Jelena Jankovic – TennisReporters.net

2008 US Open finalist Jankovic may return: ‘The door is open’

June 20, 2020 by Matthew Cronin

In the fall of 2008, Jelena Jankovic become No. 1. During the US Open that year, she knocked down Elena Dementieva in the semis. However, the super consistent Jankovic looked pretty good in the final versus better player, Serena Williams, and she was somewhat close. But, the American went for the lines, she hit some huge returns, and then won it again.

Serena now has 23 Grand Slams, while Jankovic is one of a handful of No. 1s who has never won a Slam. Without a doubt, the strong Serbian has been a dominant player and has won 15 titles. But, three years ago, she hurt her back and she couldn’t play at all. She had played week after week, all over the world, and she rarely stopped, except for the fact was she was hurt a lot and she would complain about it. Many of the players did not like her and some people though that she was cocky. When she was very young, it was all about her.From a journalist’s point of view, she was a delight. If you want to talk to her, she will about anything.

Perhaps she has grown up a lot. Currently, the 35-year-old hadn’t played since 2017, and now, she might play again on the WTA Tour, but she isn’t sure, yet.

Last week, she finally started again at an exhibition in Belgrade, with Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem, Grigor Dimitrov and Nenad Zimonjic, among others.

She did not play fantastic, but good enough. To go back on tour, well, that is a huge tossup.

“This is the first time I’ve held a tennis racket in a very long time. I was sidelined by a back injury which not only hampered my tennis career, it was so bad I couldn’t walk properly or sleep,” Jankovic said. “I’ve made a full recovery but I don’t know if this is a comeback. The door is open, I never officially retired, but I am living a different life now.”

Her dangerous backhand was a weapon going down the line and crosscourt. She had great touch, too. She was always very fast, and she hustled all the time. But, her forehand was never great, and her serve was spotty. So, if she happens to come back in the WTA, hopefully, she has improved — finally. She needs to raise her game, one way or another.

“Making a tour comeback is a very different matter and a painstaking process.” Jankovic said.

FALL SCHEDULE, US OPEN PICKS
This week, the ATP and the WTA announced their schedules from August through November, including Cincinnati, the U.S. Open,Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros, among others. Obviously, they are thrilled to play again in six weeks. Still, right now, no one has any idea if they will be healthy n August. Athletes in many American sports are currently coming down with the virus. The international contingent in tennis just puts more and more players at risk.

Let’s just assume that everyone is healthy. That brings us to two big questions: Who will play the US Open and who will win. It’s still too early to answer the first question but the chances are high that both draws will contain many of the best players a very full fields. Even though they haven’t played in the big tournaments since early in March, eight people can reach the quarters in Flushing Meadows.

My [crazy] picks for the women: Ash Barty, Karolina Pliskova, Sofia Kenin, Bianca Andreescu, Belinda Bencic, Serena, Naomi Osaka and Alison Riske.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: ash barty, Belinda Bencic, Bianca Andreescu, flushing meadows, Jelena Jankovic, Karolina Pliskova, naomi osaka, Serena williams, Sofia Kenin, us open

Venus: “My current battle involves me”

March 12, 2017 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

Indian Wells – The veteran Venus Williams looked like her leg was almost broke.

She was down late in the second set against Jelena Jankovic and in looked like that she was about to retire. But, gradually, her legs began to loosen up. She wasn’t slow anymore and she began to hit the lines. She came back quickly, and eventually, she won it 1-6, 7-6(5), 6-1.

Venus is 36 years old. With the way she is playing now, it is possible that the seven-time Grand Slam champion could stay at the WTA Tour until she is 40. That is very unusual to be playing singles at that age when you are not as fast that you used to be, but you never know.

It’s been nearly 20 years when Venus walked on the court at Oakland. She won a match and from there, she never backed down.

The last time Venus won a major was in 2008, when she won Wimbledon. Could she ever win another Grand Slam title, like Roger Federer did in Australia?

Possible.

