Article written by Todd Spiker

Jelena-Dokic.com
JELENA CORNER
August 26, 2004


 

   Looks like we'll soon discover the first clues to the mystery of whether or not Jelena's World has stopped spinning, even just a little bit, over the last two months.  As the Corner lives and breathes... the Fair One's name has appeared in the U.S. Open singles draw.
   Since that 1st Round loss at the All-England Club in late June, Jelena has been nothing more than a distant memory on the WTA tour.  Of course, the Jelena that HAD been on the court for the previous five months of the season was largely a faded image -- a ghost, if you will -- of the former #4 player in the world.  Lacking confidence, she was terribly troubled and showing it with every step, every word... and every loss (14 in 20 WTA matches, including the last seven).
   One can assume she's been practicing, trying to bring together her game while learning how to deal with the myriad problems facing her when she's without a racquet in her hand, namely the familiar familial earthquakes that finally shook her emotional foundation to its core when we saw her last.


 

   That was one of the last things we heard from Jelena before her summer sabbatical.  In Flushing Meadow, assuming we don't see another announcement to the contrary in the next few days, the Fair One returns.  What happens on the court will be the subject of great discussion, but the real curiosity will swirl around the moment she leans into the microphone in the press room after she either extends her career-long losing streak or finally snaps it.  Many questions will be asked, and Jelena's answers (should she choose to give them) will be awaited with bated breath.  Is Borna Bikic still her coach?  Has some measure of understanding been found within the Dokic clan?  Has her extended break, the longest in-season period of inactivity in her career, been just what the doctor ordered?
   Only the Fair One knows.


 

   What Will Jelena Do?
   Whether or not she wins or loses to Nathalie Dechy (she's 3-0 vs. the Frenchwoman in her career) in the U.S. Open 1st Round -- or gets as far as to face world #6 Elena Dementieva in the 3rd Round -- is of great interest, but that she's decided to emerge from "deep cover" after two months in the shadows is more important.  At this point, it's not a win/loss thing.  She hasn't won a grand slam match since the 2003 U.S. Open (1st Round vs. Emmanuelle Gagliardi), and her last match at Flushing Meadow included that blown 5-1 3rd set lead against Mary Pierce in the 2nd Round.  It'd be nice to see some new good memories created early next week in New York, but it's all the rest that carries more weight.
   Watch how Jelena moves.  Look at her face.  Observe her reactions to the ebb and flow of a match.  Then listen to her words after it's all over.  THAT'S what'll be most important next week.  Has the road to recovery begun, on and off court?  That'll be the more telling intelligence gathered in New York, as far as the Fair One and her future are concerned.  At least one victory would be nice, but it's not essential... just a respectable showing -- and a sense that she's finally enjoying herself again -- is all that is a MUST this time out.
   So many questions.  So many signs.  Hopefully, soon, things will be a little more clear for the Fair One... and everyone who roots for her to succeed.

All for now.