Article by Todd Spiker

by Todd Spiker

   Throughout the years, Jelena has been known to bounce around from doubles partner to doubles partner -- sometimes on a week-to-week basis.  As her 2002 doubles slate concluded in Linz, though, there was a hope that that practice could largely change.
   Just as Jelena's familial and personal relationships' circumstances faced change over the course of this past season, so did her doubles focus. After teaming with vet Conchita Martinez to some great results in 2001, the duo played sparingly and to little success this season.  Instead, she partnered to greater success with younger players such as Elena Likhovtseva (winning Sarasota), Kim Clijsters (taking L.A.) and, as was the case as 2001 wound down, Nadia Petrova (for the second year, they claimed the Linz crown).
   Petrova's injuries and a seeming lack of interest by the pair to seek to follow up on their late-2001 success kept the pair apart until the final four events of 2002.  They made the most of it, though, reaching finals in three of the tournaments.  In fact,  Dokic/Petrova is a team that has been unusually potent:  in the eight tournaments (7 in the last 14 months) in which they've been paired, they have reached the final five times (winning two titles).  In one month's time, they emassed enough points to rank #14 in the 2002 Doubles Points Race.  And, now, their friendly bond seems to be growing.
   In Linz, when Jelena's break with her parents and the probable role of boyfriend Enrique Bernoldi in the Dokic family situation became public, the friendship between Jelena and Petrova seemed to take on an ever greater importance.  Apparently, the two will share a coach (Glen Schapp) and plan to form as a doubles team more often in 2003.  With their great teamwork despite such little actual tournament play together, it could make things very interesting in the coming year.  If healthy, the two could be a Top 4 doubles team and have a legitimate shot at claiming a grand slam title that would be a first for both (Dokic came closest with a Roland Garros RU with Martinez in 2001).
   The importance of doubles to Jelena's singles game was clear this seson, as when injuries prevented her from playing her lack of on-court aggression and poor net play, in contrast to earlier in the season, were striking.  Generally throughout her career, the last month notwithstanding, Jelena's singles results improve the more doubles work she gets.  Likely, the volley practice and need to move toward the net is cemented into her mind there with far more effectiveness than in her normal singles practice sessions. Of course, that could change if Schaap is to provide the new set of eyes that have been desperately needed for far too long.
   More importantly, though, her doubles success in this 4th Quarter of the season have been good for JELENA, not just her game.  With so much turmoil, it's allowed her to have some fun at the end of a very long tennis year.  For that purpose, one can forgive the irony of her playing doubles in October while complaining publicly about being physically and mentally tired during her 2-6 singles slump.  For Jelena, greater success will only come when both her body AND mind/emotions are in good form... so maybe it's the latter that she's striving to sure up as 2002 concludes.
   Could this late-year doubles surge be a preview of things to come for Jelena's singles when 2003 opens?  Maybe.  Jelena's independence is still in its early stages, and her friendship with Petrova seems to have done her much good on the court (and can't help but be a positive force off it, as well, considering Jelena's seeming personal distance from most of her follow players over the years).
   Hopefully, that positive contribution will continue next season.
Who knows, October could have been a preview of even greater things to come.


*JELENA'S 2002 DOUBLES RANKING*
#12....2001
#12....Jan.1-Jan.27, 2002
#13....Jan.28-March 30
#11....April 1-14
#10....April 15-May 5
#12....May 6-June 9
#25....June 10-July 7
#29....July 8-14
#28....July 15-21
#29....July 22-28
#27....July 29-Aug.4
#28....August 5-11
#21....August 12-18
#18....August 19-25
#26....August 26-Sept.8
#19....Sept.9-15
#18....Sept.16-29
#20....Sept.30-Oct.6
#14....October 7-20
#12....October 21-27
#13....October 28-present


 

**2002 DOUBLES RESULTS- ROUND-BY-ROUND*
W...(3) Sarasota, Los Angeles, Linz
RU..(2) Moscow, Zurich
SF..(3) Tokyo TPP, Paris, Bahia
QF..(5) Hamburg, Strasbourg, Stanford, Montreal, Filderstadt
2r..(1) Miami
1r..(3) San Diego, Tokyo PC, Leipzig


**JELENA WITH 2002 DOUBLES PARTNERS**
6-4....Kim Clijsters
2-1....Eleni Daniilidou
4-0....Elena Likhovtseva
2-1....Maggie Maleeva
2-2....Conchita Martinez
11-3...Nadia Petrova
1-1....Meghannn Shaughnessy
1-1....Tamarine Tanasugarn
2-1....Iroda Tulyaganova


*UNLUCKY JELENA?*
-JELENA'S DOUBLES PARTNERS IN SINGLES-
Tokyo TPP: Tulyaganova loses in 1r
Paris: Maleeva loses in 1r
Miami: Martinez loses in 2r
Sarasota: Likhovtseva loses in 1r
Hamburg: Martinez loses in 2r
Strasbourg: Shaughnessy loses in SF
Stanford: Tanasugarn loses in 2r
San Diego: Clijsters loses in QF
Los Angeles: Clijsters loses in 2r
Montreal: Clijsters loses in 3r
Bahia: Daniilidou loses in Final
Tokyo PC: Clijsters loses in Final
Leipzig: Clijsters loses in SF
Moscow: Petrova loses in QF
Linz: Petrova loses in 2r


**WTA SINGLES/DOUBLES CHAMP IN EVENT**
April: JELENA DOKIC (Sarasota)
July: Serena Williams (Wimbledon)
July: Patricia Wartusch (Casablanca)
August: Svetlana Kuznetsova (Helsinki)
September: Serena Williams (Leipzig)
October: Maja Matevzic (Bratislava)
October: Kim Clijsters (Luxembourg)