“My current battle involves me getting closer to No. 1. So that’s the biggest battle I’m fighting right now. It’s rather selfish perhaps,” she said.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: indian wells, Jelena Jankovic, Roger Federer, Venus Williams

Always fighting: Simona Halep wins Indian Wells, stops Jankovic

March 23, 2015 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

BNP Paribas Indian Wells – Simona Halep believes that one-day, soon, she can win a Grand Slam for the first time. But first things first and at Indian Wells, she grabbed her largest title, beating Jelena Jankovic 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 in the final.

Both women were pretty tired at the end, ending the match at 2 hours and 37 minute. Jankovic is 30 years old and has a load of experience, but she can get frighten while the Romanian kept battling. Her feet hurt and it was pretty painful, but the world No. 3 kept on digging, moving forward on her big forehands and keeping her backhand deep. Yes, both of them had played better matches overall, but it was what it was and she still had to fight on.

She did, battling to the last ball while Jankovic gave up in the last few games.

This year, Halep has been pretty darn good. She opened the year by winning Shenzhen, beating the now good Timea Bacsinszky in the final. At the Australian Open, she went down to Ekaterina Makarova in the quarterfinals. At the Fed Cup at home against Spain, she beat Silvia Soler-Espinosa but lost to Garbine Muguruza. However, Romania won anyway.

But then Halep began to explode. She won Dubai with an important match by besting Makarova, then taking down Caroline Wozniacki and then the huge server Karolina Pliskova in the final.

At Indian Wells, she had to battle every step of the way. She grinded by besting three sets over Daria Gavrilova and Varvara Lepchenko, beat Pliskova again, and then winning another three setter, this time over Carla Suarez.

Fortunately – or unfortunately – Serena Williams pulled out with an injury so Halep had more rest before the final.

She knew that Jankovic would move the ball around all day long, but she was willing to stay in there all day.

“You cannot play your best tennis and then you fight like I did [against Indian Wells]. So it’s compensating. Sometimes you can fight till the end and sometimes you play good and you cannot fight,” Halep said. “In Australia I think I played good tennis, but I couldn’t fight. So for the most important thing it’s just to have this feeling to fight till the end. This tournament gives me a lot of confidence that I can be there, I can win every tournament, so now I have more confidence that I can win a Grand Slam.”

Outside of Williams and Maria Sharapova, since the 23 year old Halep has been more consistent. Throw in her 2014 Roland Garros final, the Wimbledon semifinal, the WTA final and the Madrid final, and she looks like a Slam ready for a taking.

She will play Miami, then play the Fed Cup again and then on to the clay. She has to prove beating the great veterans, Serena and Sharapova. She can do it, but has to let it all hang out and out stoke them.

However, Halep is already very close now.

“This tournament [Indian Wells] gives me a lot of confidence that I can be there, I can win every tournament, so now I have more confidence that I can win a Grand Slam,” Halep said.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Jelena Jankovic, Simona Halep

New days, happy days as 2015 seasons starts

January 5, 2015 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL – It’s the first day and on the first ready to rock and roll – or we think, that is. Tennis has begun, a fresh new start on brand new courts. It’s the New Year smf everyone is ready to play perfectly. There is hope, there is potential, there are aces one after another.

The players are quite excited in the first tournaments, thinking they can beat anyone. While the top players rarely go down fast and quietly, it can occur, which is exactly what appended on the first day in Brisbane.

On Sunday the young WC Ajla Tomljanovic took down Jelena Jankovic 7-6(6) 6-0. The Croatian – but now to be soon Australian – Tomljanovic was thrilled, but the former No. 1 Jankovic says that she almost retired at the end of last year due to her aching back. (Here’s the full report.) Who would have thunk it?

Will Sam Stosur ever reign in Australia. Photo by Mal Taam/MALTphoto

Then Kaia Kanepi upset No. 13 Andrea Petkovic 6-4 5-7 6-4. Kanepi had won the tournament back in 2012, but she has fallen over the years, very up and down. But, here she is a star again, at least on one day.

“Winning this tournament, I will always remember that, even if I come back here in ten years or doesn’t matter,” the smiling Kanepi said. “So I still have the feeling, and I feel, I think, better because of that.”

