*** Jelena-Dokic.com was
visited by Jelena and her agent ***
TWO
STEPS FORWARD, ONE LIMP BACK
by TODD SPIKER
*PARIS POINT BREAKDOWN*
137 = Runner-Up
15 = 2r:Cristina Torrens-Valero (#30)
35 = QF:Elena Dementieva (#15)
43 = SF:Monica Seles (#10)
0 = F:Venus Williams (#2)
230 = PARIS TOTAL
0 = 2001 points off
-36 = 17-best tournaments off
194 = TOTAL POINTS FOR WEEK
#6 = SINGLES (2974 pts., up 3)
#10 = DOUBLES (1720 pts, same)
Finally, we've got some meaty on-court issues to talk about.
So, here it goes. Remember, chew thoroughly so you don't
choke.
After a quiet month and change, Jelena Dokic finally arrived
on the WTA tour this week. In doing so, she uncovered a
mixed bag (uette?) of fortune in the shadow of the Eiffel
Tower. She showed how much she'd learned from the hard
lessons of 2001, earning one of the biggest wins of her
career and rising to #6 in the rankings, but ultimately left
Paris with another unforeseen obstacle to overcome.
In the long run, February 9 might go down as one of those
dates in a certain Yugoslav's tennis career that is
cataloged for future reference here and elsewhere. What's
crucial, though, is that what happened this past weekend
becomes a significant (and, more importantly, instructive)
day in the mindset of Jelena, herself. For the second
Saturday of February 2002 produced a supreme
confidence-building moment that was stripped of even greater
importance because of a possible case of bad judgment.
"I really didn't think I was going to win." That was the
somewhat surprising concession made by Jelena after she'd
managed to pull off one of her biggest victories, a
hard-fought three-set slugfest over Monica Seles in the SF
in her first triumph over the Yugoslavian-born American. In
one great match, Jelena displayed just why she remained so
utterly confident two weeks ago after her loss to Anne
Kremer in Tokyo. Obviously, this site's namesake had a very
effective and productive offseason in Florida. After having
wiped the court with Elena Dementieva in the QF despite
dropping the opening set, Jelena showcased a similar
champion's heart against Seles. That's nothing new, really,
but the WAY things played out were.
Jelena closed 2001 with two major issues to deal with: 1)her
own inconsistent serve, and 2)a propensity to feel at such a
disadvantage against the very top players (remember, she was
3-16 against Top 10ers last season) that she needed only a
small shove to fall off the match's highwire. Everyone
wondered how quickly Dokic could make up the ground between
her game's current form and her great expectations, making
her able to reliably do battle with the sport's elite women.
The Seles match may have made those questions a thing of the
past.
Showing off her training success with an much-improved serve
and shot variety (10-for-10 on drop shots, positively
Hingis-esque), Jelena joined those new forces with her
long-held penchant for gutsy determination to produce a
crystal ball moment that hinted at what the 18-year old
might be capable of achieving before the end of the 2002
season.
Her previously shaky serve rattled Seles, who said, "(Dokic)
was much more aggressive. I had a really difficult time
breaking her." Dokic quickly grabbed the opening set (a
first versus Seles) 6-3, then weathered a 3-6 2nd before
seizing upon the opportunity to put her steel will on full
display in the 3rd, where she battled Seles game-by-game,
overcoming tear-inducing linecalls and boos from the crowd,
before finally taking advantage of a late opening and
breaking serve to secure her first victory over Seles by a
6-4 score (her sixth consecutive victory in a singles SF).
The lessons of 2001 have been addressed. This time, Jelena
didn't give away big points... so there was no avalanche
effect ala the Hingis match at the US Open. This time,
despite her post-match comments, she didn't let her
lingering doubts get the best of her ala with the trio of
Davenport losses to end last year. This time, she was able
to secure the 1st set (a far from insignificant fact,
considering it's the one thing Jelena's last three wins over
Top 10ers -- Mauresmo and Clijsters in 2001 -- have in
common) and build from that foundation. This time, her
serving consistency was her calling card (she wasn't broken
in the 1st or 3rd sets, and survived a deuce game on her own
serve at 2-2 in the final set). Jelena is definitely
navigating that much-discussed learning curve quite well,
thank you very much.
Unfortunately, there's one lesson that Jelena hasn't
learned: one of caution. She needs to, because that might be
the biggest reason she didn't pull off the biggest two-win
combo of her career against Venus Williams in the final.
After suffering a thigh/hamstring injury in the Seles match,
she nonetheless (and perhaps unwisely) proceeded to
participate in a doubles SF with partner Maggie Maleeva
later in the day on the 9th (apparently, she played with a
leg wrap and didn't run at full speed after shots). After
aggravating the injury there, Dokic was forced to withdraw
from the final (a first in her singles career).
Maybe she felt an obligation to Maleeva, and she obviously
wants and likes to play as often as possible (plus, it was
apparent that she benefited from what she learned partnering
with Conchita Martinez last season). But with one look back
at how the likes of Steffi Graf would have handled this
situation, what Jelena should have done is pretty clear.
Graf didn't play doubles often, but when she did and it came
close to compromising her singles results there was no
question which would win out. Graf knew on which side her
proverbial bread was buttered, and she would have bagged the
doubles SF in favor of the main attraction. If Jelena was
even slightly injured against Seles, knowing that a tough
match against Venus awaited her the next day, she should
have never stepped onto the doubles court.
