Jankovic is beginning to show her true potential on grass

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  • Back on track: Jankovic.

    Jelena Jankovic is starting to realise she may not be too bad on grass after all.

    The former world No 1 shocked defending champion Petra Kvitova in the third round to make it to the second week for the first time since 2010. She did it by out-serving the powerful, left-handed, world No 2.

    Against former runner-up Agnieszka Radwanska on Monday, she has a chance to reach the quarterfinals at the All England Club for the first time in her career – it is the only major where she hasn’t made the final eight before.

    A quick look at the tournament stats shows Jankovic in joint second place on the aces leader board with 28 in three matches. She has huge servers like Kristyna Pliskova, Serena Williams and Coco Vandeweghe alongside her in that No 2 spot.

    For someone who has had major struggles with her serves in the past, Jankovic is surprised by how well she’s been serving so far.

    “Is that for real?” Jankovic bursts into laughter when told of her aces statistic. “Someone told me. I’m like ‘when I step to that line to serve, I just focus on hitting my spots, holding my serve. I never think about those aces’.

    “But I’m right there…unbelievable. Maybe my serve is not as fast as some of those big girls. But if I’m hitting my spots, it’s quite effective.

    “My serve was so bad,” she adds between chuckles. “Back in the years, my serve was really, really – I don’t know how many years ago – but now I laugh when I see myself doing those serves.”

    Jankovic, 30, is 2-5 against Radwanska head-to-head but they’ve never played on grass before. The Serb has struggled with injuries this season and barring her final showing at Indian Wells and semifinal at s-Hertogenbosch, has been unable to post consistent results.

    She says she’s been healthy now and added: “To be honest, right now I’m not at the level I want to be at. First of all, physically I have to get a lot stronger, a lot faster. Getting injured, not being able to go to the gym, to spend some time on the practice court… I will need time to get to the form and level I want to be at, and where I can be. That’s what will satisfy my needs and wishes.

    “So we’ll see. I always think I can do it. I’m not old. I’m still young at heart. I look pretty good, so why not? I mean, give me a break, guys. What’s old?”

    No 4 seed Maria Sharapova will take on Kazakhstan’s Zarina Diyas in the last 16. Sharapova, the 2004 champion here, has not dropped a set on her way to the second week and lost just 15 games in her first three matches. 

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