Late at night, Samantha Stosur, of Australia, was very hopeful. She won the US Open four years ago, and was so close at the Roland Garros a few years ago. She can be very, very good when she clicking in, but can she play her best at home Down Under? No, not at all. She is very nice and has the weapons for the most part, but she can panic and that’s what she did. Sam was up 5-1 in the third set against Varvara Lepchenko, but the American began to lock it, and she was very steady. Lepchenko could see that Sam’s eyes were getting glassy. And she did, racing to the net, not knowing why and when she was going. It was obvious she was going to fold. She went down as Lepchenko was very smart and meaningful, winning 4-6 6-4 7-5.

“So, look, 5‑1, match point, you get yourself into that winning position there is not too much you’re doing wrong,” said Sam. “I don’t feel like I did too much wrong even from that point. I think she played a fantastic last set from that position and absolutely went for it. She obviously had nothing to lose at that point in time, and tonight it all came off for her. I don’t feel like I went away. I kept trying my guts out, and unfortunately I came out on the wrong end.”

If Stosur is really playing well at the most part, everyone will really see how well when she heads to Sydney. She has never won an Australian title, but she did reach two finals, way back in 2005 at Gold Coast and Sydney. She has never reached the quarterfinals of the Aussie Open, but the current world No. 21 has another chance, so perhaps she can finally do it. Perhaps.

While three seeded women went down on Monday, the others who won deserved it and all of them – Tomljanovic, Kanepi and Lepchenko –want to climb up the ladder and are good enough to make runs in the rankings.

Keys has substantial potential. Photo by Ron Cioffi/TennisReporters.net.

On Monday, another youngster came to play. The 19-year-old Madison Keys of the US smacked the balls and upsetting Dominica Cibulkova in straight sets. “Domi” reached the Aussie Open final last year, and didn’t play badly, but Keys was on fire, nailing 32 winners and six aces. She has her new coach, the former No. 1 Lindsay Davenport, and while it is clear that the coach knows what she is talking about, but Keys can become nervous, or irritated. But as she said later, she is trying to be more consistent and on that day, she was looking calmer and playing smart. As she said, it’s time for her to enter the second week at the Aussie Open.

On Monday, the youngsters and the veterans all looked good. Angelique Kerber beat down Caroline Garcia; Yaroslava Shvedova stunned Sabine Lisicki 0-6 7-5 6-4; another soon-to-be Aussie Daria Gavrilova bested Alison Riske and Jarmila Gajdosova won.

It’s only January 5, but it’s a new day and, on the looks of it, 2015 has a fine start.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Ajla Tomljanovic, brisbane, Brisbane International, Jelena Jankovic, madison keys, samantha stosur

Kvitova key to Fed Cup final between Czech Republic v. Germany

November 6, 2014 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

MVP Safarova proved more than a fine No. 2 to No. 1 Kvitova

MVP Safarova proved more than a find No. 2 to No. 1 Kvitova in 2012.

PRAGUE — How many women love slick courts? Not many, that’s for sure.

But Petra Kvitova would prefer to hit as hard as she can … just booming it. Forget it about engaging 30-plus rallies; she would rather wipe her serves into the corner and break them way out wide. Even if it’s punched back by one of her opponents, she will step in and power her forehand for a winner.

Kvitova has won two Grand Slams, in 2011 and 2014 at Wimbledon. Her foes in the finals, Maria Sharapova and Genie Bouchard, couldn’t even blink as the Czech hit with power so quickly that they couldn’t touch her shots. That is exactly what Kvitova has done for the Czech Republic in the Fed Cup: She was her lights out, nailing the corners and winning two of the past three Fed Cup finals at home in Prague.

And guess what … she can do it all over again. Coming up this weekend in Prague, the world No. 3 will be favored again. The Czechs, including Lucie Safarova, were tough and aggressive in 2012 when they stomped Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic to win the title. Kvitova was not perfect that weekend, as she was sick, and Ivanovic played well to grab one of the points. But, in the end, the Czechs won anyway because the left-handed Kvitova kept swinging and Safarova was on ultra-speed.

This is different though. Kvitova has become more mature during the last year or so, but she knows that she cannot go on a walkabout. They will play against Germany, led by Angelique Kerber and Andrea Petkovic, both of whom say that they know to keep balls in play until the tall Kvitova grows tired and wild.

