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Bordentown, NJ — Almost exactly one year ago, after last year’s tournament in Rome, Jelena Jankovic (YELL-e-nuh YAN-ko-vich) was on the verge of quitting the sport she loved. Questioning her game and why she was losing to players she should have been beating, Jankovic, once the best junior player in the world, was ready to walk away. But then it all changed. Since that time, the 22-year-old Serb has staged an incredible turnaround and climbed her way up the rankings to #4 in the world, her highest career ranking ever. And, as fate would have it, it was a dominant title run at this year’s Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome that helped put her there.

“It’s just unbelievable what a year can do. I’m really thankful for what happened and the decisions I made,” said Jankovic. “I made some significant changes to my practice and workout routines, made the switch to O3 technology, and changed my outlook in general. All have helped to raise my game, make me stronger and more confident. I am very happy about where I am heading into the French Open.”

In fact, timed almost exactly to the start of her resurrection, Jankovic decided that she needed a racquet to help her increase ball control and put pace on shots when she was out of position. After seeing and understanding the benefits that O3 technology provided, she made the decision to switch to the O3 Red, and has not looked back. Success was not immediate, as it was for Nikolay Davydenko and Daniela Hantuchova, who both won events right after switching to O3, but it did come. As with nearly every other player who has made the switch to O3, Jelena’s ranking improved.

“I do not think it is a coincidence that my turnaround happened at the same time as I picked up an O3 racquet. There were parts of my game that needed work. I needed to control the ball better, hit more penetrating shots and dictate points – all of those things started to happen. I could see and feel the difference and while I had a lot of work to do both on and off the court, I knew I had the right racquet in my hand to help me get to the next level.”

In the year since her switch, Jelena has shot up the rankings 44 spots and reached the semi-finals of last year’s U.S Open. Her 7-5, 6-1 victory Sunday in Rome over Svetlana Kuznetsova helped her capture her tour-leading third event title of 2007 and the career high ranking. In fact, she is one of only two players to win two titles above the Tier II level this year, having won Charleston and Auckland. She now heads into Roland Garros one of the favorites on the women’s side.

“We love seeing Jelena playing so well and are extremely proud of her,” said Linda Glassel, VP of Marketing and Communications at Prince. “She is one of the sport’s most exciting players on court and one of the nicest off court. We wish her nothing but continued success and wish her luck heading into Paris.”

Since being introduced, O3 racquets have helped players capture over 200 ATP and WTA tour events including seven Grand Slam titles. There are now close to 100 pros who join Jankovic in using the patented, revolutionary technology that transformed traditional pin sized string holes into giant O-ports for increased racquet speed, larger sweet spot and greater stability.