We didn’t watch Serena Williams victory against No. 2 ranked Jelena Jankovic because we were busy climbing a 15,000 foot mountain in Mexico where everyone at the bottom of the hill warned us that we weren’t going to make it wearing “Tiger” sneakers and Levis. Pfft. Doubters. Anyway, Serena beat the formerly No. 1 ranked player in straight sets and collected a hefty $1,500,000 prize, along with the recapturing of the numero uno rank in the world. But we’re not here to discuss that. We’re here to find out how much money Jankovic made because that’s all she cared about during the trophy presentations.

The second-ranked Jankovic, who was No. 1 for a week last month, might have lost the match but she won over the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd during the award presentation. She started off by thanking everyone and her drivers. While accepting the runner-up trophy, she said: “I lost my No. 1 ranking. It’s not fair.”

Then, as Williams was being presented with her $1.5 million check, Jankovic asked, “How much did I get?”

The answer, as she would soon find out, was $750,000. “So now I have a lot of money to spend,” she said, laughing, in her news conference. “Tomorrow is my day to go shopping.”

And to think the million plus page views we knocked out last month will only provide us enough mula in bonuses for one more months rent. We need to pick up a racket…or marry a tennis player.

Serena Williams Wins U.S. Open, Retaking No. 1 [NY Times]
Image [ESPN]