V. WILLIAMS /J. Jankovic 4‑6, 6‑1, 7‑6 An interview with: JELENA JANKOVIC THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. How much fun was that for you? JELENA JANKOVIC: It's not funny anymore. Q. While you were on court. JELENA JANKOVIC: No, it was a lot of fun playing a night match, in front of such a crowd like here in New York that we have. It's amazing. It's a special feeling to be out there. I really had a lot of fun. Unfortunately I lost at the end. Very disappointing. But one has to lose. Q. It would be wonderful if more athletes demonstrated the graciousness and sportsmanship that you do. You were up 6‑5. Venus served 116‑mile‑an‑hour ace. Even you smiled in appreciation. Where does that sportsmanship come from? JELENA JANKOVIC: I really don't know. I think it's nice to be fair, to give credit to the opponent. When she hits a great shot, why not? You can say, Well done. Nothing wrong with that. Nothing wrong with smiling also on the court. I cannot do anything when she hits an unbelievable serve. I cannot return it. So why not give her credit and say, Well done, Venus. But I was fighting there. I tried to do my best. I tried to win. I had a positive score against her. But today, tonight, it didn't go my way. A few points in the tiebreaker I made some unforced errors. But you have to take the loss and have to go on and have to learn from it and keep going. Q. You've played 82 matches this year, just about double what Venus played. You also played a couple of three‑setters here. Do you think ultimately that did catch up to you? JELENA JANKOVIC: Yeah, I think overall at the US Open I haven't been playing my best tennis. I was struggling, especially in the first couple of rounds, didn't really play my game. But today I came into the match knowing that I have to play well in order to be there with Venus, because if I play like I did with my earlier rounds I will be out of ‑‑ I would leave the court very soon. But I was hanging in there. I didn't play my best. My balls were very short. My serve was not working at all. But even with these kind of shots that I had tonight, I was fighting and I tried to do the best that I could. But a few points here and there decided the winner. I was the loser tonight, so I have to accept it and move on. Q. You gave her a challenge tonight. JELENA JANKOVIC: I heard before the match, I had two days off. I was listening to the commentators. I was so sure that Venus was the favorite. They kept going, Venus will play Justine. Venus will do this. They already put me out, and I'd beaten her the last three times. They were so sure she was gonna do it. I was a few points away from winning. I had the breakpoint at 4‑3 to go up 5‑3 in the third and didn't take that. But this is the game. Q. What are the positives you can take out of the tournament and the match? JELENA JANKOVIC: I don't know. This is the last Grand Slam. With the way I played, you know, the whole tournament, it's good for me that I even got the quarterfinals because I haven't been at my best and I'm a little bit tired. My game has a little bit gone down. It's not where it used to be, especially in the beginning of the year, because maybe I played a lot of matches and my body's getting tired. But it's almost becoming at the end of the year. Two more months, then the Masters, the Sony Ericsson Championship, then the year is over. I have to give my effort and finish the year strong and do the best that I can. Q. Do you feel like you lost to the best player in the tournament? JELENA JANKOVIC: I don't know. But I think it was unfortunate that the upper draw was very, very strong and we had to play each other. Venus, Serena, Justine, we were all up in the draw. Whoever wins from that top will win the whole tournament, from my opinion. Unfortunately, we were all stuck in that side. It was a very open draw in the bottom. So this is how it is. This is the luck. It happened actually in the last three Grand Slams. It has been kind of similar that Serena played Justine in the quarters and then I would play in the semis Justine. It's like they copy the