Article written by Todd Spiker

JELENA-DOKIC.com - February 3, 2003

**JELENA CORNER**
 

**TOKYO TPP (seed #2) Breakdown**
2506...January 27 points
69.....QF
8......2r: Widjaja (#68) - 7-6,6-4
0......QF: Raymond (#30) - 4-6,2-6
77.....TOKYO TOTAL
-57....2002 off (Linz '02 - top 17)
20.....RANKING POINTS FOR WEEK
2526...February 3 points

#10....SINGLES RANK
C......JD.com TOKYO SINGLES GRADE
C-.....JD.com TOKYO DOUBLES GRADE


--THE RISING DAUGHTER LANDS IN TOKYO--

   She's back.  Finally, she's back.
   Slightly thinner and apparently fitter, Jelena returned and made all her fans go atwitter like she was a home run hitter.

(okay, okay... I'll stop with the rhyming and get on with things)

   Seriously, though, Jelena's season-opening QF result in Tokyo, while not spectacular, was indeed encouraging.  For one, she actually looked like she spend her offseason preparing for 2003.  Last January in Tokyo, remember, she admitted to having not picked up a racket during her break and her quick injury a week later in Paris provided further proof that her training regimen left a great deal to be desired.  Looks can be deceiving, but it at least appeared last week that Jelena has made a point to prevent a sequel to her early-season troubles this time around.  Along with the addition of a new coach (even if it does turn out to be a temporary position), it's so far so good on Jelena's 2003 promises.  We'll have to wait and see if she follows through on her desire to schedule rest stops and prepare better for the game's biggest tournaments.
   As far as her play in the land of the rising sun was concerned, the daughter didn't exactly sour to new heights.  But she didn't fall flat on her face and bloody her nose, either.  In the end, it was nothing to get excited, nor wring one's hands about.
  She opened 2002 with a quick loss to Anne Kremer, but kicked off this year with a good test to which she responded very well, pulling off a fierce come-from-behind victory over Angelique Widjaja in the 2r.  In going from 0-5 -- and 4-5, 0-40 on her own serve -- in the 1st set to a 7-6,6-4 win, Jelena showed that while her game might be rusty, she looks like she'll be able to shake loose that three months of rust pretty quickly.  The old fire that was nowhere to be seen late last season has already made its debut appearance in 2003.

--SURFACE JITTERS--

   Of course, Jelena's Tokyo run ended with a QF loss to veteran Lisa Raymond in which she opened 3-0 before losing 12 of the final 15 games.  Not a shocking result, even with Jelena's 2-0 record against the American coming into the match, when you consider Raymond's many more matches so far this season and her fondness for quick courts like the carpet surface in Tokyo.
   Speaking of the carpet surfaces... Jelena must have bad dreams whenever she's set to play on the stuff.  Ever since winning the Moscow title on a supreme court in September 2001, Jelena has a 1-4 record on carpet (and was 0-3 in 2002).

--ON TO GAY PARIS--

   Oops, better not let Damir catch wind of that little nickname for the city of lights, huh?
   Paris, unlike Tokyo, should remind Jelena of some good times.  It was in this (preferred) hardcourt event in 2002 that she first defeated Monica Seles en route to a RU result (psst... let's try and not mention the lingering injury that first popped up in that match, though).  It'll be her last significant points defense before she must defend her Sarasota title in Week 14.

 

   Lindsay Davenport's Tokyo title moved her past Jelena to #8, while Monica Seles' RU moved her to #9.  So, Jelena enters this week at her lowest singles ranking -- #10 -- in quite a while.  She enters Paris just 8 points behind Davenport, 2 behind Seles.
  With the conversion of the 12-month +/- points, the lowest total Jelena can finish this week with is 2353 points.  With both Davenport & Seles idle (and Seles losing 164 from her 2002 Paris SF), Jelena will need to accumulate 69 points this week for Paris to take its spot in the qualifying 17-best totals.  So, a SF run will move her past both Seles and Davenport and back to the #8 spot.

 

   She might not stop there, either.  With no real points to defend the rest of the quarter, #7 Amelie Mauresmo might be in her sights (the Frenchwoman has 107, 107 and 289 totals to defend the next three weeks).  Plus, #6 Jennifer Capriati might not be immune to a Jelena Rush if JD.com's poster girl can string together a series of good results before Sarasota.

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**JELENA BY SURFACE**
G-grass; Cl-clay; H-hard; Ca-carpet
----97---98---99---00---01----02----03
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G--.....7-1..9-2..6-2...6-3...8-2..0-0
Cl-..........8-6..9-4..16-8..20-7..0-0
H--8-3..3-1.10-9.20-16.26-10.25-15.0-0
Ca-.....3-3..1-2..2-2...8-4...0-3..1-1

OVERALL
GRASS....36-10....78.3%
CLAY.....53-25....67.9%
HARD.....92-54....63.0%
CARPET...15-15....50.0%


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