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 BREADCRUMBS,
THE MUMMY & THE MIAMI TWO-STEP: JELENA'S ALL TOO FAMILIAR
TRIP TO SOUTH FLORIDA by Todd Spiker **MIAMI POINTS BREAKDOWN** 28...3rd Round 10...2r: Marlene Weingartner (#45) 0...3r: Anne Kremer (#30) 38...TOTAL -120...2001 Points Off 0...17-best tournaments -82...TOTAL FOR WEEK Oh, how I wish I came armed with better news. I certainly don't relish what seems to have become my role as jd.com's 2002 purveyor of doom and continual chronicler of chronic disappointment, especially after Jelena's time in Miami got off to such a promising start. The easy win over Marlene Weingartner, complete with a winningly aggressive 15 net approaches in two quick sets, made me think I might get to put together the column I was hoping to write, the one where I could chow down on some nice crow for being so wrong about Jelena's lack of good judgment in proceeding to play with her injuries and endangering even larger chunks of her season than these relatively minor opening months of the year. But I won't get that chance, at least not this week. After another discouraging showing, the question on everyone's mind when it comes to Jelena Dokic is quite simple: Is something seriously wrong here? The variations of the possible answer are far from clear. The truth is, the injury question might not be the only problem. At the moment, it might be her head that's as much to blame as her legs for the most recent discombobulating events. That she's having trouble lifting her season out of the rut it got stuck in on February 9 is obvious. Her game's not in sync, her serve is letting her down, and her physical condition is a continuing and constant question. But let's not rule out Jelena's own mind as a significant factor in the equation, either. A third straight loss to Anne Kremer went a long way toward showing that it's not Dokic's muscle strains alone that are causing disjointed, deficient performances like the one she put forth this weekend. Points have been made about Kremer being a bad matchup for Jelena. The lady from Luxembourg offers little in the form of Dokic's favored pace, and is surely an accurate hitter from the opposite side of the net. But watching the second set of this match, it was incredibly discouraging to see the unmistakable signs of doubt all over Jelena's face and in her body language. That she, with her head down, was rushing her shots and playing out the string of final points was apparent. It was eerily reminiscent of the late match, let-me-out-of-here attitude Jelena most recently displayed last year against Martina Hingis at the US Open and during the three straight season-closing losses to Lindsay Davenport. She didn't run after shots, and generally appeared to want to get off the court as soon as humanly possible. She did a good job of it, too. After tying the match at 3-3 in the 1st set, she lost 9 of the final 10 games (only marginally better than the 9 straight she lost to Kremer after a 3-3 1st set tie in her last loss at Indian Wells). A sometimes-understandable conclusion against Top 5 talents, maybe, but not the #30-ranked Kremer... not for a third straight time in less than two months. Did the Miami fade arise because her heavily-wrapped thighs (a sign that the injuries have yet to heal?) thwarted her ability to get herself into the correct position to make shots? She certainly looked uncomfortable out there, and the high number of unforced errors would surely point to that. Has her lack of recent match play (she hasn't been able to string together back-to-back wins since the initial injury) temporarily dulled the consistency she displayed in Paris? It would seem to be a certain result of inactivity. Or was it the defeatist attitude she brought to the court, something that was noted by some to be in play from the very start? Unfortunately, that's probably at least partially true, as well. Without either her mind or body in top condition, the unrewarding result turned out to make one question what exactly was accomplished by going to Miami, other than to prove that she's still far from finding her way out of the darkened forest her season's somehow wandered into... and she doesn't seem to be inclined to leave a trail of precautionary breadcrumbs to make sure she can easily find her way out. She's too hungry to waste the food, I guess... but her appetite for immediate success might end up proving to be her undoing. She only defended 38 of 120 Miami points from 2001, and will exit with the injury questions still lingering, only now they're joined by maybe more serious doubts about gameday confidence that her run of adversity -- the worst extended lapse of her young career -- has found cause to unearth. Are Jelena's current problems something that simple good health will cure? Will physical stability finally allow her mind and body to become attuned once again, allowing her to recapture the aura of great expectations she possessed when she defeated Monica Seles in Paris? Is what's happened so far in 2002 attributable to the belief that Jelena's experiencing a "sophomore slump?" It's a common occurrence with young players, and a signboard most recently hung around the neck of Elena Dementieva last season. In this year's first quarter, Jelena, Justine Henin and Meghannn Shaughnessy -- among 2001's biggest risers -- all could be said to be staking an early-season claim to be this year's player most afflicted by so much recent success "the year after." In my mind, no matter what the likes of commentators such as Pam Shriver and Mary Joe Fernandez might jabber on about, it's simply too early to explain away Jelena's recent trials with as overly-simplistic a comment as "she's suffering from a sophomore slump." That seemed to be Shriver and MJF's prevailing opinion this weekend, though. Typically, tennis's version of Heckle & Jeckle failed to mention that Dokic's last healthy match -- the defeat of Seles -- was one of the best of her career. Not surprising, really, considering the duo's failure to note that it was Jelena's lowest-ranked Tier I champion record that Daniela Hantuchova broke last weekend in Indian Wells. Even less shockingly, it took the pair no less than five minutes to begin yet another discussion of Damir, no matter the fact that he's been a controversy-free topic for more a year since the family's move to Florida. But Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dumber's ability to bring out the worst in each other isn't the issue for this day, Jelena is. The truth is that Dokic was 3-1 this season before the injury, but has gone winless in 4 of her 6 scheduled matches since (and has