The Jelena Jankovic Problem

Jelena Jankovic had to face harsh criticism when she was crowned world number one last year. Did she deserve it?

For all her consistency, Jankovic had never won a Grand Slam tournament, and had become the first player in open era history to end the year on top despite failing to secure one of the four majors.

With the Williams sisters increasingly picking and choosing their events and the recent retirements of Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters, Jankovic's success was seen in many quarters as one earned by default.

Jankovic's form early in 2009 seemed to lend succour to that suggestion. Starting the year as top seed in the Australian Open, she was beaten by former Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli in the fourth round.

She lost in the first round at Indian Wells to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the fourth round of the French Open to Sorana Cirstea, and, most shockingly of all, the third round of Wimbledon to qualifier Melanie Oudin.

Jankovic's ranking tumbled to world number five and, along with her fellow out-of-form Serb Ana Ivanovic, her name suddenly stopped getting mentioned when it came to potential saviours of the ailing WTA Tour.

This week, however, there is renewed hope that Jankovic will be able to return to challenge the very best in the game after she ended her year title drought - with the exception of a low-key win in Marbella - with victory in Cincinnati.

Having saved four match points to see off Elena Dementieva in the semi-finals, Jankovic outlasted current world number one Dinara Safina in the final to finally mark her overdue return to form.

"This result will give me a lot of confidence going into Toronto and the US Open which is most important," said Jankovic. "I finished last year as number one in the world but the last big tournament I had won was last year.

"I hadn't been playing very well this first half of the season and I told myself now was the time for coming back. I'm moving very well and my game is coming back. I'm out there with a smile on my face. It's nice to be back."

Jankovic's return to top form would be timely for a tour which still struggles with the concept that Safina is number one in the world despite being brushed aside so emphatically in the semi-finals at Wimbledon.

Comebacks by the likes of Kim Clijsters and to a lesser extent Jelena Dokic have provided the major talking-points this year so perhaps it is appropriate that Jankovic should launch her own return without ever really having been away.

"Last year I did some different training and added some muscle to my body," Jankovic added. "It made me so much slower and harder for me to move. Then I had some other problems with my mother's health.

"It was difficult for me to concentrate. But now I have re-adjusted the way I train. I started thinking more positive and eating right as well. You have to take care of these little things to have energy and feel good.

"I love competing out there. That is what I missed - being in those kinds of situations in front of big crowds and having support and being in tough situations. Now my smile is back and I'm having fun and I love being out there."