Jelena Jankovic photo
It is official – Jelena Jankovic will not play the Sydney warm-up tournament in January, nor any tournaments before the Australian Open.

In this photo, she could well be saying, “Just try to make me play!”

Officials had said she would need a wildcard to get into the Sydney International tournament since she had not finalized her 2009 playing schedule in time. I guess she decided she didn’t need a wildcard. In fact, she has decided she doesn’t need the Sydney tournament at all. Now they can run their tournament without the world’s No. 1! That will teach them.

Jankovic said she will play in an exhibition tournament, the JB Group Classic in Hong Kong from Jan 7-10, 2009. But her first official match of 2009 will not come until the Australian Open.

You can watch Jankovic’s announcement on video at Great Tennis Photos.