Serbian players are having fun at Roland Garros
PARIS: Players from Serbia are having a great time in Paris and dream of using the French Open to establish their country as a dominant tennis power.
Serbia expects to shine in both the women's tournament, with two top-10 players in Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic, and in the men's, with rising talent Novak Djokovic, seeded sixth.
All three have made promising starts and have been imitated by little-known Janko Tipsarevic, the world No 80, who upset former world No 1 Marat Safin on Wednesday.
"It's very, very nice for me to see that so many people from Serbia are doing well at the moment", said 19-year-old Ivanovic, who first attracted attention by reaching the quarter-finals here two years ago.
"It's exciting for all of us because that's motivation for each of us. I really hope that now, with all the success we have, the people will start investing more in making some facilities because that's what we need for further success."
Top contender
It is not a bad idea to put money on Ivanovic but investing on Jankovic seems wiser still.
The 22-year-old has won three titles this year, notably Rome, where she beat Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final to confirm her status as a top French Open contender.
In the men's draw, 20-year-old Djokovic could also make Serbia proud. A quarterfinalist in Paris last year, he has won three titles this year and has proved to be the revelation of 2007.
Others, such as Tipsarevic, are determined to walk in his footsteps.
"I am really grateful to every Serb player that is better ranked or is a better player than me because that thing is awaking in me this positive jealousy that if he can do it, why can't I?", Tipsarevic said after knocking out Safin.
Ivanovic said having gone through years of war and turmoil in what was once a part of Yugoslavia made Serbia's current success even sweeter.
"Definitely, we appreciate it much more," she said. "It's very exciting for us to see. We've been through tough times, no doubt about that, but I think we all came out strong. We appreciate it and we try to take every opportunity we get."
Agencies
(China Daily 06/01/2007 page23)
