http://tinyurl.com/92ykf9 On top of the world Jelena Jankovic January 19, 2009 SOMETIMES it can be hard to imagine, no matter how hard you try, where you might be in 12 months. In the year since my semi-final at the 2008 Australian Open I always knew I'd be back here, but mentally and physically I'm in a very different place to what I imagined. The biggest change has been my increased work load off the court, pushing myself harder than ever before. The other major change has been my ranking and starting the new year on top of the WTA tour. As 2009 begins and a new year of tennis unfolds in Melbourne, hopefully all that hard work will pay off and I'll be able to stay in this position as long as possible. A lot of the girls train extremely hard these days, so I've found I have to work harder than ever if I want to maintain my strength over a gruelling year. In the past I've had problems playing long matches, recovering and then playing another match the next day — I'd feel exhausted and sore. Coming into this year as the No. 1 player my motivation was higher than ever, so I started my preparation earlier then normal with high-altitude training in Mexico to improve my strength and endurance. After Mexico I travelled to Florida for a lot of fitness work combined with tennis workouts. There were lots of hours spent on the court and lots in the gym trying to get better as a player and begin the year in the best possible shape. My focus was on avoiding the injuries I've had in the past and boosting my overall fitness and endurance so I can perform at my highest level. I know that all sounds like a great idea in theory — in reality I almost fainted a few times — especially at high altitude. It was hard work, but throughout that time I kept giving 100 per cent because I knew I had to improve my fitness. In the past I never really knew my training limits or how far I could push myself, but the more I pushed myself in the off-season the more my confidence grew for the year ahead. I've never been as fit as now, but the extra training means I've put some extra mass on my body and there's muscles that weren't there before, so I'm still getting used to my new body. Thankfully, after all that training, it's time to play some tennis and it's wonderful to be back in Australia, where the crowds are knowledgeable and enthusiastic. It's always interesting to see how fans in different countries cheer, dress up and get involved in matches and I love playing in Melbourne's exciting, carnival atmosphere. I'm really looking forward to 2009 and hoping for the best. Jelena Jankovic is the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour's No. 1 ranked player and a donation for this column has been made to her chosen charity. -- 看到会睡着的报告 一点都没翻译动力啊╮(╯_╰)╭ --

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