Lisa Raymond will be Jelenas 3rd round opponent at Amelia Island, as she defeated Julia Fakolenko from the Ukraine in three sets.

And if you think you have heared the name Lisa Raymond before, i found a few things which could help you to remember where you heared that name:

Lisa, who turns 30 this August has won  3 Grand Slam mixed titles and amazing 37 doubles titles, most of them with Renae Stubbs who is playing doubles with Jelena here at Amelia Island.

But the worlds no3 in doubles is not only an excellent doubles player. She has also won 4 singles tournaments, one of them just recently at Memphis. She entered the top30 in singles back in 1997 and she seems to like it there, as she defends her rank for 6 years now.  The small girl (she is only 1.65 meters, which is 5`5") from Pennsylvania, USA, has appeared in 41 Grand Slam tournaments but only once she made it to the Quarterfinal, which happened on her favourite surface, grass, at Wimbledon in 2000.

Lisa is not an average Top30 player with average results all over the year. She rather has a few excellent tournies every now and then, and many desasterous ones, in between them. So she has only 6 decent results to show in 2002, which are the title of Memphis, a final appearence at Waikoloa (wherever that might be....), Semifinals at Birmingham and Stanford, a Quarterfinal at Indian Wells and the fourth round of Wimbledon.

And 2003 seems to be not much different: Next to many poor results, she defended her title at Memphis and ...... well...... reached the semis of the Pan Pacific Open, where she beat Jelena Dokic!

And so i finish my preview here and let the players talk:


Toray Pan Pacific Tennis - Postmatch Interview


  January 31, Friday Jelena Dokic
  Singles QF  Defeated by Lisa Raymond 4-6 2-6


  Q: Jelena, it looks a little bit as if you were in quite isn't
  into the match mentally, it could have been, was might be some
  other problem that restrict in your movement or something
  today?

  A: No, I started off well. I had a break and then she broke me
  right back, and I had a lot of chances to break and hold them.
  I think just mentally got me down. She just won all the big
  games, the big points, and I didn't win any of them. So that's
  what, lope to win the first. And I think that was, from there
  on that was it. I had ever chances to come back when I was
  broken twice, and I had so many break points, and I just
  played very bad points when I needed to play them up. So, I
  think that was just mental than anything.

  Q: Why do you think that maybe you perhaps had this area of
  mental weakness today, do you think could possible be because
  others are more match fit than you coming into this tournament?

  A: Yea, maybe. I think everyone has a few matches more than
  me, that I haven't played for four months, so I think it's a
  little bit difficult. But if I won some of those of big games,
  I think it would have been a lot big difference, would make a
  big difference for the match. You know, it's just one of the
  things, you know, as I play more tournament, I feel get better
  and I just I think I'm much tough compare to what I can be and
  I think I feel little on the court a little bit and, I just
  haven't played, that's all.

  Q: Can you give us some examples of the chances to get back
  and that you let go, and also the big points, say you were
  able to take?

  A: I had break points. I sure lost my serve at three all, at
  5-4 also I had, I got back to deuce, and had chances, and a
  lot of my games where I served at three all also I had game
  points which I could have won. And I think if I won them, it
  would have been made a big difference to the first set....

And also Lisa Raymond was asked a few questions after she beat Jelena for the first time in her life, though she couldnt win a set at their previous matches at New Haven in 2001 and at Birmingham in 2002!

Here are the interesting parts:


Q: Can you just give us a summary of this match and tell us
  what you thought was key for you today?

  A: I've never beaten Jelena before, and you know, I think what
  really important was building on my match from yesterday. I
  was down early in my match yesterday and kept fighting, and
  today the same thing happened. She came out strong. I wasn't
  playing very well at the beginning, and I just really hung in
  there. I knew that I'm in play in the type of tennis that
  could beat someone of Jelena's today. You know, just hung in
  there and things started going on my way. In the second set, I
  got off to an early break and just kind of keep going.

  Q: Looked little like, Jelena, after she dropped the game, you
  came into the game, came very strongly, and then after certain
  points it appealed, to her, as though she wasn't chasing down
  the balls like she ordinary would. Did you notice the change
  in her game or do you think something affected her?

  A: You know, as far as whether or not she was trying or not, I
  think you'd have to ask her that.

Strange question, the second one! What do you think? I agree with Lisa, that Jelena should answer that question herself! Tomorrow! On court!

--

Gerhard
www.jelena-dokic.com