JELENA-DOKIC.com -
September 23, 2003
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JELENA
CORNER by Todd Spiker
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**SHANGHAI POINTS BREAKDOWN**
1253..September 15 points (#22)
25....2r
2.....1r:Jankovic (#124) 7-6,4-4 (r)
0.....2r:Safina (#66) 1-6,4-6
27....SHANGHAI TOTAL [GRADE: D]
-104..2002 off (TokyoPC SF)
+38...new 17th best (Vienna 03)
-66...POINTS FOR WEEK
1187..September 22 points (#26)
To be honest, there shouldn't even be a Corner this
week. Jelena really shouldn't be playing in Germany.
As if the tennis gods were trying to send her a
message (and teach her a lesson), her draw has fairly
well assured that she'll have a short stay in Gerhard's
little corner of the world (more on that later). Asia
wasn't kind to the fair Dokic, but Europe might be even
more brutal.
Speaking of Asia, there's little reason to rehash
Shanghai, right? After all, if Jelena managed to escape
China with her head above water it was only BARELY so.
A (too) tight (7-0 tie-break or not) 7-6,4-4 win over
injured #124 Jelena Jankovic wasn't exactly resume
material. And the lack of any real competition in the
loss to Dinara Safina was, sadly, pretty much expected.
Jelena's withdrawl from the doubles with Ashley
Harkleroad with a toe contusion/bruise resembled a
convenient excuse to get out of town without further
delay. A good decision, for once. Hoo-ray. But any
good that might have come from any additional rest
(mental and physical) and/or practice time will likely
be counteracted with this week's trip to Leipzig.
Another rocky week seems to await Jelena. Hopefully,
she'll remember to wear a helmet. Running into brick
walls can cause quite a headache, no matter how much
experience she's had at doing it over the past year.
**JELENA BY SURFACE in 2003**
Hard (Outdoor)...........9-11
Red Clay..................5-6
Green Clay................3-3
Grass.....................2-2
Carpet....................1-1
Greenset Hard (Indoor)....1-2
**JELENA INDOOR/OUTDOOR in 2003**
OUTDOOR.....................19-22
INDOOR........................2-3
LEIPZIG, GERMANY
Sparkassen Cup; Tier II
Supreme Indoor (carpet surface)
Unseeded
1r vs. Jelena Kostanic (#83)
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What is Jelena doing in Leipzig, anyway?
Her results haven't been getting better, they've been
getting worse (or are at least frustratingly
unchanged). She hasn't had any extended time off in
ages. For the record, two of the last three weeks she
DIDN'T decide to play, barring early slam losses, were
the weeks of April 21 and July 14, which were Fed Cup
weeks. If not for that little fact, Jelena likely would
have played then, too. That means only the week of July
7, immediately after Wimbledon, sported a true
Jelena-less week in the WTA going back to February 24.
That's insane scheduling.
This week's surface, Supreme court, despite the same
carpet-like surface being the type she won on in Moscow
2001, is her worst over the course of her career
(15-15). Playing indoors (32-30 career) hasn't been
Jelena's cup of tea, either.
The chance that any form of momemtum can return to
Jelena's game at all this fall, as it's surely the case
in Leipzig, resides somewhere between slim and none at
the moment (and maybe not even that). Not with Kim
Clijsters standing ready to wipe her out in the 2r...
that is, if Jelena can get past yet another Jelena
(Kostanic) in the 1r. And THAT is far from a sure
thing.
Maybe the only thing good that can result from this
week IS merely the opportunity to play the so-called #1,
though. Against Clijsters, at least, little will be
expected and the excuses for losing will have no reason
to be creative or foggy. Clijsters is simply better.
It's as easy as that.
It could be that in 2004 that little fact will see
fit to change. But in September 2003, it's almost a
mismatch.
From this vantage point, the season can't end quickly
enough.
==============================
THIS WEEK ON TENNISRULZ BACKSPIN:
HONOR THY ELENA... Dementieva wins (again!)
COMING SOON:
BACKSPIN SEPTEMBER QUIZ (the 3rd Quarter)
