JANKOVIC CONSIDERING REST OF THE YEAR SHUTDOWN

Former world No.1 Jelena Jankovic says she is considering shutting down for the rest of the year after her latest injury concern in the first round of the Citi Open in Washington.

The veteran is seeking to get her career back on track but the injuries seem to hinder her.

Jankovic lost 4-6 6-3 2-0 to fifth seed OceaneDodin– her sixth loss in seven games. The 32-year old dismayed player said after the game she seriously considered a shutdown for the rest of the year.

“I will see how it’s going, but I will probably end the season soon. It’s not working. I haven’t made my decision yet. Maybe I will [in the US Open tournament]. I will give myself another chance to recover, but we’ll see,” she said.

The player, ranked no. 69 now, had high hopes for the Washington even rehabbing vigorously. She stopped for a few weeks to fully recover and was reportedly set to feature in a District game for the first time. However, it seems her persistent back injury got in the way again, as usual.

“I basically have chronic pain in my back and I’ve been suffering quite a lot. Today I do a lot of treatment and took painkillers. Before playing in China, I had three weeks off. I did not touch the ball, just trying to do rehab to settle this area down to help my body heal but unfortunately it’s not enough,” the former US Open finalist said.

Jankovic showed flashes of brilliance that used to be associated with her against Dodin but she could not hold it up against the 20-year old as her injury waded in. Medical timeouts were not enough. She wants to continue pushing for now.

Former world no. 1 Ana Ivanovic retired last year as she could not match previous levels. While Jankovic wants to continue the fight, she might also go the same route.