Did things go perfectly in Zurich? No. Jelena didn't win her
fourth career singles title, or find a way to finally defeat
the likes of
Lindsay Davenport (more on that in a moment). But she did
manage to up her post-US Open match record to 15-3 and advance
to at least the final
in the fourth of her last five events by reaching her third
Tier I final (on three different surfaces, no less) since
finally becoming a
full-time participant on the WTA tour six months ago. Then,
almost as a bonus, she moved past Serena Williams to a new
career-high of #9.
There was enough evidence and recent history to believe that
things could have been far rockier than they turned out to be
last week. But
one of the most important things that's been learned about
Jelena in 2001 is that she learns very quickly. After her
initial tour title (and
first Tier I) in Rome, her game's effectiveness reached
newfound levels (she even won the WTA's player of the month
award for May). But she
couldn't keep it up. She roared into Roland Garros, blew a few
opponents off the court... then saw her concentration crumble
when she
was challenged by Petra Mandula. In an instant, a golden
opportunity was lost. One gets the feeling that she's never
allowed herself to
forget it, or the sight of the Belgian Waffles facing each
other in the SF when she knew that she truly deserved to be
there.
After her second Tier I title in Moscow, Jelena arrived in
Zurich with a draw that was favorable, but hardly a pushover.
Buoyed by the confidence engendered by recent success, she
fought her way through tight, tough wins over Chanda Rubin and
Silvia Farina Elia before thrashing Nathalie Tauziat in the SF
for her first victory over the
French vet. Jelena's been the tour's hottest player since the
conclusion of the US Open, and nothing that happened last week
did anything to change that wonderful fact. This time around,
she proved she's learned the price of success and how to deal
with it.
But, remember, the learning mode that Jelena currently finds
herself in remains a continuing process... and she's not yet
earned her diploma in
Tennis 101. The final against Davenport only served to prove
that fact. Had she emerged victorious, it would have been
correct to believe that the sky was the limit for the season's
final weeks. Anything would have been possible, including a
title in Munich at the WTA Championships. But now we know for
sure that there's still one huge confidence-hampering barrier
that Jelena has to break through: the
physically-overwhelming, huge-serving likes of Davenport or
Venus Williams... and the mental mindset she'll need to
develop to do it.
Even with her noteworthy confidence, Jelena always seems leery
when it comes to Davenport. Watch Jelena's interviews when she
plays her.
Notice how unusually complimentary of Davenport she is, and
how her frustration with the American's game is nearly always
apparent in her
words and tone. Obviously, it's with good reason. Davenport
can take over a match with her monstrous serve alone, and her
penetrating
groundstrokes can make even fierce strikers of the ball like
Jelena feel uncharateristically controlled and immediately put
on the defensive.
But it often seems to be more than that. Sometimes I think
Jelena goes into a match with Davenport three-quarters
defeated before the first
ball is struck. In that mindset, it doesn't take much for her
to surrender control of the match, then quickly switch into
"scramble mode" and go for far too much on all her
shots because she seems to feel it's her only chance to stay
competitive.
In Zurich, Davenport noted after the match how close she and
Jelena were in the first set, and how she felt that she had to
fight to hang on as
most games went to deuce up until the score was tied 3-3.
After that point, though, Davenport won eight straight games
and nine of the final
ten. What happened? As has sometimes been the case in such
circumstances, Jelena's game gave way. She was rocky from the
onset, throwing in four DFs in her first serve game (did she
think she had to be perfect, and begin to succumb before
things had really even started?) before finally holding, then
facing additional break points in her second. When the
pressure finally got to be too much, Davenport got a break and
then watched as Jelena's game, in Davenport's words, "got
progressively worse."
Risk is part of Jelena's game. It's what makes her so exciting
to watch. But risky shots without a concrete confidence to
back them up
usually result in what happened in the Zurich final. Oddly
enough, I wonder if it's Jelena's own lingering doubts -- as
much as her need to
develop her own serve into more of a weapon -- against the
likes of a Davenport that continue to hamper her as much as
the strong game (and
presence) on the other side of the net.
Jelena can play with Davenport for stretches. She did it at
this year's Wimbledon, where she lost a close 5-7,4-6 match.
In Australia in
January, Jelena pushed her to three sets after grabbing the
opening set in their 1st Round contest. It was one of the best
matches you'll ever see from a young player who ended up
losing in the end. Look no further than the fact that Jelena
was up a set as a potential clue to why it
turned out to be her best outing against Davenport.
With the first set in hand, Jelena was able to play within
herself for the remainder of that match. The didn't bury her
game with self-inflicted pressure... and she very nearly won.
