Article sent by Glyn James

The All England Championships:

It's time for Wimbledon -

In case you hadn't heard, there's some rather prestigious tournament about to take place on the grass of London.  No no, Todd and I aren't hitting the park courts for a tennisrulz tennis battle of the death, but rather Jelena is travelling to SW19 to take part in the world's most famous tennis tournament on the tour: The Wimbledon Championships.  Now is usually the time where everyone is smiling and optimistic about Jelena's chances of going a step further at Wimbledon, and due to my light-hearted mood I'd throw in some chirpy stereotypical quotes about strawberries, cream, tea and the British Upper Class.  Unfortunately, the situation regarding Jelena is an extremely grave one, and it would be inappropriate for me to take part in such prejudical humour.  As for Wimbledon, well I'm sure you pretty much know everything there is to know about the tournament already, especially if you're British.  It is a two week event with over $3,000,000 of prize money available, and is considered to be 'the one' that every tennis player dreams of winning .... unless of course, you're a certain Spanish lady named Magui Serna, who believes that the grass is only fit for cows.  Far be it from me to suggest that Magui would be in her element chewing the chud of Wimbledon.  If you want tickets, then you'll have no choice but to queue for them early in the morning.  Catch the train to Wimbledon Park and then just follow the crowd.  You should be there by about 7am if you want to get a ground pass and get in by 10.30 (the time the gates open).  If however you would like a centre or court 1 / 2 pass, then you'll have to wait in line all night.  Alternatively you could keep your eyes peeled for some OAPs and then thieve whatever tickets they have. (Due to the craziness of political correctness, I feel it's my duty to say that neither tennisrulz nor jelena-dokic.com endorse the robbery of the old ... except for maybe Gerhard).  For any(more) information, you can check out Wimbledon's official website at www.wimbledon.org.

Who's that Jelena imposter?

For many months now, we have been left wondering who is this thinner looking Jelena who is playing at the quarter of her potential?  For a couple of years us fans begged Jelena to take a step into professionalism and hire a coach.  And when she did, her game fell flat.  Of course, the mental abuse Jelena suffered at the hands of her 'different' father would not have done her the world of good, but undoubtedly the presence of her boyfriend Enrique Bernoldi will no doubt have eased her mental state somewhat.  Jelena has recently split with Heinz Gunthardt after reportedly failing to cope with the discipline she endured whilst training with Heinz (possibly another negative consequence of having her dad as a coach for so long), and is now under the wing of a Croatian named Barna Bikic.  It appears that Jelena's time with Heinz was a waste of time, but it's possible that we will see some benefits from it later in the year, and if not, Jelena is still young and is still prepared to fight her way back into the top five.  It's unlikely that Jelena will turn things around quickly enough for Wimbledon, but it's also possible that Jelena will resort to playing her old style of game during Wimbledon to try to give her low confidence a boost.  It will certainly be intruiging to see which style of play Jelena will utilise over the coming weeks.

The Draw -

Jelena is the number 11 seed, and has had a rather favourable draw all in all.

I should mention that Amelie Mauresmo has withdrawn from the tournament and Justine Henin-Hardenne is a possible doubt after a hand injury, so the draw is subject to change.  As it stands though, Jelena will play England's Elena Baltacha in the first round.  Baltacha put together a decent run last year, but has already played down her chances of matching that run due to illnesses and injuries.  Stay tuned to Gerhard's fantastic match previews for more information on Jelena's opponents, and check out Jelena's Corner for more information.

Conclusion -

For some strange reason, I have a little more optimism this week than I did last week.  Jelena has never failed to reach the fourth round of Wimbledon and, as the case is so often in most sports, a change in personal usually results in an injection of energy and inspiration.  Jelena is extremely desperate to put together a winning streak of some sort, and thanks to a kind draw, Jelena has a golden opportunity to take her first two matches and then will hopefully have enough believe to capture another win or two.  It's time to hold your breath, cross your fingers, and pray to Glynos (erm, I mean God) because if Jelena suffers another first round loss, I think we'll be seeing a very tearful Jelena leaving jolly ol' England.

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Prediction -

1rd - Jelena def. Baltacha in two

2rd - Jelena def. Gagliardi in three

3rd - Jelena def. Sharapova in three

4rd - *Depends on the draw re-shuffle*

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