Article written by Todd Spiker

JELENA-DOKIC.com - March 27, 2003

....:::1st Quarter Goals Chart:::...
GOALS.......................REALITY
1 W/RU............................0
1 SF..............................0
3 QF..............................3
1 early exit......................3


**1st Quarter Report Card**
SINGLES
-----EVENT-------RD-OPPONENT....W/L...GRADE
Jan- Tokyo TPP...QF-Raymond.....1-1.......C
Feb- Paris.......QF-Daniilidou..1-1......C-
......Antwerp.....1r-Sugiyama....0-1.......D
......Scottsdale..2r-Shaughnessy.0-1.......F
Mar..Ind.Wells...2r-Rittner.....0-1......D-
......Miami.......QF-Clijsters...3-1.......B
OVERALL..................................C-

DOUBLES
.....EVENT........RD-PARTNER.....W/L...GRADE
Jan- Tokyo TPP...QF-Petrova.....1-1......C-
Feb- Antwerp.....SF-Bedanova....2-1.......B
......Scottsdale..1r-Bedanova....0-1.......F
Mar..Ind.Wells...SF-Petrova.....3-1......B+
......Miami.......2r-Petrova.....1-1......D+
OVERALL..................................C+


 

BEST WIN:  Miami 4r - 6-1,6-4, over Alicia Molik... gives Jelena her first 3-match winning streak since August.  While only ranked #89, Molik won her first WTA singles title in January and was 8-1 in 2003, with the lone loss coming in a match during which she retired with an injury, and defeated Daniela Hantuchova (6-0 in the 3rd) in the Miami 2r.  Jelena never let her into the match.


WORST LOSS:  Indian Wells 2r - 1-6,7-5,3-6 to Barbara Rittner... extended Jelena's career-tying worst losing streak to four matches.  Rittner was ranked #87.

 

SHE'S NO SERENA:  Emilie Loit nearly ended the dream of the "Serena Slam" in a tight, three-set loss to Williams in Melbourne.  Against Jelena, she fell in fairly routine fashion just weeks after the Australian Open.


BLOWN SHOT: Antwerp 1r... down a set and a break to Ai Sugiyama, Jelena battled back to finally gain a 5-7,7-5,3-2 (30-30 on Sugiyama's serve) lead, then dropped the last four games to lose the match.


BEST SHOT:  Miami 2r... teetering on the edge of a possible 5-match losing streak, Jelena turned an early 0-2 deficit against Svetlana Kuznetsova on its ear with an immediate break back against the Russian teen in maybe the most important game of the 1st Quarter.  Jelena won the match 7-6,6-1 -- her first victory in six weeks -- and went on to win twice more in advancing to the QF.

 

NEEDLESS TRIP: Scottsdale (0-2 in singles and doubles, with an 8-24 games disadvantage).

BEST TRIP: Miami (3-1 in singles, with 3 straight-set victories).


WORST START/BEST COMEBACK:  In her 2003 debut match, Jelena quickly fell behind 0-5 to Angelique Widjaja in Tokyo.  After surviving 4-5, 0-40 later in the set, Jelena roared back to win the match 7-6,6-4.


WORST FINISH/BEST REALITY CHECK:  After stringing together three straight victories and at a 2-2 deadlock in the 1st set against Kim Clijsters in the Miami QF, Jelena lost the last 10 games of the match.  Jelena's back, but not all the way... she needs to keep on working.


LOSSES TO CHAMPIONS:  Of Jelena's six losses in 2003, five have come to players who have already won singles titles in 2003:  Daniilidou, Raymond, Shaughnessy, Sugiyama and Clijsters.  The sixth loss was to Barbara Rittner.


VICTORIES OVER CHAMPIONS:  Two of Jelena's five wins have come against 2003 champions (Dechy & Molik), and a third came against a player who won a title in the final week of the 2002 season (Widjaja).


QUOTES...in chronological order:
1."Mentally and physically I'm struggling, but I'm not worried."
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2.On Heinz Gunthardt:  "He's tougher than any coach I've had.  He knows just what we need to work on."
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3.On her fitness:  "I think it's better than it's ever been, but I can still get stronger."
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4.After Miami:  "I think I played my best tennis that I played the last six months."


UNWELCOME SIGHT:  While Jelena's 5-0 when she wins the opening set, she's 0-6 when she loses it.

WELCOME SIGHT:  The definitive evidence of a real plan to improve Jelena's game, not to mention her patience to see it out despite the 1st Quarter difficulties.