JELENA-DOKIC.com - May 20,
2003
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JELENA
CORNER
by Todd Spiker
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#10...SINGLES RANKING (2238)
#22...SINGLES 2003 RACE (551)
#14...DOUBLES RANKING (1780)
#8....2003 RACE - DOKIC/PETROVA (615)
Damn the torpedoes, on to Strasbourg she goes!
After Rome turned out to be a bust (except for the
long-awaited return of Dokic/Petrova in a doubles final,
of course), it's no great surprise that Jelena took the
opportunity to go back on her early-season plan to avoid
playing the week before a slam. When the loss to Conchita
Martinez last week dropped her under .500 for the season,
worrying about playing too much isn't really a major
concern this spring.
So, Jelena gets one more chance to gain some confidence
for Paris. But as the #1 seed, she'll actually have a
more difficult road than #2-seed Anastasia Myskina if the
draw's higher-ranked players live up to their
reputations. Strasbourg could end up being another
surprise disappointment, and the resulting pain could be
felt in the early rounds in Paris.
But rolling the dice right now is the right move.
Jelena needs to play. It's the only way that "click" will
sound in her head and her practice game will seamlessly
fold into her match play to produce greater results.
Hopefully, she'll take heart in the run to the Rome final
she and Petrova put together last week. They'd been a
rather disappointing team in 2003 up until then, but the
"click" finally sounded for them in Italy as the team
appeared in its sixth final since late 2001. Maybe, just
maybe, she'll hear it in her singles play soon, as well.
Until then, it's a waiting game.
Here's to hoping she comes up trumps in Strasbourg...
it would make Roland Garros so much more interesting.
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2Q POINTS
CHART
2002*******2003
157..Wk.14....1
135..Wk.15..100
1....Wk.16...33
0.....FC......0
156..Wk.18..119
40...Wk.19...42
61...Wk.20....1
134..Wk.21.....
238...RG.......
186..Wk.24.....
1....Wk.25.....
132..Wimb......
02 2Q Pts..1241
03 2Q Pts...296
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--HOLDING ON--
Despite Anastasia Myskina outdistancing her in Rome for
the second straight year, Jelena managed to hold onto her
#10 ranking and increased her lead to 72 points. With the
Roland Garros seeding cutoff coming after last week's
matches, she's assured of no less than the #10-seed in
Paris (which will still be Jelena's lowest slam seeding
since she was #14 at the 2001 US Open).
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#8 Chanda
Rubin........leads by 252
#9 Daniela Hantuchova..leads by 228
#10 JELENA.....................2238
#11 Anastasia Myskina..trails by 72
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This week, Jelena defends 134 points from her
Strasbourg RU from a year ago. At worst, her new ranking
points total would fall from 2238 to 2157. She'll likely
need to advance to at least the SF to add to that number.
#8 Chanda Rubin, leading Jelena by 252, is defending 128
points of her own this week as the #1 seed in Madrid.
==========================================
**JELENA IN WTA DOUBLES FINALS**
99 Tokyo PC - RU with Amanda Coetzer
01 Roland Garros - RU with Conchita Martinez
01 New Haven - RU with Nadia Petrova
01 Linz - WON with Nadia Petrova
02 Sarasota - WON with Elena Likhovtseva
02 Los Angeles - WON with Kim Clijsters
02 Moscow - RU with Nadia Petrova
02 Zurich - RU with Nadia Petrova
02 Linz - WON with Nadia Petrova
03 Rome - RU with Nadia Petrova
**DOKIC/PETROVA**
2000.....0-1
2001.....8-2
2002....11-3
2003....10-5 (& walkover loss)
TOTAL: 29-12
------------------------------
-TITLES-
2001 Linz
2002 Linz
-OTHER FINALS-
2001 New Haven
2002 Moscow
2002 Zurich
2003 Rome
*INTERNATIONAUX de
STRASBOURG*
Strasbourg, France; May 19-25
Red Clay; Tier III
#1 seed; 2r vs. Karolina Sprem (#163)
2002: RU-lost to Farina Elia (134 pts)
--------------------------------------
POINTS TABLE
W=120; RU=85; SF=55; QF=30; 2r=16; 1r=1
Strasbourg has been good to Jelena.
In 2002, it provided her with a RU result that she was
able to feed off en route to her best Roland Garros result
(QF) immediately after. This year, though, its importance
is a matter of legitimate debate.
Surely, Jelena needs the matches and the confidence a
stringing together of a few victories would provide her
with in Paris next week. The worries about her playing
too much are pretty much a non-issue at this point in the
season -- she hasn't been able to win enough matches for
fatigue to even have a chance to set in. At 11-12 for the
season, she has a remarkable 21 fewer matches under her
belt than a player such as Kim Clijsters -- and 27 fewer
match wins! Going to Strasbourg isn't a backtrack so much
as a necessity.
That it is just that doesn't really spark great
confidence that she can match her 2002 RU, either. This
doesn't look like it's going to be a walk in the park RG
tune-up. But there is reason to believe it CAN be an
opportunity to make a strong step forward rather than what
there's legitimate fear it could turn into -- another
early round exit that would make a run into the second
week of play in Paris almost impossible to envision for a
disheartened 20-year old battling through the
one-step-forward, two-steps-back process of a coaching
change and all the usual plot twists in the most recent
episodes of "As Jelena's World Turns."
That being said, I'm inclined to look at the bright
side of the possibilities in Strasbourg. Facing #163
Karolina Sprem in the 2r should at least prevent another
3-match losing streak (Jelena hasn't lost to a player
ranked outside the Top 100 since that shocker against
Petra Mandula at the 2001 RG). After that, things get a
little stickier.
Not surprisingly, Elena Bovina wasn't able to awaken
her from 2003 sleepwalk in the 1r and won't be around to
face Jelena. Laura Granville might be there in the 3r,
though. The American upset Meghannn Shaughnessy in Rome
last week, and could provide a bigger than expected
obstacle if Jelena's game is off. Russain teen Vera
Zvonareva, playing better than ever this EuroClay season,
would likely await Jelena in the SF... and the result of
that match would give a very good idea about what Jelena's
chances are to last into the second week in Paris. As the
probable #10 seed there, she could face a player of
Zvonareva's quality as early as the 3r/4r. Win or lose, a
Strasbourg SF against her would be a good test.
Too many things have gone against Jelena in recent
weeks to predict a return to the final here, but I will
hold my breath and go with the season's second SF in the
past month. It would be an encouraging sign, with the
grass in England awaiting her following what it's hard to
believe will be anything but a disappointing trip to
Paris.
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*JELENA AS
A #1-SEED*
2002
Sarasota - W (def.Panova)
Strasbourg - RU (Farina Elia)
Birmingham - W (def.Myskina)
Eastbourne - 1r (Matevzic)
Bahia - SF (Myskina)
2003
Sarasota - 1r (Suarez)
Strasbourg - ??
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========================================
THIS WEEK ON TENNISRULZ BACKSPIN:
Rome, for Clijsters and Serena, was
all about "REDEMPTION AND ACHILLES WILLIES"