**WTA 2002 DOUBLES TITLES**
10...Lisa Raymond
8....Rennae Stubbs
8....Paola Suarez
8....Virginia Ruano-Pascual
6....Arantxa Sanchez Vicario
5....Janette Husarova
5....Daniela Hantuchova
3....JELENA DOKIC
3....Cara Black
3....Elena Dementieva
3....Svetlana Kuznetsova


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1r: Serna/Carlsson-Svensson.6-1,6-4
QF: Salerni/Tarabini........6-2,6-7,7-6
SF: #1 Raymond/Stubbs.......6-1,5-7,5-7

 

1r: Loit/Razzano............6-1,6-4
QF: Reeves/Weingartner......7-6,6-2
SF: Dechy/Tu................4-6,6-7

 

1r: Garbin/Hrdlickova.......5-7,7-6,6-4
2r: Henin/Shaughnessy.......6-2,2-6,3-6

 

1r: McQuillan/Schlukebir....2-6,7-6,6-3
QF: Montalvo/Salerni........6-3,4-6,6-4
SF: De Los Rios/Sanchez V...6-3,4-6,6-4
F: #3 Callens/C.Martinez....6-7,6-3,6-3

 

1r: De Los Rios/Tulyaganova...6-4,6-2
QF: Bes/Marrero..............walkover

 

1r: Barna/Stephens.........6-1,6-2
QF: Hopkins/Kostanic.......6-3,3-6,4-6

 

1r: #4 Lee/Prakusya........7-6,6-3
QF: Husarova/C.Martinez....2-6,3-6

 

1r: #4 Dementieva/Husarova.6-7,6-4,4-6

 

1r: Grande/Tarabini........6-1,6-2
QF: #1 Black/Likhovtsova...6-4,6-1
SF: Morariu/Po-Messerli....6-3,4-6,6-4
F: #2 Hantuchova/Sugiyama..6-3,6-3

 

1r: Lee/Prakusya...........6-3,6-3
QF: #1 Raymond/Stubbs......4-6,6-2,6-3
SF: #5 Dementieva/Husarova.7-6,5-7,6-7

 

1r: Myskina/Rodionova......7-5,6-4
QF: Panova/Poutchek........6-2,6-3
SF: #1 Ruano-P./Suarez....walkover

 

1r: Mandula/Wartusch.......5-7,4-6

 

1r: Glass/Hrdlickova.......3-6,4-6

 

1r: Rodionova/Wartusch.....6-1,6-2
QF: #2 Kournikova/Shaughnessy.6-4,1-6,r
SF: Bovina/Dechy...........4-6,6-4,6-3
F: #1 Dementieva/Husarova..6-2,3-6,6-7

 

1r: Po-Messerli/Zvereva....7-6,6-7,6-4
QF: Shaughnessy/Suarez.....3-6,1-6

 

1r: Farina Elia/Vinci......6-4,7-5
QF: Po-Messerli/Zvereva....6-4,6-3
SF: Lee/Prakusya...........6-1,6-2
F: Bovina/Henin............2-6,6-7

 

1r: Arn/Mikaelian..........6-2,6-1
QF: Daniilidou/Vis.........6-3,6-4
SF: Krasnoroutskaya/Panova.7-5,6-0
F: #3 Fujiwara/Sugiyama....6-3,6-2

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**SEASON-BY-SEASON**
YEAR...RANK...PTS...TRT...W/L....MIX
====================================
1998.................1....1-1....0-0
1999...#72....487...11...15-11...0-1
2000...#51....666...18...15-18...1-3
2001...#12...1710...21...33-19...4-3
2002...#13...1615...17...31-14...0-0
CAREER..............68...95-63...5-7

YEAR....W...RU....SF..Ex/Team
=============================
1998....0....0.....0......0-0
1999....0....1.....1......2-2
2000....0....0.....1......1-6
2001....1....2.....7......2-0
2002....3....2.....8......0-0
CAREER..4....5....17......5-8


 

**RECORDS IN DOUBLES FINALS**
4-5...WTA Events
0-1...Grand Slams ('01 RG)
1-0...Exhibition
2-1...Juniors
1-1...Junior Grand Slams
1-0...Team ('99 Hopman)


 

*GRAND SLAM DOUBLES RECORDS*
**AUSTRALIAN OPEN**
1999...2-1...3r
2000...2-1...3r
2001...1-1...2r
2002...DNP.....
**ROLAND GARROS**
1999...DNP.....
2000...2-1...3r
2001...5-1...RU
2002...DNP.....
**WIMBLEDON**
1999...2-1...3r
2000...2-1...3r
2001...2-1...3r
2002...DNP.....
**US OPEN**
1999...0-1...1r
2000...1-1...2r
2001...1-1...2r
2002...DNP.....
**CAREER GRAND SLAMS**
SLAM...........DBL......MIXED
AUSTRALIAN.....5-3........2-3
ROLAND GARROS..7-2........1-1
WIMBLEDON......6-3........2-2
US OPEN........2-3........0-1
TOTAL........20-11........5-7


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**SINGLES/DOUBLES FINAL IN EVENT**
Oct.01 Linz...lost singles/won doubles
Apr.02 Sarasota...won singles/doubles

**JELENA & NADIA PETROVA**
2000 Amelia Island......1r.....0-1
2001 New Haven..........RU.....3-1
2001 US Open............2r.....1-1
2001 Linz................W.....4-0
2002 Moscow.............RU.....3-1
2002 Filderstadt........QF.....1-1
2002 Zurich.............RU.....3-1
2002 Linz................W.....4-0
TOTAL.........................19-6

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