Roger Federer should concentrate on his own career rather than criticizing others, Serb Jelena Jankovic said yesterday after being irked by the Swiss master's unflattering verdict on her No. 1 world ranking last year.
Last month, former world No. 1 Federer hit out at the way the WTA rankings were calculated, saying a player who has never won a grand slam should not be granted the No. 1 spot. Jankovic reached the top spot in the WTA rankings in August having never won a major tournament. She lost her first grand slam final to American Serena Williams at last year's US Open.
The Serb has since dropped down to third in the world following a shock fourth-round defeat to France's Marion Bartoli at the Australian Open.
"To be honest, I do not like to talk about players, I really prefer to focus on myself," Jankovic said.
She said she could not understand why Federer felt the need to hit out at women's tennis while his great rival Rafa Nadal, who took over from the Swiss as world No. 1, was so "humble."
"Why should he even care? I don't like putting my nose in other's business.
"I mean, one thing I like about Nadal is that he is such a great champion, he is so humble, always has kind words for everybody, he is a role model for everybody," said Jankovic.
"Federer is a great champion, I don't want to get in a fight with him but why does he care, I really don't understand. Why does he need to do that?"
Federer also led the charge against Jankovic's compatriot Novak Djokovic when he quit because of the heat in his Australian Open quarterfinal match against Andy Roddick.
"I'm almost in favor of saying, you know what, if you're not fit enough, just get out of here," the Swiss said.
Jankovic said Federer should not criticise fellow players.
"I don't think it's nice to attack other players.
"If he retired, he probably had his reasons, he knows better. You cannot attack someone when you don't have proof, when you don't have a piece of evidence.
"There is no reason to offend him that way," she said.
(Agencies via Shanghai Daily Feburary 11, 2009)
