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JELENA-DOKIC.COM - JELENA CORNER

**WTA CHAMPIONSHIPS BREAKDOWN**
2482 = OPENING POINTS TOTAL
121...Quarterfinals
35....1r: Myskina (#11) - 6-3,6-4
0.....QF: S.Williams (#1) - 6-7,0-6
156...TOTAL
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-132..WTA Chsp.2001
+156..new 17-best total (WTA Chsp.2002)
+24...TOTAL POINTS FOR WEEK
2506..FINAL 2002 POINTS TOTAL

#9 = SINGLES RANK (2506)
#9 = 2002 POINTS RACE (1720)
#14 = DOUBLES RANK (1615)


   Los Angeles was the end... and the beginning.
   In her 29th tournament of 2002, Jelena had every right and reason to just want to go home.  Check out.  Worry about next year... but, do it later.  An ankle injury put her participation in doubt, too.  Surely, more reason to expect a quick exit, right?
   Wrong.
   Jelena didn't allow her long and winding season to simply drift into the sweet night.  At least not without a last bit of fight.  As it turned out, the Tour Championships provided a more encouraging sign than could have been anticipated.
   Her straight sets decryption of Anastasia Myskina's game in the 1r was as delightful as it was unexpected.  Her frustratingly inconsistent first serve was more dependable than it had been all season long.  She even managed to work her way forward to put away a good number of points at the net, no doubt the after-effect of a fine fall season on the doubles courts with Nadia Petrova.
   In the QF, world #1 Serena Williams was faced with a Jelena who didn't commit unforced errors and pinned her on the baseline.  6-6.  A tie-break ensued that Serena won 7-1... and then that was about all Jelena could write.
From there, she finally drifted away and packed up her rackets for the season.  Specifically, the closing 0-6 2nd set has been seen before from Jelena, but for once it was forgivable sin (but won't be looked on quite as kindly in 2003).
   At the end of this long season, Jelena could have sleepwalked starting with the first point of the first match and not surprised anyone, but she instead managed to win back a measure of respect before she was through.  It didn't last as long as most would have liked, but at least she found a way to spark it before she left.
   Hopefully, a 20-22 tournament season will enable Jelena to have a healthier 2003 that will better prepare her for the grand slams and allow her to be fresher for this same Tour Championship a year from now.  As she heads off into the sweet night, the brief glimpse of the "good Jelena" in her first three Championship sets at least gives everyone something to look forward to for the upcoming season.
   Los Angeles was the end... and the beginning.


 

**4th QUARTER REPORT CARD**

SINGLES
Sept...Bahia (II) - SF (Myskina)
.......Tokyo PC (II) - SF (Clijsters)
.......Leipzig (II) - 2r (Shaughnessy)
.......Moscow (I) - 2r (Coetzer)
Oct....Filderstadt (II) - 2r (Panova)
.......Zurich (I) - 2r (Stevenson)
.......Linz (II) - QF (Rubin)
Nov....WTA Chsp. - QF (S.Williams)

SINGLES RECORD: 7-8
SINGLES GRADE: C-/D+
...great start, horrid middle, respectable finish


DOUBLES
Sept...Bahia (Daniilidou)...SF
.......Tokyo PC (Clijsters)...1r
.......Leipzig (Clijsters)...1r
.......Moscow (Petrova)...RU
Oct....Filderstadt (Petrova)...QF
.......Zurich (Petrova)...RU
.......Linz (Petrova)...CHAMPIONS

DOUBLES RECORD: 13-6
DOUBLES GRADE: A-

BEST WIN: WTA Chsp 1r/QF (1st set)
...at the end of long season, coming off the least successful month of her career, and troubled by an ankle injury, Jelena still found a way to take out #11 Anastasia Myskina in straight sets in the 1r and then push #1 Serena Williams to a 1st set tie-break in the QF before finally reaching her breaking point.  After the autumn Jelena had, just the notion that she had ANY fight left has to be looked at as an encouraging sign for 2003.

WORST LOSS: Filderstadt 1r (Panova)
...Jelena had dominated Tatiana Panova in the past, and characteristically took the 1st set 6-1.  But her game proceeded to fall apart immediately after that as she lost a career-worst fourth straight match.

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**JELENA's YEARLY SINGLES RANKINGS**
1997...589
1998...341
1999....43
2000....26
2001.....8
2002.....9

**JELENA's YEARLY DOUBLES RANKING**
1999....72
2000....51
2001....12
2002....14

**CAREER PRIZE MONEY**
$3,775............1998
$160,424..........1999 (WTA #54)
$429,880..........2000 (WTA #22)
$1,169,716........2001 (WTA #7)
$918,633..........2002 (WTA #10)

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**2002 TOP 10**
1.Serena Williams...............6080
2.Venus Williams................5140
3.Jennifer Capriati.............3796
4.Kim Clijsters.................3557
5.Justine Henin.................3218
6.Amelie Mauresmo...............3068
7.Monica Seles..................2952
8.Daniela Hantuchova.........2667.75
9.JELENA DOKIC..................2506
10.Martina Hingis...............2348

 

WEEK 45 - A Closing Burst...of hope?
...Kim Clijsters takes LA by storm

 

Everything You Always Wanted to Know 2
& Jelena 2002 Season in Review