A fantastic write up over at WTA Backspin on my favorite Serb to make fun of at all times. As per yoosh, Todd hits it right on the head:
After a season accented by a very Jankovician
brand of anarchy that managed to land her in the season-ending #1
ranking catbird seat, the spotlight-loving , sly-like-a-fox, walking
and talking Serbian question mark, exclamation point, asterisk, medical
oddity, smiley face and all-around most entertaining player in the
sport is due a proper encore in 2009, seeing as even though she's been
around for a few years a large portion of the sporting public only
received a proper introduction to her uniquely fascinating, theatrical,
exasperating, irritating, humorous, infuriating, wonderful, horrible,
fun and maybe even one day emotionally fulfilling game just last season.
(Whew! Time to take a breath.)
As is often the case with Jankovic, exaggeration is unusually easy, but very rarely unreasonable. What else would you expect from a player who's known for almost quitting the sport two years ago after an extended bad stretch of results, but whose renowned knack for over-dramatizing nearly everything makes the entire story feel akin to an Alfred Hitchcock "MacGuffin."
The WTA computer SAYS that she's #1 in the world, by a considerable margin, but even those of us who appreciate the whirling Serbian dervish for what she IS would more than likely concede that Jankovic probably isn't the "most talented" player on tour. (Heck, even SHE would probably admit it.) But her ability to win people over IS growing. After fighting against Queen Chaos' lure all season, by the end of '08 some "converts" stopped pooh-poohing her for what she ISN'T (like say, a grand slam champ) and began to commend her heart, smarts and tour-leading consistency... even if they seemed to be doing so through gritted teeth and a phony smile meant to mask their desire for a more "substantial" figurehead at the top of the sport. Oh, well. I guess if everyone can't have the #1 they want, they'll learn to live with the #1 they've got. Or something like that.
Ah, but maybe that's what 2009 will bring us. Could the coming season make us re-think the notion about whether Jankovic truly is the "best?" Will it be the year that the theory of tennis evolution is proven in a way that silences all doubts and doubters?
(Whew! Time to take a breath.)
As is often the case with Jankovic, exaggeration is unusually easy, but very rarely unreasonable. What else would you expect from a player who's known for almost quitting the sport two years ago after an extended bad stretch of results, but whose renowned knack for over-dramatizing nearly everything makes the entire story feel akin to an Alfred Hitchcock "MacGuffin."
The WTA computer SAYS that she's #1 in the world, by a considerable margin, but even those of us who appreciate the whirling Serbian dervish for what she IS would more than likely concede that Jankovic probably isn't the "most talented" player on tour. (Heck, even SHE would probably admit it.) But her ability to win people over IS growing. After fighting against Queen Chaos' lure all season, by the end of '08 some "converts" stopped pooh-poohing her for what she ISN'T (like say, a grand slam champ) and began to commend her heart, smarts and tour-leading consistency... even if they seemed to be doing so through gritted teeth and a phony smile meant to mask their desire for a more "substantial" figurehead at the top of the sport. Oh, well. I guess if everyone can't have the #1 they want, they'll learn to live with the #1 they've got. Or something like that.
Ah, but maybe that's what 2009 will bring us. Could the coming season make us re-think the notion about whether Jankovic truly is the "best?" Will it be the year that the theory of tennis evolution is proven in a way that silences all doubts and doubters?
Be sure to click on the link. The whole write up is great.
