ISTANBUL, Turkey - In her upset of world No. 2 Victoria Azarenka, former No. 1 and US Open finalist Jelena Jankovic turned back the clock in more ways than one.

There were, of course, the on-court components. Those trademark arrow-straight backhands that invariably kissed the side-lines on their way down the court. The majestic finishing pose, so shamelessly deliberate in the admiration of her own work, legs to hips to arms so perfectly aligned and executed with gravity-defying balance. There were miraculous backhand lobs that sent clocks ticking back to those glory days when not a single soul stood above her in the rankings. There was the effortlessly agile, rapid yet smooth movement that allowed her to track down every ball.

There was even a touch of guile, less characteristically. On the few occasiosn that Jankovic reached the net, she showcased crisply executed volleys. Even more importantly yet less noticeably, Jelena the Serb managed to place balls in awkward positions for her favored opponent.

“My volleys are much better than ‑‑ because I started to play doubles,” said Jankovic afterward. “I improved a lot in that department.  Some of the things are better.  Some of the things maybe are the same, some are worse, but overall I think I'm on the right track, which is the most important thing.”

This year has been a long, slow process of recovery for her. A title in the minor tournament at Bogota proved the original catalyst for her return to form. But, even as she started to rise to the occasion at bigger and bigger events, lessons from the past cautioned those who dared to consider Jankovic as having revived her former self.

For tennis is a fickle sport. Often a player falls into an rut of poor results and unimpressive performances. One good performance or a week follows, and suddenly, the world proclaims them as back. It has happened to Jankovic numerous time already, and to others such as her compatriot Ana Ivanovic . More proof was needed, and it appeared in her first match of the year-end championships.

But beyond the rigid constraints of the tennis courts,  Jankovic’s stirring victory over Azarenka promised another of her scintillating press conferences. Asked about her four successive losses to Azarenka prior to this victory, an incredulous Jankovic responded by maintaining that she had only faced off against the former No. 1 once in recent years.

“Yeah, but we only played once this year, and a long time. I beat her in 2009. So I think it was 1 All in the last three years or how long? 2009 I won, and she beat me… 

The assertion was repeated – four times she had lost.

“When?  Yeah, one more time in Sydney.  So that's about it.  One more?”

The losses were read one by one. With the reminder of each loss, Jankovic dramatically sunk just a little more into her seat while wearing the grin of a child that knew full well that they had been naughty. A burst of laughter followed, and she was not the only person laughing. The room exploded at once, and not until calm returned did she respond to the question seriously.

Later, Jankovic was asked about her recent unsatisfactory results against top players. With a shrug, she blurted out “who cares?” More laughter followed by more words. Another question, another batch of laughter, another endlessly long reply.

Just like old times, Jankovic was winning on the court and off the court too. And even if they could not admit it, many of us hoped quietly that it continued.