With an advantage, she seemed to set aside the natural
leeriness about Davenport's game. Jelena actually outhit
Davenport that day, until the American's serve saved her in
the final few games. Down a set in Zurich, Jelena admitted
as much that she felt the need to go for broke with more and
more of her shots, opening the door for her propensity for
unforced errors to become
the match's deciding factor.
Without the internal belief that she's at a decided
disadvantage from the start, would the same thing happen even
if she were to drop the
opening set? Maybe, but Jelena's numbers when she wins the
first set have always been striking. This year alone, she's
45-6 when she goes up
1-0, but 7-17 when she falls behind. Jelena's two '01 wins
over fellow Top 10ers, against Amelie Mauresmo and Kim
Clijsters, that were bookends before and after that long
string of Top 10 defeats? Not shockingly, they were the only
matches in the period in which she won the opening
set.
The shot to Jelena's confidence when losing the first set
would seem to be somewhat evident, so that combined with an
already-held notion that
she'll probably need to go for even more risky shots than
normal because of a trace of a "defeatist" attitude
might explain why she seems to be confounded by Davenport's
game and how to finally defeat her. It's probably unfair to
say that Jelena has a temporary mental block when it comes to
the likes of Davenport and Venus... but it's certainly
something to think about, and watch for.
The good news is that Jelena's seven wins in 2001 after losing
the opening set is far more than the total of three she had in
similar circumstances from 1998-00. She's learning fast,
finding ways through, and discovering what it takes to be a
champion. The question for the remainder of this season is
whether she can learn quickly enough to go to Munich and grab
the spotlight from the Capriatis, Davenports and Williamses
and show the tennis world just what she's become.
Jelena might get one final pre-Championships opportunity to
test herself against Davenport at the end of this week in
Linz. Will she finally
leap that final hurdle? Maybe. Maybe not. Jelena's
"moment" might have to wait a little while longer,
until she can become the complete
player -- physically, as well as mentally -- that she appears
on her way to being. If 2001 has told us anything, it's that
she WILL get there
eventually... and more than likely sooner than we (and maybe
even Jelena) might think.
#5 Clijsters = leads by 714 points
#6 Henin = leads by 333 points
#7 Mauresmo = leads by 315 points
#8 Seles = leads by 106 points
#9 JELENA = 2566
#10 S.Williams = trails by 65 points
#11 Tauziat = trails by 360 points
...Jelena's runner-up result in Zurich helped her climb over
Serena Williams to #9 this week. Actually, had Jelena won the
final she would
have managed to advance past #8 Monica Seles, as well. It
didn't happen, but it would appear to be a likely possibility
this week with
Seles idle and Jelena playing in Linz and needing to only
close a relatively small 106-point deficit. Another run to her
fifth final in
her past six tournaments, a real possibility with Venus
Williams pulling out of the event and Davenport safely tucked
away in the other side of
the draw, would give Jelena a chance to catch #7 Mauresmo and
maybe even #6 Henin this week. Mauresmo won't see action until
Munich, but Henin
joins Jelena in the bottom half of the draw at the Generali
Open. The two could meet in the SF and, although Jelena would
have a better shot
to move past Henin should Belgian Waffle #2 lose early, it's a
matchup to root for. Henin is the only player in the Top 10
that Jelena has never faced (in the juniors or on the WTA
tour), and any experience against her would be beneficial for
whenever the time comes (and it will) when the two meet in far
bigger tournaments than the one in Linz. In fact, that moment
could come as early as in Munich next week.
*Jelena's 2001 Singles Finals*
Jan. - Hong Kong (ex) - d. Kournikova
May - Rome (I) - d. Mauresmo
Sep. - Bahia (II) - lost to Seles
Sep. - Tokyo (II) - d. Sanchez Vicario
Oct. - Moscow (I) - d. Dementieva
Oct. - Zurich (I) - lost to Davenport
*Jelena... 2001 Details*
10-11 = 3 set matches
7-5 = tie-breaks
1-0 = retired/walkovers
45-6 = up 1-0 set
7-17 = down 0-1 set
*Most WTA Singles Titles in '01*
6 = V.Williams, Davenport
4 = Mauresmo, Seles
3 = Capriati, Hingis, Henin, DOKIC
*WTA Tier I Events in 2001*
Feb = Tokyo - Lindsay Davenport
Mar = Indian Wells - Serena Williams
Apr = Miami - Venus Williams
Apr = Charleston - Jennifer Capriati
May = Berlin - Amelie Mauresmo
May = Rome - JELENA DOKIC
Aug = Toronto - Serena Williams (2)
Oct = Moscow - JELENA DOKIC (2)
Oct = Zurich - Lindsay Davenport (2)
*Remaining 2001 WTA Schedule*
Week of...
Oct.22 - Linz
Oct.22 - Luxembourg
Oct.29 - WTA Chsp., Munich
Nov.5 - Pattaya
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