The 24-year-old Kvitova says she is faster than she was as a baby back in 2008 when she played her first time in Fed Cup. She could only split against Israel, but they won anyway. From then on, she kept on playing in the team competition.

Kvitova loves Fed Cup so much that she has played 15 times already. She has played twice against Germany before, in 2010 in World Group at home when she beat Petkovic and lost to Anna-Lena Groenefeld but the came through anyway. Then she won a classic match in 2012 when the Germans chose hard courts, but Kvitova edged Julia Goerges 10-8 in the third set and then out-pushed Sabine Lisicki in the third set.

Goerges and Lisicki are on the German team this week and could play the doubles, or the 2013 Wimbledon finalist Lisicki, who also loves to bang the ball, may play in Sunday’s singles

But, it really doesn’t matter what strategy German captain Barbara Rittner employs. The key is whether or not Kvitova can make big swings and find the lines. If she does, the Czechs will win the Fed Cup again and Petra will once again be perfect.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Ana Ivanovic, andrea petkovic, angelique kerber, barbara rittner, czech republic, fed cup, germany, Jelena Jankovic, julia goerges, lucie safarova, maria sharapova, Petra Kvitova, Prague, Sabine Lisicki

Brisbane semis: Sharapova pretty close, but still far way from beating Serena

January 3, 2014 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

Serena is now 15-2 versus Sharapova

BRISBANE – Maria Sharapova will more than likely have more shots at Serena Williams in the future, but in the past few years she hasn’t had many opportunities as she did in the second set of her 6-2, 7-6 (7) loss to Williams in the Brisbane International semis. Williams didn’t serve well at all, only putting in 41 percent of her first serves, which game the Russian chances to break time and time again. And after a first set that saw Sharapova contest some gorgeous but too few great points, she actually broke the world’s greatest server on plenty of occasions in the second set.

But Williams returned competently and viciously all match long and in a second set that featured numerous end-to-end rallies with searing laser shots and great defense by two women who are primarily known for their offense, Sharapova couldn’t hang on to an early break. While her forehand was just as heavy as Serena’s and she stood strong slinging low backhands, she couldn’t push Williams back enough on her own service games and that proved her undoing.

But some of the points were delicious to take in. Williams, who hasn’t lost a match since August, had a blast. “I think it was fun,” she said. “Some of those points were really long and the intensity level was so high. Maria was hitting the ball extremely hard and I was retrieving a lot of balls. So was she. My gosh, she was getting so many balls back. So, yeah, few times I smiled out there because I was really enjoying myself.”

Stroke to stoke, Sharapova is close to matching Williams, but she doesn’t her vaunted serve and that is what has led to Williams 15-2 record against her. With that said, she should have been able to bring the match into a third set, especially after Williams double-faulted twice to go down 5-4 lead in the tie break. And then what did the towering blonde do? She double faulted herself to 5-5. Serena then took over a long rally when Sharapova landed a crosscourt forehand short, and then Williams skied up in the air, smoked a forehand crosscourt winner and then screamed and fist pumped right in the direction of Sharapova’s Friends’ Box, which included her new coach Sven Groeneveld and her boyfriend (and Serena’s former friend) Grigor Dimitrov.

Serving with a match point , Williams went with a drop shot-lob combo, but Sharapova scooped up the dropper, Serena’s half volley lob was not deep enough and Sharapova- who disdains standard overheads – actually got some hang time and put one away to tie it at 6-6.

But then she dumped a routine backhand into the net, which was critical error number one. Serena gave the advantage right back by flying a backhand long. At 7-7, Sharapova had a another big chance and couldn’t convert when she missed a wide open inside out forehand. “Obviously I can look back and say it’s great to be at this level and compete against her and put myself in a good position after not playing for a few months,” she said. ‘But in the moment I’m pulling my teeth out because I missed that shot.”

On Williams’ second match point, she boomed a 171-kilometer per hour ace to win it. Sharapova, who only managed to contest one match post-Wimbledon due to shoulder trouble, was happy and remorseful at the same. She loved the intensity of the battle and can put the loss in perspective, but those kind of chances don’t come along every week against Williams.

