Jankovic - Better to burn out than fade away?

[Wittmann 44]

I’ll say first of all how much I like Jankovic as a tennis player – lovely mixture of power and style. Her Wimbeldon mixed doubles win last year with Jamie Murray was a highpoint of the year as the two played with a huge sense of fun.

I think however her agent or whoever controls her career needs to sit back and look very carefully at how they are manageing her. She withdrew last night with a thigh strain from the Hopman Cup game Serena Williams. This is after being forced to retire with the same strain in the two previous games – she also played a doubles match with Djokovic in between these games. She has now retired or withdrew in 5 of her last 9 singles games. The possibility of doing serious long term damage to hersef must be pretty high at this stage.

Her problem in a nutshell is that she plays far too many matches – last year she competitively played 94 singles games and 18 doubles games. That excludes some exhibition games and a handful of mixed doubles games. It is an absolutely insane schedule and I don’t see why she needs play so many games. Burn out ala Capriati is looming yet she continues to play on.

She’ll no doubt turn up in Oz with a heavily strapped thigh and will be worth opposing as a shock would not surprise me at all.

[GaNgStA kEeKs]

I had noticed she has regularly retired recently but didn't think much of it but that is a hell of a lot of tennis to be playing. You would never find your Henin's for example competiting as much.

Just going to suffer in the long run if she doesn't cut back.

Do you know if she is planning on playing as much tennis this season?

[Wittmann 44]

She might simply not be able to play as much tennis as last year I’d say. She reminds me of Davydenko playing far too much piss ant tennis when she should be focused on the Tier 1 events and the Slams.

To give a comparison in 2007

Sharapova – 55 SIngles
Henin – 67 Singles
V.Williams – 60 Singles
S.Williams – 45 Singles


I’d really think she could suffer a few shocks this year. I’ll be keeping an eye out with the view to backing anyone with any clue that she plays against from now on with a one ball book on the basis that a retirement will be a live possibility.