It may have something to do with the fact she was born on February 28^th, only an hour or so from being a one birthday every four years girl, that makes this captivating young woman so unique. She is currently ranked as Number 2, even though she has yet to win a Major tournament. She plays a lot, 16 tournaments in 2008 so far, and has reached the quarter final or better in most of them. Of all the women on the tour Jelena is the most entertaining, whether by design or circumstance she appeals to those fans who appreciate watching a dedicated athlete who can combine her naturals skills and athleticism with the uncanny ability to laugh at herself. Jelena has a winning personality, and soon her performance on court will catch up to her performance off court where she wins constantly in whatever venture she participates in. She is not all about tennis.

Jelena describes herself as honest, spontaneous,natural and emotional. She says, “My life is not only tennis, I like to have a good time, to walk the runway and to act!” She is very bright, she speaks excellent English and French as well as her native Serbian, she attends Belgrade University, and she comes from a professional family. Both her parents are economists.

On court Jelena displays the quality of a fighter, she never surrenders a point, manages to retrieve those impossible winners delivered by her opponents, and forces them to make that extra shot time and time again. She stretches, does the now ‘famous’ splits, runs like a rabbit and plays more points per rally than any other player on tour. Sometimes as we watch her, we have to wonder if she enjoys playing so much that she loses sight of the fact that she is supposed to win. She derives so much satisfaction from retrieving the ball, it shows on her face how pleased she is with herself, that the score becomes secondary to her. This attitude must drive her coach crazy. She has all the shots, she is extremely fit, she anticipates well, and she rarely gets tired even on the long rallies which have become her trademark. I’m sure she would like to win a major, but I have the impression that winning is not the most important factor for her. She is a performer first and maybe a tennis player second. The court is her stage, the place where she is on show, the place where she is being judged for her skills and her antics, and whether she wins or loses, for Jelena its the quality of her performance that counts.

I have a hunch that she will perform at her best on the big stage of Rod Laver arena at the 2009 Australian Open. The large venue, the enthusiastic crowds and the spontaneity of Australians might all inspire Jelena to give her best performance, and to finally win her first Grand Slam event.