“A few missed chances,” she said. “You know, tough being a little, a small break up in that tiebreaker and also missing that forehand just a little bit wide Overall, happy that I can compete at this level in my third match back. I really have to take the positives out of this, because I have been struggling for a few months. To be able to come out on the court and put myself in good positions out there against someone that’s been playing amazing tennis is a good sign for me. It was definitely a good week and a good test.”

Sharapova, who won the 2008 Aussie Open title and last year, went down to Li Na in Melbourne in the semis, said that she did gain a bit of confidence during her week in Brisbane. But if she plays Williams at the Aussie Open, will she give herself another real chance? 14 losses in a row to the game’s most accomplished player is tough to figure out.

“I just found 14 ways how not to win,” she said. “ That’s the only way you can look at it. I could be in a worse position and never face her, which means I would be losing much earlier in tournaments than I want to be. So if I’m giving myself opportunities to go into tournaments and fight through matches to get to a position to play against her, I consider myself very lucky to be able to play against her and give myself another chance to try and beat her.”

Williams will face her main rival, Victoria Azarenka, who took a trying 1-6 6-3 6-4 win over Jelena Jankovic, who was disappointed in how she lost control of a contest that she dictated in at times. Yet Azarenka became No. 1 largely because she is confident that she can unlock the key to her inside the baseline attack against anyone. Her serve has been largely ineffective during the week, but if she can get a high percentage in against Williams, she should be able to go toe to toe with her from the back court, just like she did every time they faced of on hard courts last year.

A Serena vs. Vika final to start the year is perfect start to the 2014 WTA season and perhaps a prelude to their first Aussie Open final.

“It’s a good [rivalry],” Serena said. “She’s so intense on the court, and then off the court she’s so cool. So I think that’s what makes the rivalry the best, is because when you step on the court I don’t know her and she doesn’t know me and we fight like crazy. When it’s over it’s over. There is a lot of mutual respect there.”

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: brisbane internationa, Jelena Jankovic, maria sharapova, Matt Cronin, Serena williams

Toni Nadal, Patrick Mouratoglou win Coach of Year polls

December 25, 2013 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

Coach of the Year/ATP	Results
Toni Nadal/ Rafael Nadal	37%
Magnus Norman/ Stan Wawrinka	32%
Ivan Lendl/ Andy Murray	24%
Marian Vajda/ Novak Djokovic	7%

Coach of the Year/WTA	Results
Patrick Mouratoglou/ Serena Williams	57%
Carlos Rodriguez/ Li Na	22%
Sam Sumyk/ Victoria Azarenka	11%
Marko Jankovic/ Jelena Jankovic	10%

There has not been a more interesting off-season in recent memory when it comes coaching changes than in 2013. There have been a slew a moves amongst notable players, which began shortly after the WTA season ended and culminated with Maria Sharapova’s hiring of Sven Groeneveld.

Here is my analysis of the major WTA coaching changes.

The after the ATP season ended, the guys shifted into high gear and in the last week alone, Novak Djokovic announced he had hired Boris Becker, and Roger Federer asked Stefan Edberg to consult with him, at least in the short term. Kei Nishikori is now working with Michael Chang and Goran Ivanisevic coaching Marin Cilic again.

As Magnus Norman, the former Roland Garros finalist and coach of Stan Wawrinka tweeted: “Lendl,Goran,Chang and now Becker and perhaps Edberg as coaches on the @ATPWorldTour. Should do coach tournament. Sure not top seed anymore’

Before touching on the significance of those partnerships, a few words about our current Coach of the Year polls, which you can vote in here.

On the ATP side the nominees are:

Toni Nadal for Rafael Nadal; Marian Vajda for Novak Djokovic; Ivan Lendl for Andy Murray and Magnus Norman for Stan Wawrinka. On the WTA side, the nominees are: Patrick Mouratoglou for Serena Williams; Sam Sumyk for Victoria Azarenka;

Carlos Rodriguez for Li Na; and Marko Jankovic for Jelena Jankovic.

As of the morning of December 20, Lendl and Norman were leading the men’s poll. Murray became the first man since Fred Perry in 1936 to win Wimbledon and that alone says that his coach did an excellent job in preparing him for the biggest match of his life on the biggest stage in his nation and, to many folks, the most important venue in the sport.