With her participation in Antwerp in question this week,
we'll have to wait and see what happens. If the injury is
healed, Jelena might well play if her first match is pushed
back to Thursday. But if there's even a small question about
her condition, she shouldn't waste a second, and quickly
forget the trip to Belgium, and return to Florida. She has
two Tier I events awaiting her in the States in March (even
more important now after she skipped Oz and lost her opening
match in the Tokyo Tier I), and they're more important than
going to the land of diamonds. The early American hardcourt
season will be a key lead-in to the spring, where Jelena
will face her first pro title defense in Rome and the
potential for a real breakthrough in Roland Garros. A
nagging injury that becomes a lingering one that takes her
off the court for a prolonged period or hampers her game's
preparation could prove to have a domino effect on the rest
of her season. There's no point in making the same mistake
twice. The decision should be clear.
All that said, Paris should still mainly be viewed as a
potential preview of wonderful things to come. Jelena exits
with a new lesson to learn, but more importantly she's armed
with a hard-earned confidence in her overall program and
game that's now backed up by tangible on-court evidence that
she might be ready to take a monumental step up in the next
few months.
The lack of a consistent serving weapon is what separated
Dokic from the very top players in 2001, but if the serve
she showed in Paris is here to stay... what then? Could 2002
have more in store for Miss Jelena than anyone freely
expected? Dare I say it, but could Top 5 be a severe
underestimation of the possibilities? Whatever the answer,
it's clear that her game's progression is right on schedule
(and maybe surging ahead).
Hmmm... Jelena with confidence, drive, pace AND a bigger
serve. That's a lethal combination for any player to
contemplate. As long as she's healthy, that is.
*THE DRIVE FOR #5*
#4 Davenport - leads by 888
#5 Clijsters - leads by 724
#6 JELENA - 2974
#7 Seles - trails by 61
#8 S.Williams - trails by 99
#9 Henin - trails by 129
#10 Mauresmo - trails by 430
*JELENA NOTES*
...Jelena won the 4-way battle in Paris for the #6 ranking
for this week (a new career high), but the injury that cost
her an appearance in the final will likely mean she'll lose
it this week if she does indeed withdraw from Antwerp. Seles
is the #1 seed at the Tier III in Doha, so it seems a
certainty that she'll at least advance to the Final and pick
up those potential points. Henin is the #2 seed in Antwerp,
and Waffle #2 would also benefit in the rankings by Jelena's
absence.
...Jelena's injury brings the number of Top 10 players
already felled by injuries in 2002 to six.
**LISTS**
*JELENA WTA SINGLES FINALS*
01 ROME (I)...def. Amelie Mauresmo
01 Bahia (II)...lost to Monica Seles
01 TOKYO (II)...def. Sanchez Vicario
01 MOSCOW (I)...def. Elena Dementieva
01 Zurich (I)...lost to L.Davenport
01 Linz (II)...lost to L.Davenport
02 Paris (II)...walkover (L) to Venus W.
*JELENA 2002 SINGLES RANKINGS*
January 1...#8
January 7...#8
January 14...#7
January 28...#9
February 4...#9
February 11...#6
PARIS FINALS
S: V.Williams over J.Dokic (walkover)
D: Dechy/Tu over Dementieva/Husarova (walkover)
PLAYER AWARDS
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Venus Williams
...by default (and a walkover)
RISER: Jelena Dokic
...need I really explain it?
SURPRISE: Nathalie Dechy
...def. Daja Bedanova in Paris 1r, took Henin to a 10-8, 3rd
set TB in 2r, then won the doubles in a walkover
VETERAN: Monica Seles
...yet another SF is prelude to probable title in Doha
NEW FACE: Greta Arn
...22-year old knocked off Petra Mandula and Virginie
Razzano in Paris qualifying, then Elena Likhovtseva in the
main draw 1r
DOWNER: Elena Dementieva
...for second straight event, blew an eary advantage in a
singles defeat (than was injured and pulled out of the
doubles final). Does anyone get the feeling that she and
Jelena are two ships passing in the night going in
completely opposite directions?
*MATCHES OF NOTE*
1.Paris SF: Dokic def. Seles
...finally, a win over a legend
2.Paris SF: Venus def. Mauresmo
...after 4-6,7-6,7-5 victory, Venus predicted Mauresmo would
be a grand slam champion one day
3.QF: Dokic def. Dementieva
...Russian lost a 1-0 set lead, and was up 2-0 in 3rd one
week after a similar multiple-crumble match against
Kournikova
*WILLIAMS SISTERS PLEDGE DRIVE UPDATE*
...the dance continues. Serena pulled out of Antwerp, but
was replaced by her sister.
...After her walkover title in Paris, Venus talked about how
easily bored she is, and that she'd "like to take the fall
off and go to school."
...So far, neither have been around enough for anyone to
"get sick of" them.
**** **** **** ****
**WTA WEEK 7**
PREDICTIONS
Feb.11-17
Antwerp (II)
Venus W. def. Henin (without Dokic)
Venus W. def. Dokic (if Jelena healthy)
Doha (III)
Seles def. Testud
*WEEK 8...Feb.18-24*
Dubai, UAE
Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Bogota, Colombia
*WEEK 9...Feb.25-Mar.3*
Scottsdale, Arizona, USA
Acapulco, Mexico
*WEEK 10/11...Mar.4-16*
Indian Wells, Californa, USA (Tier I)
*WEEK 12/13...Mar.18-31*
Miami, Florida, USA (Tier I)
**WTA LISTS**
*MOST WTA SINGLES TITLES IN 2002*
2 Martina Hingis (Sydney, Tokyo)
2 Venus Williams (Gold Coast, Paris)
2 Anna Smashnova (Auckland, Canberra)
*MOST WTA SF IN 2002*
3 Martina Hingis (3-0)
3 Monica Seles (1-2)
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