Article by Todd Spiker

*JELENA CORNER*

*ZURICH POINTS BREAKDOWN*
2800...October 14 total
38.....2r
15.....1r: Majoli (#27) 6-1,6-4
0......2r: Stevenson (#28) 6-7,6-4,5-7
53.....TOTAL (12-month #18 best)
-262...Zurich 2001
+61....New #17 best total (Rome 2002)
-201...Week's Point Differential
2599...October 21 total

#8.....SINGLES RANK (2599)
#9.....2002 POINTS RACE (2507)
#12....DOUBLES RANK (1651)


   The question hangs out there like dirty laundry.  Jelena's dirty laundry.
   I know, a few of you out there are thinking, "Let me have a few pieces of that, preferably some flimsy items --  I'll make a shrine."  But hold on, you know I'm not talking about her ACTUAL unlaundered outfits, right?  Sorry, that image will have to be locked away in that personal lockbox deep in the recesses of your mind.
   No, I'm talking about all the things that have always swirled around Jelena's tennis that really have nothing to do with tennis at all.  They've been there from the start.  Now, though, for maybe the first time, the "dirty laundry" has become her tennis itself.  The question that is generated now is whether or not she can put together a good tournament to stop the 4th quarter tailspin that has resulted in a fall from #4 to #8 in the rankings.  Is it a hopeful or hopeless proposition?  Well, after last week, it's looking more and more like the latter may be the case for what remains of this season.
   At the end of a rollercoaster year, it's easy to look back at the many roles Jelena has taken on this season, from the injury-riddled teenager who didn't seem to know what's good for her, to the late-summer star who notched what she called the biggest win of her career en route to a career-best #4 ranking, to the current end-of-year enigma that she's become.  Will the real 2002 version of Jelena stand up in her final two tournaments in Linz and Los Angeles?
   There was a brief flicker of hope in Zurich, but that's all it turned out to be.  An easy win over Iva Majoli put a stop to the four-match losing streak, but then the same problems that have existed since her marathon win over Anna Kournikova in San Diego popped up in the next round.  Against Alexandra Stevenson, Jelena finally managed to put up a fight, but still was forced to come to the conclusion that it's not enough at the end of a tired, soon-to-be-29-tournaments-stuffed schedule.  The ability to win tight contests has been a long-held Dokic trait, but it's on holiday at the moment.
   Against Stevenson, Jelena blew 2 set points in the opening set before losing a tie-break.  Then, in the deciding stages of the 3rd, was broken at 5-6 to lose her fourth straight 3-setter.  Rather than defend her 5 finals in 6 events run of 2001, she finds herself on a 5 losses in 6 matches slide.


 

   Now, Jelena limps off to Linz and L.A.  It could be that she may only have to endure 2-3 more matches in 2002 before she says goodbye until probably next February.  At least last week she DID finally admit to being tired and vowed to cut her schedule in 2003.  But she's still playing weekly doubles (though with great success, with Nadia Petrova), and said last year that she expected to cut back THIS season.  I'll believe it when I see it.
   It would be easy to say now that Jelena is ready to pack it in for the year with two tournaments left.  But she's ever-unpredictable, and "playing out the string" would be a sour taste to have in her mouth for the next few months.
   I thought Jelena had one more good run in her for 2002.  After last week, I'm not so sure (though the Linz draw DOES provide an opportunity for a last blaze of glory). Upsets created an opening in Zurich, but she couldn't take advantage (Conchita Martinez and Patty Schnyder, dependable vets but hardly the Williams sisters, ended up advancing to the SF in Jelena's half of the draw).  A Tier I SF (or better) would have provided a theraputic salve to her late-season wounds.  Now, it's up to Linz to provide something good to take into 2003.
   This ride is about to end, and Jelena wants/needs to get off at the next stop for her own good.  It won't be much longer before she can pull that dirty laundry off the clothesline until further notice.  A few more weeks and it'll be time to go home, wherever that happens to be.  It can't come too soon.
   But the question remains:  Can Jelena put together a week to end the year on a brighter note, or will the dirty laundry remain a few weeks from now?  Stay tuned.


--SPOT-BY-SPOT--

   Is Jelena's Top 10 goal in jeopardy with her disappointing end of season?  Probably not, largely thanks to Lindsay Davenport's decision to sit out this week and lose her entire 328 points from the Linz 2001 title (she'll fall to 2129, then face defending her WTA Championships RU in two weeks).  Martina Hingis' injury and the lackluster results of Anastasia Myskina and Chanda Rubin would seem to make Jelena immune from too much farther a fall.
   Jelena fell from #6 to #8 on Monday, and will drop another to #9 this week unless she can at least repeat her Linz 2001 RU (and do significantly better than Linz participant Daniela Hantuchova, as well).

 

   This week, Jelena will lose 121 more points to drop her total to 2478 unless she can accumulate more than 53 points in Linz.  Even a 2r loss this week, and a 1r exit at the WTA Championships would only drop her to 2386 (leaving her 38 points ahead of Hingis).  So, unless Davenport takes the final in L.A. (she's 0-4 in finals this year), Jelena will probably end up following up her #8 ranking in 2001 with either a #8 or #9 finish for 2002.  The pre-season goal, therefore, will be met... but not with the ending flourish she might have desired.  Of course, she still has two more attempts to change that.

=====================================


*JELENA'S 2002 TIER I's*
Tokyo TPP...2r (Anne Kremer)
Indian Wells...3r (Anne Kremer)
Miami...3r (Anne Kremer)
Charleston...2r (Anna Smashnova)
Berlin...3r (Daniela Hantuchova)
Rome...3r (Anastasia Myskina)
Montreal...SF (Jennifer Capriati-ret.)
Moscow...2r (Amanda Coetzer)
Zurich...2r (Alexandra Stevenson)
TOTAL RECORD: 8-9


 

*GENERALI LADIES OPEN; Oct. 21-27*
Linz, Austria
Hardcourt Indoor; Tier II
#2 seed; 2r - vs. Kix/qualifier
2001: RU to Davenport (174 points)

POINTS:
W=195, RU=137, SF=88, QF=49, 2r=25, 1r-1

*LINZ - JELENA POINTS*
2599...October 21 total
-174...2001 points off
+53....new #17 best total (Zurich 2002)
2478...low possible October 28 total