Jelena-dokic.com

.::HOPING-AGAINST-HOPE PIC OF THE WEEK::. ...(Birmingham 2002) The grass season used to be Jelena's friend. Of course, so did the clay season. Hardcourt, too. Still, the fact remains that grass has often brought out the best in the Fair One. Her last -- err, I mean MOST RECENT -- singles title was now two years ago and completed her career surface slam (titles on grass, clay, carpet and hardcourts). The site of the moment? Precisely where Jelena finds herself this week. JELENA-DOKIC.com June 8, 2004 JELENA CORNER by Todd Spiker

GREEN WITH ENVY (and other Jelena-related cliches)

Was Jelena ever really in Paris at all? It'd be nice to emphatically say, "no! That was an impostor!" Unfortunately, that'd be a lie. Even worse, her role as an inconsequential extra in the grand drama that took place in Paris the last two weeks wasn't really surprising in the slightest. **CAREER SLAM LOSSES** [opponent ranks] #200a 1999 RG-Curutchet #131 2001 RG-Mandula #103 2004 RG-Perebiynis #92a 2000 Oz-Kuti Kis #91 2003 Wimb-Sharapova #86 1999 Wimb-Stevenson #64 2003 US-Pierce #61 2002 US-Bovina #54 2003 RG-Pisnik #45a 2000 RG-Hrdlickova #12 2002 Wimb-Hantuchova #10 1999 US-Sanchez-V. #5 2000 US-S.Williams #3 2001 Wimb-Davenport #2 1999 Oz-Hingis #2 2001 Oz-Davenport #2 2000 Wimb-Davenport #1 2002 RG-Capriati #1 2001 US-Hingis (a)-approximate rank Actually, the best thing that resulted from this year's Roland Garros, in Jelena's case, might have been what occurred nearly two weeks after she lost in the 1st Round to Tatiana Perebiynis -- Anastasia Myskina faced Elena Dementieva in the final. In the long run, that matchup might turn out to be a wild aberration, but it did prove that even streaky, pressure-felling players with service limitations (Dementieva had 18 DF in the 1st Round, and averaged 10 a match!) and no overwhelmingly dominant shot (Dementieva's crosscourt forehand is probably the best between the two) CAN rise above the muck and accomplish something great. It'd been nice if Jelena could have been the one to prove the point, but the Fair One has shown only slight ability (Zurich, anyone?) to rise above her own creeping mediocrity for most of the last approaching (yikes!) two years. But, still, neither Russian finalist is demonstrably better than Jelena. In fact, before she lost to Dementieva earlier this season, Jelena was a combined 11-4 against the pair going all the way back to their junior days. The main component in both's final runs wasn't sterling play that made everyone say, "wow!" It was that they refused to collapse in big matches (until the final, at least, in Dementieva's case) no matter how easy it would have been to do so. Instead, they allowed their opponents to do it. Venus and Capriati did the trick for Myskina, while Daveport, Mauresmo and Suarez played "losing ball" for Dementieva. When they didn't, the two Russians just didn't quit. In both cases, it worked. Svetlana Kuznetsova couldn't convert match points against Myskina in the 4th Round, while Anna Pistolesi's cramping helped erase her 6-0/3-0 lead over Dementieva in the 3rd Round. When all hope was lost, neither lost hope... and in case anyone wasn't paying attention, Gaston Gaudio reminded everyone of the intelligence of that tactic again on Sunday. If you just keep your head up, anything can happen if you let it. It's a good thing for Jelena to remember. Belief is the key. When Jelena last won a singles title in Birmingham in June 2002, she had five career titles to a combined total of just one for Myskina and Dementieva. Since then, Jelena has zero and the Russians have team for ten. Jelena burst out of the career gate faster, but has been caught and passed by both. But the Fair One just turned 21 in April, while the Russian pair will both be 23 by the end of the season. Nearly two years Jelena's seniors, Myskina and Dementieva have reached career heights in 2004. That means the Fair One has two years to work with before she can be considered "officially" behind the pace of the two. That's nearly 100 weeks! Time... time... time... is on her side. Yes it is. But is Jelena? **USELESS STAT UPDATE** JELENA'S SINGLES WHEN... She Plays Doubles: 4-2 She Doesn't: 2-9

THIS WEEK

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND DFS Classic Tier III; Grass (Yay!) #5 seed; 2r vs. Perry --Jelena in Birmingham-- 99 (Qualified)..1r/Grande 01 2r/Molik 02 (#1 seed)..W/Myskina ====================== NOW HEAR THIS!! Jelena WILL NOT extend her 1st Round losing streak this week!! She has a 1st Round bye. Will grass be Jelena's friend over the next month, or join her lengthening list of enemies? Let's hope it's the former. She really, really, really needs it to be. You know, like George W. Bush really needs a bushel of extra IQ points and the Olsen twins need acting lessons. (Ahh, NOW you grasp the inherent urgency of this situation, don't you?) Everyone form an intercontinental seance circle and put a hex on Shenay Perry. Here, I'll start. Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. For the 150th time on the Corner... that's all for now. ======================== THIS WEEK ON TENNISRULZ.com's WTA BACKSPIN: "Anastasia the Great"