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JELENA-DOKIC.com - September 2, 2003 JELENA CORNER by Todd Spiker

TO FLUSH IN FLUSHING MEADOW

*US OPEN (#22 seed) POINTS* 1323...August 25 total (#23) 32.....2r 16.....1r: Gagliardi (#61) - 6-4,6-2 0......2r: Pierce (#64) - 2-6,7-6,6-7 48.....TOTAL (GRADE: D+) -40....2002 US Open +8.....POINTS 1331...Sept.8 total (#21)

"It's disappointing, for sure. But that's tennis. You know, it's just not my year, it looks like. I have to go on. Learn from this." - Jelena, after her 2r loss at the U.S. Open

A few weeks ago, Jelena talked about how fickle a mistress confidence can be. It can go in a flash, but be wooed back just as swiftly, only to be out the door in a blink of an eye yet again. Her experiences at this year's U.S. Open only served to crystallize her thoughts on the subject. As a result, what was hoped to be an event that could kick-start The Fair One toward a more successful final quarter of the season turned out to simply represent the story of her season in microcosm as one single match managed to mix together severe highs as well as lows in confidence, Good Jelena, Bad Jelena, the Emotional Jelena of seasons past and the head-hanging one that's been seen more often of late. In the span of one match against veteran Mary Pierce, Jelena teetered from being bounced from the Open with what seemed to be a gameplan without any real blueprint for victory to an inspiring save, then from a season-turning win to one of her worst losses on the big stage in her entire career.

"I felt like maybe I should have been off the court earlier. She was playing well. She could have finished the match in two sets. I was lucky to turn it around."

Jelena was right. In her fifth career meeting with Pierce, in a match that both could rightfully call their most important of the year, it was the veteran who came to play. Jelena's serve was broken quickly and the 2-6 1st set was over soon after. In the 2nd, Jelena's sloppy play (3 DF led to a break for 4-5) continued and Pierce held a match point on serve the next game. But, suddenly, the Jelena of old was resurrected. She broke back, shouting in approval at the turn of events as she did in days gone by. In the 2nd set TB, she pulled out a 7-5 win and brandished the clenched fist so many first became familiar with on Centre Court Wimbledon four years ago. The time for action had come, and Jelena had raised her game to a new (and old) level. The confidence rolled into the 3rd set as Jelena cleaned up her game with a more consistent serve. She led 5-1 and the only thing that seemed left was Pierce's congratulatory handshake for the victorious Dokic at the net. Then the wheels came off.

"I got tight."

Serving at 5-2, Jelena was broken. Serving at 5-4, Jelena was broken and committed her first DF since the 2nd set (causing her stats to flirt with a dozen DF for the match). Pierce won 20 of 24 points. Jelena managed two aces when serving at 5-6 to end an adventurous game that sent the match to another (deciding) tie-break. Tied at 5-5, Jelena served with a chance to give herself her first match point. But it was Pierce who blew the ball past Jelena, giving herself her second chance to wrap up the match. This time, she did.

"I lost the match myself; she didn't win it. I beat myself."

So all the hope that existed because of a somewhat favorable draw going into Flushing Meadow went down the toilet (pardon the imagery, but the play on words is simply too irresistible), putting Jelena on the spot again after another early slam exit, her fourth straight in the 3r or earlier and fifth consecutive at the hands of a lower-ranked player. **5 STRAIGHT TO LESSER-RANKEDS** RANKINGS.................OPP..JD ================================ 2002 Wimb.4r-Hantuchova...12...7 2002 US 2r-Bovina.........61...4 2003 RG 2r-Pisnik.........54..11 2003 Wimb.3r-Sharapova....91..12 2003 US 2r-Pierce.........64..23 Make no bones (or excuses) about it, anytime a player loses a 5-1 lead in the final set, serving twice for the match, it's a choke. Plain and simple. We'll have to wait and see what kind of lingering effect it will have on Jelena's state of mind the rest of the season. Surely, the next match she plays it'll leap to her mind no matter the score. It's a shame, too, since we seemed so close to seeing the fire of the old Jelena burst out in that Pierce match. We saw glimpses of her during the comeback and when the match was seemingly in command... but we're left with the memory of the Jelena who's continued to find new ways to lose in 2003. This wasn't the first time this frustrating summer has seen Jelena ALMOST get that momentum-igniting victory she needs to turn her season around. **THE SUMMER'S NEAR MISSES** San Diego vs. Rubin... Jelena wins 1st set 6-1 vs. a Top 10 player, but loses match in 3 sets ---------------------------- L.A. vs. Kuznetsova... Jelena leads 6-4, 3-1 (then 4-1 in the 2nd set TB), but loses match in 3 sets ---------------------------- U.S. Open vs. Pierce... Jelena leads 5-1 in the 3rd (then serves for a match point at 5-5 in the TB), but loses match by 5-7 TB score

