corner to vilify Federer- there are so many denigrating hate sites already and Women’s Tennis Blog is an excellent site, so please keep it clean and appropriate.

  27. I’m not a fed fan, never have been, but in this case I agree with him. Of course no one can deny the no. 1 spot to a player without any grand slam wins, because that’s just the way the points work out. But fed is right in saying that jankovic is not deserving of the ranking, because honestly, none of the women who have held the no. 1 position after justine retired deserved it. Not even serena, who only made it to quarter finals at the most when justine was around. It’s not anyone’s fault, it’s just that women’s tennis is in a very sad state now.

  28. Zuleika, thank you for such nice words about Women’s Tennis Blog, I’m glad you consider it to be a better-class, if I may say.

    I agree with Mariam, this discussion has gone a bit out of hand, but every article that provokes many people to comment attracts all sorts of reactions. In this case, I haven’t removed any of the comments, as I think the situation is still under control.

  29. I completely agree with Ella!
    No one in Women’s Tennis deserves to be No 1 right now…After Justine’s retirement, the No 1 ranking is just passing around like ‘passing the parcel’. I agree with the Serena comment too.

    Dinara played amazingly last year…wish she could get some of that form back. If she improves her concentration and temperament issues….her game is good enough to take her all the way!

    And Marija…I really like your Blog…Keep up the good work..

  30. Akanksha, thank you :).

    That’s the situation in women’s tennis right now, and there’s nothing we can do about it. It has it’s advantages though. Before, you knew Justine would beat everyone on her way, but now everyone can beat everyone, it’s much more unpredictable.

  31. Go JJ~~ You have a bunch of supporters. Federer will never return to No.1 if he keeps criticising others. Those who blindly support Federer, typical Fed fans, are just irrational and all seem to have a withdrawal syndrom – they get used to Federer being world no.1 for too long and now they do not know how to react when he is no longer no.1! Get a grip, Federer fans! There are more, better, and younger players out there now. Mind your own business, Federer, unless you want to retire from ATP and join WTA. A true champion should not attack on fellow players.

  32. To all, especially ella coz specifically mention it, federer DID NOT specifically say JJ. It is just his general and personal opinion. And yes, I think her reaction is a reflection of how sensitive this issue is to her. You know, being in history with remarks like the number 1 player with no grand slam. Something wrong with the system, not her though.

  33. Time has told the tale. Federer is a legend Jankovic a fraudulent footnote a blip in tennis. A weak number one denoting the uncompetitive state of woman’s tennis. Federer was right. By the way He is ENTITLED to openly share his opinion on his sport just like the people on these messageboards. Everyone has an opinion at least Fed plays the sport unlike you hypocrites. Jankovic needs to own up to the fact she’s not the very best. Federer is the greatest who ever played the game–at least for now. Tennis is his profession his opinion carries more weight than Jankovic’s sychophants on these boards. Clearly the man enjoys women’s tennis he married a tennis player? That proves he supports women’s tennis and knows his stuff. Glad he spoke up.

  34. Time has certainly told the tale! Federer, the 17-time Grand Slam Champion is World Noumber 1 again; he got there by winning his 7th Wimbledon, and how he deserves it!
    Jankovic, on the other hand, seems to have just faded away. Lady, you can never win an argument against the great Roger Federer!

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