Norman helped Wawrinka become a better all-around player and a much more confident person on court, which is why he was able to finish the year in the top eight for the first time and become a serious threat at the Slams.

Toni Nadal did a fantastic job helping Rafa adjust to Djokovic’s newfound strengths and helping his nephew add a few new elements to his own game while he was out with an injury, which is why Nadal had the best year of any player out there, won two majors and finished No. 1.

While Vajda now wants to take a back seat to Becker after eight year at the helm, it cannot be dismissed that he helped Djokovic regain the confidence he lost after losing to Nadal in the US Open final and go undefeated during the fall.

After Serena had her most consistent year ever and only lost four matches, Mouratoglou has to be given credit for helping her keep her mind on court all season long. She hadn’t shown an ability to do that as a veteran player until this year and now once again she is the dominant figure in her sport.

Sumyk is an underrated coach who has done an excellent job with Azarenka overall. She managed to win the Aussie Open amidst controversy, score two wins over Williams and, while she could have played much better in the third set of the US Open final and of course at the WTA Championships when she was wiped out, she remains Serena’s most threatening rival, and that is partly because her coach has helped her refine her game and keep her head in matches.

Rodriguez has made Li a player to fear on every surface and she trusts him enough to actually make net charging a part of her repertoire, which could be the addition that takes her to another Slam title.

Anyone who watched Jelena Jankovic flounder in 2012 (and before) knows just how far she has fallen and it took a family member – namely her brother Marko – to understand where she was and where she needed to go to regain her former top five form. She finished the year in the top 8 and once again is filled with vim and vigor.

Here are my quick thoughts on the recent ATP coaching moves.

Djokovic hires Becker: Clearly Djokovic wants to work with an ex-No. 1 who has won Slams to perhaps do with him what Lendl did with Murray: give him some key tips as to how to handle himself in Grand Slam finals. He also wants to be able to go on the attack more often, which Becker did pretty consistently. The Serbian will not morph into a serve and volleyer like Becker was, but he can improve his volley and his transition game. Two big questions arise: Becker has never coached full-time and, will Djokovic be patient with him if he has to learn on the job; and given that Becker is a very public person who likes to discuss issues with the media, will Djokovic tolerate that if Becker criticizes him to the world or try to muzzle him?

Federer trains for a week with Edberg: The Swede says he is willing to consider working more with the Swiss than the week together they spent in Dubai. Edberg is Federer’s hero, so he clearly respects him, but what exactly can the Swede do with a great but aging player who is behind the eight ball when it comes to being able to be the rest of the so-called Big 4 again? Serve and volley? Chip and charge? Maybe, but Federer’s prior coach, Paul Annacone preached that and it didn’t turn out to matter much in 2013.

Nishikori and Chang: The American has coached before, doing a stint with Peng Shuai, so he does have some experience. Like Nishikori, Chang was an undersized player during his era, but the former world No. 2 was steadier than Japan’s top player is now, was mentally tougher and frankly was better all around. Nishikori needs to improve his fitness and play more patiently before he takes big rips at the ball. Chang, who was very hard worker, can help him with that.

Ivanisevic and Cilic: These two Croatians have worked with each other in the past. Ivanisevic is a bold, self-confident person who can perhaps convince Cilic to stop doubting himself. He also needs to figure out why his student hasn’t come close to living up to his top-5 potential. From the outside, that looks like a very complex jigsaw puzzle.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: boris becker, Jelena Jankovic, Li Na, maria sharapova, Michael Chang, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Serena williams, Stan Wawrinka, stefan edberg, victoria azarenka

TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships-Istanbul : Can anyone stop Serena?

October 21, 2013 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

(L-R) Sara Errani of Italy, Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic, Serena Williams of USA, Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, Li Na of China, Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, and Angelique Kerber of Germany pose with the Billie Jean King trophy for the official photo of the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships-Istanbul (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images for WTA).