"I think it's a lack of matches, lack of confidence to be able to finish a match like this. And when I'm able to do this, I'll be back where I was before. I had a few matches this summer that were like this, exactly this same. You know, I have to get over this."

The rest of this season will prove whether or not she can in 2003.

"I think generally my game is better than it was at the beginning of the year. I just have to keep on working. This is a tough loss for me. Mentally it's very tough. But I have to go on."

Jelena's return to the court in Bali next week presents a chance to begin turning back the tide, to sift through the carnage of the Pierce loss and recover the moments to savor... the saving of the match point and the rekindled flow of confidence deep into the 3rd set. And to remember the sting of the collapse, and learn to recognize the early signs of anything similar and prevent it from happening again. This is not something that she wants to become a habitual occurrence.

"I really rushed at 5-1. At 5-2, 5-4 when I served, I got really tight. I waited for her to miss, and I shouldn't have done that. You know, I thought the match was over."

Bali is a Tier III a week after a slam, so the field isn't likely to be of the killer variety. So maybe we'll actually get a good gauge on how well Jelena learned a lesson in New York. In the past, putting great hope in a lower tier event such as the one in Indonesia would have been considered "below" a Top 10 player. But Jelena will be #21 on Monday... and she needs to accompish something in her first stop in the Far East of the 4th Quarter. She has two more months to not have her head go off, to not get tight when points are most important. How difficult the memory of the loss to Pierce will make the remainder of Jelena's season rests solely on the fair Dokic's shoulders and psyche.

"I've had losses when I was up. But having 5-1 in the 3rd, such a bigger match, is disappointing. I haven't had anything like this."

She's oh-so-right when she says she has to get over her Open quickly -- for it's likely that how she ends 2003 will greatly effect how she starts her 2004. And as this season has proven, a bad start has a tendency to snowball into something far worse than anyone can ever suspect possible. One look at Jelena's 20-23 record this year, after back-to-back 50-win seasons, and that's crystal clear. A few minutes (and games) made the difference in New York. In Bali, or Shanghai, or somewhere in Europe after that, a few more can turn Jelena's prospects the other way, too. She just has to find it within herself to allow it to happen. Thus, the wait continues. ============================ **3RD SET TIE-BREAKS (0-4)** 97 P.Pirie (Chall) - lost to Singian 00 Montreal - lost to Appelmans 00 Leipzig lost to Clijsters 03 US Open - lost to Pierce **MULTIPLE TIE-BREAK MATCHES** 97 P.Pirie 2Q / Singian 6-7,6-3,6-7 00 Mtl. 1r / Appelmans 7-6,4-6,6-7 01 Linz 2r / Majoli 7-6,6-7,6-3 02 Hamburg QF / Henin 7-6,7-6 02 S.D. SF / Kournikova 6-7,7-6,6-0 03 US Open 2r / Pierce 2-6,7-6,6-7 **JELENA AT THE U.S. OPEN** 97 Jr.-1r lost to Matevzic 98 Jr.-CHAMP def. Srebotnik 99 1r - lost to Sanchez Vicario 00 4r - lost to S.Williams 01 4r - lost to Hingis 02 2r - lost to Bovina 03 2r - lost to Pierce ============================ LATER THIS WEEK: Jelena Awards, version 03.3