'This is not a language school' — Jelena Jankovic

The great Serbian tennis player (above), who'll become number one in the world if she can win the ongoing U.S. Open, was quoted thus by George Vecsey of the New York Times in a piece which appeared on the front page of yesterday's sports section.

Jankovic was referring to the uproar recently occasioned by the L.P.G.A., whose powers-that-be decreed that all players on that tour must be able to speak adequate English by the end of next year.

Of course that decision, roundly criticized around the world, has nothing to do with the fact that 45 of the 121 international players in this year's L.P.G.A. events are South Korean.

Or that 11 South Koreans currently rank among the top 30 money winners.

Right?

Jankovic's comment to Vecsey in its entirety: "To be honest, I don't think it should be that way. We are foreigners, and we are athletes. My language is Serbian. This is not a language school."

Concur.