By Matt Cronin

ISTANBUL – There is no title run that is inevitable before it is played, but Serena Williams comes into the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships-Istanbul perhaps as a heavier favorite than she has been at any time during her storied career. She hasn’t lost a match since the Cincinnati final when she went down No 2 Victoria Azarenka in a third set tiebreaker, but she ended up getting revenge on the Belarusian in the US Open final and then trounced the field in Beijing.

She leads the tougher Red Group, which also includes Agnieszka Radwanska, whom she owns; Petra Kvitova, who plays her tough but has yet to beat her; and Angelique Kerber, who has beaten her once. Sure No. 2 Azarenka has a chance against her should she get out of the White Group that includes Li Na, Sara Errani and Jelena Jankovic, but she is going to have to play at much higher level than she did in the third set of their US Open clash.

Radwanska has played Williams tight on occasion, but does not seem to bring the same confidence level to the court against her than she does against most of other players. In fact, the former Wimbledon finalist appears to be saying her chances against her are very slim.

“We have a couple matches, different matches, but, for example, the match in Toronto, I guess it was really, really close, and just a few points I was away from those two sets,” the Pole said. “So I think it was one of the best matches we played against each other. So against her you really have to play 100%. If not, it’s really tough. She’s dictating everything from the beginning of the match, and served very good also, return is also very powerful and always going forward. It’s very tough to stay in the game and really running, really far from the baseline. I think against her you really have to try to, play aggressive from the beginning of the match. If you start too slow it’s not good.”

Kerber is one of the few players have beaten Serena in the past 18 months, having taken her down in the 2012 Cincinnati quarters, but says she can only “hope’ to play at that level again. The strong-legged left-hander is an excellent defensive player and can also produce a fairly high level of offense, but has a tendency to get negative against top players and there is no way she can beat Serena unless her belly is full of self-belief.

Kvitova is 0-4 against Williams, but did take her to 7-5 in the third set in a defeat in Doha earlier this year. That was the first time she really thought she had a chance to beat her. She did not, but at least she matched big strokes with her and hurt her with her often wicked left-handed serve.

“It was really great match for my side, and I was very close to win the match but I didn’t,” she said. But it’s okay. I think that I can improve my game too, and, I think it was for the first time when I really knew that I can really play her and any chance to beat her. I don’t think that I’m really like mentally down for right now when I have her in the group. So I’m looking forward.”

Li Na appears to have the kind of game to be able to upend Williams: a strong first serve, bullet returns, hard groundstrokes and a load of experience. But Serena seems to beat her to the punch every time out including in the US Open semis, where she butchered her in the first set and then took a well played second set.

“Even I lose her in the US Open, I still feel if I, how you say, like I said at US Open, because the match I lose to myself; is not lose to opponent. Doesn’t matter who against me the time, the day; I already lose the match. So, yeah, at least I learn something. I still learn every day. If I have chance to play against her again, I wish I can doing [just as] well.”

Serena constantly talks about how she respects every opponent and does not under estimate them and really, you have to believe her given that she has lost only a handful of matches all season long. She realizes that she is the favorite, but does not want to deal with that tag every time out, but of course she wants to be the leading lady, too. Indoors, with her serve and in great health, she has more weaponry than any other player in the field. Clay is the only surface, which sometimes troubles her, and she did win Roland Garros this year, so at least in 2013 she’s been the most accomplished player on the soft stuff too. Outside of the absent Maria Sharapova, she knows that she will have to confront at least four of the world’s best player to win the crown.

“I’m always considered a favorite in a tournament,” she said. “ I don’t think about it. I don’t like it, but I don’t hate it. You know, it’s better to be considered a favorite. I also do well when I’m considered the underdog. I never consider myself a favorite because every opponent I play has a chance to do really well.”

Other than defending her title, Williams does not have a tremendous amount to play for. She does not need this title or positive momentum going into next year. But she is performance oriented and thinks she can better herself each time out. Perhaps that she has kept herself head and shoulder above the field.

“What I think is great about it is I’m still looking to improve, and what I learned most about this year is I have a lot of room for improvement, and talking with my coach over it, I’m so excited for next year just to take my game to a new level,” she said.

Tuesday Order of Play, starting at 5 PM Istanbul time

Azarenka vs. Errani,

Williams vs. Kerber

Radwanska vs. Kvitova

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