Jankovic: Just believe in yourself

Jelena Jankovic of Serbia comments on her first game at the WTA Championships in Istanbul, Turkey, which runs from Oct 22 until Oct 27:

Hello from Istanbul, I am Jelena Jankovic.

Tonight's win against Vika ( Victoria Azarenka) has given me a lot of confidence. She is always a difficult opponent.

Looking back at the match, I stayed focused when I was serving and I waited for my chances to break, and Vika made some double faults at times and I took advantage of that.

I didn't even know I had lost to Vika four times in a row until the journalists mentioned it at the post-game interview. I think you have to learn to put all the negative things behind you. You must remember the beautiful moments and keep them in your memories.

I just want to enjoy my time here and have fun on the court. I enjoy the Turkish crowd. And I think it is an amazing experience and atmosphere. I have nothing to prove, I just enjoy what I do. Yep, when I have a smile on my face, I get more dangerous.

Vika may be the favorite to win the group, but there is no reason for me not to be confident. I believe in myself. If you go on court thinking, yeah, I'm going to lose, then you better not even go.

Actually, I had serious doubts about myself earlier this year. I was almost out of the top 30. And there was a time when I was fearing which direction my career was going. Then my brother came on the road with me. I worked very hard with my team, putting in a lot of hours in the gym and trying to get better. Finally my confidence started to rise and I found my groove step by step.

But, let's get back to the championships. I will next play against Li Na, another tough opponent. She floored me at the US Open and I beat her in Rome. So we will see.

Li and I are very close friends. How many of you know that we used to be doubles partners and won a title in Birmingham back in 2006. That is half of my doubles titles collection.

And do you know I am even more committed to the China Open than Li Na? Yes, I am the only player to play all 10 editions of the tournament. I love the China Open and the Chinese people. They gave me a lot of support. So I really enjoy coming back every year.

Speaking of the China Open, I was really impressed with the "Battle of Sexes" (Li Na vs Djokovic) idea this year. If I get an opportunity for that battle, I will probably pick Rafael Nadal as my opponent. Or maybe Djokovic, too, since he and I speak the same language.

I also know a new tournament will be moved from Tokyo to Wuhan, Li's hometown, from next year. So there will be another tournament in China. Hopefully I can be a part of it. I've never been to Wuhan before.