JELENA-DOKIC.com
March 24, 2004
JELENA CORNER
by Todd Spiker
|
|
|
|
|
|
ALL'S
(NOT) WELL AFTER INDIAN WELLS
|
|
Hmmm, what to make of the Fair One after a trip to
California and another victory-less week (or, in this
case, two). It's a complicated deduction, for sure.
But, on the surface, how could anyone NOT believe that
all is not well after Indian Wells?
The loss to #98 Gala Leon Garcia was forgettable,
not because it was an obvious aberration, but because
it was so much like so many other defeats going back
to the tail end of the 2002 season. Up 4-3 in the 1st
set, then losing it 4-6. Winning the 2nd set (6-3) to
extend the match and provide a little hope. Playing
close in the deciding set, then faltering in the
closing games to lose to a player with few recent
bright moments to draw upon... until finding a way to
upset Jelena Dokic, that is. Stop me if you've heard
this story before.
After that surprising 3-0 start in Tokyo in
February, Jelena has gone a disappointing 1-5 since
(and dropped a 0-6 1st set in that single victory).
If Jelena's working her way back into form, she's
going the long way around to do it.
The thing is, losses in and of themselves aren't
always bad. If with each defeat some measure of
"victory" (improved serving, winning a tight
tie-break, pushing a Top 10/20 player to three sets,
etc.) were present there'd be something to grab hold
of, something to build on the next time out, and there
wouldn't be so many dark clouds constantly threatening
to intrude on yet another season's sunny skies. But
the trends, on the surface, aren't exactly
encouraging:
**2004's FIVE LOSSES**
1st - to #6 Davenport
2nd - to #35 Bovina
3rd - to #40 Mandula
4th - to #77 Zheng
5th - to #98 Leon Garcia
Check out this quote:
|
|
|
|
|
|
"I just
showed myself that I'm not winning only when
I'm winning, I'm winning when I'm losing, too.
It was important that I prove I'm not only
strong mentally when I'm winning, I'm also
strong when I'm losing. I think that's a very
important thing that players should have. I
think that's the thing that makes a lot of
players the players they are today, and
destroys a lot of players we don't know."
|
|
A good way to approach things, wouldn't you say?
An eye squarely on the process of building
self-confidence from the inside out, not just
developing it whenever a string of well-played points
or matches is stumbled upon. It certainly seems to be
a self-possessed guard against gloomy, head-hanging
slumps. Unfortunately, it wasn't the (seemingly)
perpetually confidence-deprived Jelena who uttered
those words, it was a 14-year old, Bollettieri-trained
Bulgarian named Sesil Karatancheva who made her debut
(a good one, too) in a WTA event in Indian Wells.
Sometimes out of the mouths of babes comes remarkable
wisdom.
Sure, a 14-year old girl with two WTA wins under
her belt has yet to face the same series of mounting
pressures that a nearly 21-year old young woman with
212 victories has, but it might not be bad for the
Fair One to take such "words of wisdom" to heart,
especially when the kid could easily be parroting
something that might have come from the lips of a
certain then-Aussie native about 6 or 7 years ago.
Of course, it could be that Jelena IS learning from
yet another slow start to a season and it'll show in
the 2nd Quarter. It could be that the last year and a
half-plus is just a typical "down" period that many a
young player is forced to slog their way through after
reaching early, teenage heights such as a #4 ranking
and five singles titles over two seasons.
It could be. Let's hope so. If the Fair One is
going to continue to rack up losses at this rate, it'd
be better if something -- no matter how small -- was
gained from at least a few. If that's been the case
in 2004, then the "good" points have been pretty well
hidden in plain sight.
But there's always that possibility... we hope.
MIAMI, FLORIDA
(USA)
NASDAQ-100 OPEN
TIER I; Hard Outdoor
#12 Seed
2r vs. Pratt/Parra
====================
First, the good news... the 1st Quarter will
mercifully end after Miami wraps. "EuroJelena!" is
just around the corner. Now Jelena just needs to find
her game's "comfort zone" before it arrives. South
Florida will be the site of her latest attempt.
In a tournament lacking most of the top players,
Jelena is the #12-seed (her first time as a #12 in a
WTA event, oddly enough). After a bye (probably not a
good thing for a player needing matches), she'll face
either Nicole Pratt (the Fair One is 1-0 against the
Aussie vet in '04!) or Arantxa Parra.
After that, a potential 3rd Round match could bring
on Meghannn Shaughnessy, one of the fastest improving
players in March, with wins over Anastasia Myskina, Ai
Sugiyama and Alicia Molik. I won't bother to strain
my eyes looking any farther down the line than that.
It would likely be pointless.
Hey, but maybe Jelena will surprise... maybe the
sun will rise... maybe the cow will jump over the moon
and a dish run away with a spoon.
Maybe.
======================
ON THIS WEEK'S TENNISRULZ BACKSPIN:
"The Calm Before the B.S. Storm?"
