RPT-FEATURE-Tennis-Jankovic lives dream after nearly quitting

(Repeats feature first moved at 0002 GMT)

By Zoran Milosavljevic

BELGRADE, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Jelena Jankovic has achieved her dream of being the world's top tennis player after she almost quit the sport in 2006 following a run of poor results and niggling injuries.

The Serbian knows, though, that she still has plenty to play for after finishing the 2008 season as the world number one but without a grand slam title to her name.

"I definitely want to win one of the four biggest events next year," the 23-year-old Jankovic said in Belgrade's GEMAX tennis club at her season-ending news conference as she served friends and family with cakes and champagne.

"But I also want to keep improving and my objective is to raise my game to a new level because it's a lot more difficult to stay on top than to get there.

"I have achieved my childhood dream of being the world number one and whatever happens from now on, no one can take that away from me.

"I want to stay there for as long as possible and I will resume training at the end of this month after I have recharged my batteries. It's been a long season."

  Continued...