Dubai: Anyone coming in to watch former world number one Jelena Jankovic in action at the Dubai Duty Free Women's Open would do well to watch out for the intensity of her smile this week.
And a large smile will mean she is playing at her best.
"I want to go out on the court with a smile, and that's when I play my best," Jankovic told Gulf News after attending the draw ceremony of the Dubai Open late on Saturday.
Jankovic's smile has done her wonders, at least off the court, to start with. She has been chosen by Orbit chewing gum to be its smile ambassador for Serbia. The commercial will hit television stations across Serbia from next month. This is the first time ever that Orbit has appointed a brand ambassador in Serbia and Jankovic has been chosen for her beautiful and dazzling smile.
As the star of the latest Orbit chewing gum commercial, fans will be able to see and enjoy Jankovic's shiny smile off-court.
Time with family
Jankovic, a former finalist and two-time semifinalist here, has a huge following in Dubai ever since she began coming here as a junior starting with the Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge several years ago. Her last tournament was the Australian Open in January where she went down 6-7, 3-6 to China's Shuai Peng in the second round.
The affable Serb, who became the world number one in 2008, played in the season-ending WTA Tour Championships held in Doha last year. And since the end of the season she has spent a lot of time with her family so that she can rest and recover and start recharging her batteries for the new season.
"I had a tough time towards the end of the season with some health problems, so I've taken it easy," Jankovic explained.
In fact, she underwent surgery on her left eye after problems seeing clearly, especially during night matches. "There was a patch on it, so I kind of looked like a pirate for a while. The whole time I had to wear sunglasses, so I actually looked cool. I even had to wear them in the dark to protect it from the wind and the cold," Jankovic said.
But now the stitches are out and the doctor has given her the green signal to get back on court again.
"Ideally, I will be looking to take one match at a time, give my best on court and enjoy every moment. For me, the most important thing at this moment is to enjoy what I am doing on the court," she said.
"I love playing here because I have a lot of support. The fans are with you all the way and that is possibly why I want to go far in this tournament."
