Jelena-dokic.com

.::WHAT'S-SHE-LOOKING-AT PIC OF THE WEEK::. JELENA: "Kim, why is everyone playing 'Pin-the-Tail on The Fair One' these days?" KIM: "I think I know what the problem is, Jelena -- someone taped a kick-me sign on your butt." JELENA-DOKIC.com June 17, 2004 JELENA CORNER by Todd Spiker

22 MONTHS IN TENNIS PURGATORY... IN QUOTABLE FORM

Well, the Corner's out of words for this week. So, Jelena (and a few others) will do the talking for this edition. Without further ado... Jelena, in her own words, in a progressive march through the tennis version of purgatory she's now found herself residing in for the past twenty-two months (you think YOU'RE confused by what's happened to the Fair One? -- if you pay close attention, you'll see that SHE can't quite figure out what to make of it, either): ==2002==

"I've beaten Martina (Hingis) and Venus, but I think Jennifer was always the one for me to beat. I can say it was the biggest win of my career right now." - Jelena, after defeating Jennifer Capriati in San Diego (July 2002)

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: "(Jelena's) always been a good player. Tonight she was a great player."

"I think mentally I am a very strong person." - JD

CHANDA RUBIN: "(Jelena) was in semi-tank mode." - after easily defeating the Fair One in the Los Angeles SF, following the infamous pre-match, off-court crying fit (August 2002)

"She played well and just, in general, I didn't. I didn't move so well. I just had trouble staying in points because I made too many errors. You know, you cannot do that. It wasn't good enough." - World #4 Jelena, after losing to Elena Bovina in the 2nd Round of the US Open

==2003==

Miss Dokic, in early March: "Mentally and physically I'm struggling, but I'm not worried."

In late March, as world #9: "I think I played my best tennis that I played in the last six months."

Jelena, in June: "I'm not expecting much from the rest of this year."

"My head just went off. I got a bit nervous. I should have won the match. It was all mental." - "Little Miss Velcro," after blowing a 6-4/3-1 lead (& 4-1 advantage in a 2nd set TB) against Svetlana Kuznetsova (August 2003)

World #15 JD: "I've played very well the last few years. I've just kept going up. And you get a year where you don't play so well, and this is normal. That happens, I know this. I just have to keep on working hard and try to get some wins. I think I'm playing better at least the last few months than I did at the beginning. And, you know, I think I'm starting to get my form back a little bit. It's normal. You can't play well for ten years of your career. I haven't played the best tennis I can, but I think I'm improving."

"I've played well the last three years. I've played a lot of matches so I think mentally I got a little bit tired. That's basically it. I've had a lot of close matches that I didn't win, so you lose your confidence a little bit. That's the key to my game, I think. But I think it's coming back, and the last two weeks I had matches where I was close and I played good tennis." - The Fair One

"It doesn't take very much to lose your confidence. It also doesn't take very much to get your confidence back up. Sometimes you just need a few matches to get it back." - J.Dokic

Jelena: "I just want to start playing better, get my form back up to where I was when I was #4 in the world. I would like to play like I did."

"I played well. Surprisingly well." - the world #17, in August, after defeating Meghannn Shaughnessy in New Haven for her first win over a Top 20 player in 2003

"I got tight. I lost the match myself; she didn't win it. I beat myself. 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." - the #23-ranked Fair One, after blowing a 5-1 lead in the third set to Mary Pierce at the US Open

"I'm playing for next year." (October 2003)

Jelena D.: "I want to do well in those early tournaments and hopefully be back in the Top 10 by March."

"I feel I have got my head together and my tennis together." - Jelena, after making the final in Zurich following a win over world #1 Kim Clijsters

The #14-ranked player at the end of the 2003 season: "I think my mind is more on the court. I think I feel better physically. I just feel more comfortable now than I did a few months ago. I've worked very hard." ==2004==

"My confidence is very high tennis-wise. I haven't been like this for a while, a year and a half. I'm very happy about it." - after advancing to the Tokyo SF in her first tournament of 2004, in early February

In early March: "I know I'm going through a slump. It'll take some time for me to start playing well and win matches."

Jelena, in April: "Due to some bad results, I want to enter smaller tournaments, so I get some confidence by winning in smaller events after Wimbledon. Therefore I am making some changes in my game. My game has more shots now, I am changing service because it's very important for my tennis. I am coming to the net a lot more. All this has to come to its place soon, and then wins will come also."

"I am very pleased with Borna (Bikic). We had a few good wins, but the best is we work well both on and off the court. We already know each other and he helps me, so I don't have to think on everything." - World #18 Jelena (April)

"If I knew what the problem was I would fix it." - JD, last week in Birmingham

"I was annoyed because I had a chance to win. It's more annoying to have a chance to win and losing rather than just getting beaten." - after losing in Birmingham to Shenay Perry, blowing a 1st set lead and then a set point in the 2nd, in straight sets and showing her anger by tossing her racket during the match

The Fair One: "At times I play very well, but my game is up and down at the moment. I've not played well this year and my confidence is very low." (Birmingham)

"I think it is unfair if people say I am missing my father's influence. I still played at #4 for two years without him and have regularly finished in the Top 15. It is my aim to prove I can do well without him. I have to find my way." - JD, this week in Eastbourne

"I still love tennis and as long as that is the case I will stay in it. I just need to play more matches and put things right."

The world #25: "The trouble is you can't play many matches when you lose them."

"I won't be looking for a new direction to go. I have other interests, but I still love tennis and while that is the case I will play on. I'm not in it for the money. It is because I love the game."

After losing her career-worst sixth consecutive WTA match, and her eleventh straight set: "My serve is not working. To be honest, my game is a problem in general." And finally... "I feel really great, physically in good shape. I'm really excited to be back on grass for the best time of the year. I've put last season totally behind me." Hmmm... that last quote doesn't sound like the recent Jelena, does it? That's because those words came from the mouth of Daniela Hantuchova the other day after she won a three-set 1st Round match in Eastbourne. It'd have been nice if those HAD been the Fair One's sentiments. But, if nothing else, any sun that peeks through the clouds of another young player who's been going through some rough patches of her own lately is encouraging... if it can happen to that player, maybe it can happen to the fair Jelena, as well. No matter how dark things are at the moment, or are about to become.

NEXT WEEK

WIMBLEDON ...the Big W, SW19, The All-England Club. You know the drill. Again, no words of "wisdom" are necessary or remotely possible... just a lamentable worry that things will get worse before they get better. It's supposed to be the darkest before the dawn, right? Well, 1-8 in the last nine WTA matches (with six straight losses, and eleven consecutive sets dropped) is damn well approaching pitch black. **THE STREAK** C'ston 2r - Mandula 6-7/6-3/2-6 Berlin 1r - Shaughnessy 0-6/3-6 Rome 1r - Camerin 5-7/5-7 RG 1r - Perebiynis 4-6/1-6 Birm. 2r - Perry 4-6/6-7 East. 1r - Pisnik 2-6/2-6 (Hmmm... is it just me or is it fitting that this thing started with a loss to Great Mandula's Ghost?) ********************** ********************** ON TUESDAY: Wimbledon begins next week, and Day Two will take place on June 22... just like it did five years ago. No matter what happens with Jelena Version 2004 during the first two days of play at the All-England Club, the Corner will offer up its first-ever Commemorative Edition to honor what happened there on that day in 1999. With luck (make that a WHOLE LOT of it), it'll be a way to celebrate, gather optimism and look forward to Jelena's upcoming 2nd Round match rather be viewed as a salve for whatever might be the latest psychic wounds inflicted in jolly ol' England.