only lost to Kremer in '02 in matches that have actually been played out to a converted match point). This is no "sophomore slump," at least not yet. It's the not unexpected result of a single injury handled poorly at the start, and a player's inability to give it time to adequately heal thereafter. Jelena simply won't be on top of her game on a round-by-round basis until she's able to take the court without the condition of her legs playing on her mind. Her body's lapses are causing the mental ones. Kremer, while a decent player, isn't suddenly a world-beater (she didn't even survive another round in Miami after knocking out Jelena). Dokic had never lost to her before this season, and will get the better of her many more times than not whenever she's finally healthy (and won't that first revenge victory be a fist-pumping occasion? I can see the pictures already). It's getting to the point where good health is a given that's the issue at hand... still. After Miami, barring another injury while playing doubles with Conchita Martinez, Jelena stands where she was when the tournament began. She essentially did a Miami Two-Step, one step forward and one step back. She's facing the same difficult decision to either move forward, fight the injury and hope it heals over time... or biting the proverbial bullet and taking an exended rest before this rollercoaster jumps the tracks and imperils the title defense in Rome. The injuries, and her reaction to them, will only make it even harder to escape the psychological hammer they've put her under. Her game won't get back into a discernable groove if it isn't given the conditions under which it rightfully CAN, and it's hard to imagine that happening as long as she walks onto the court looking from the waist down like an extra from "The Mummy Returns." Here are the facts: clay court events in Sarasota, Amelia Island and Charleston stand between Miami and the next big points defense (a SF in Hamburg)... a Tier IV in her Florida backyard where she'll be either a #1 or #2 seed, a Tier II and the fourth Tier I of the season, respectively. There are two tacts that could be taken: (1) She could head to Sarasota. Despite its relatively small point possibilities (95 for the title, excluding any quality points), it could provide Jelena with a good opportunity to face off against slightly lesser competition and maybe walk away with a title. It could give an important boost to her confidence as the European season beckons. That's if she's not still as labored in her movement as she was this weekend, of course. (2) Or she could take a more drastic course of action, skipping a minor Tier IV and a semi-major Tier II in Amelia Island and stake her claim on a return in Charleston. She hasn't had good Tier I success in 2002, and being secure in the notion that she's 100% healthy would probably provide even more of an infusion of confidence than a win in Sarasota might. Lack of match play, though, could result in the extended layoff being greeted by a poor result that sends her cold game into the Hamburg SF defense, and the potential trips to back-to-back Tier I's in Berlin and Rome the following two weeks... where all the nagging problems she's faced thus far this season could finally begin to hit her in what would then become a vulnerable area -- her Top 10 ranking. Since Hamburg is where Jelena's 2001 season began to kick into gear, she still finds herself as the #8-ranked player in the world. Even with all her headaches, she hasn't been hurt anywhere other than on her own person. Hamburg's still a month away. That's four weeks to finally right the wrong that occurred on February 9 when she played that unnecessary doubles match and turned an isolated injury into a lingering one that possibly spawned another that's potentially given birth to a temporary crack in the confidence that propelled Dokic into the Top 10 at age 18. Jelena will have turned 19 by the time Hamburg arrives. One year older, but hopefully (and more importantly) a month wiser. There's still time to get this journey headed back in the right direction before it's too late. But the bread is getting stale, and the window of opportunity for her to make her way back without having to call for a search party is getting smaller and smaller by the moment. Time won't be on her side for much longer. Tick-tock, Jelena. Tick-tock. *** *** *** *** **JELENA SINCE FEBRUARY 9** Paris Final...walkover loss to Venus W. Antwerp 2r...retired vs. P.Schnyder Indian Wells 2r...def. E.Bovina Indian Wells 3r...lost to A.Kremer Miami 2r...def. M.Weingartner Miami 2r...lost to A.Kremer TOTALS: 2 wins, 2 losses, 1 ret, 1 w/o **JELENA IN TIER I's IN 2002** Tokyo...2r (Kremer) Indian Wells...2r (Kremer) Miami...3r (Kremer) TOTAL: 2-3 **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **WTA REPORT -- WEEK 12** PLAYER AWARDS (Miami, Pt.I) PERSON OF THE WEEK: Corina Morariu ...Throw out the on-court action this week, especially since so many of the top seeds struggled to escape with victories, the PERSON of the week is the 24-year old '99 Wimbledon doubles champion. She was diagnosed with leukemia last May, and has been undergoing treatment ever since. Last week, Morariu, in remission after two cancer-free bone scans, announced that she will attempt to return to the circuit. Said Morariu, "My doctor gave me the all clear to do whatever I feel I can do. I'm hoping to start playing sometime in the summer." RISER: Anne Kremer ...It would have been Anna Smashnova for her upset of Henin in the 2r, but then she quickly lost to Panova the next round. Kremer's 3rd victory over Jelena in 2002 will continue her rise in the rankings. She was #34 when she won in Tokyo, #32 in Indian Wells and will rise from #30 to either #27 or #28 after Miami. Of course, Kremer then proceeded to lose to Dementieva in the 4r. Oh, well... too late now. SURPRISE: Marissa Irvin ...Things have been coming together for the late-bloomer in 2002, capped off by back-to-back upsets of Bedanova and Shaughnessy in Miami. VETERAN: Cara Black ...She drew the newest teen star, Daniela Hantuchova, in the 2r and taught her a lesson about what how winning a Tier I title means NOTHING one week later. NEW FACE: Stephanie Foretz ...I've been waiting for weeks to pick Foretz here, but good qualifying results were never followed up by a good main draw victory. It finally came in Miami when the 20-year old Frenchie defeated Adriana Serra-Zanetti in the 1r. So what if Kim Clijsters ran her off the court in the 2r, it's good enough for me. DOWNER: Justine Henin ...Anna K. went out in the 1r, Hantuchova the 2r, and Dokic the 3r. But, unlike Kournikova, Henin isn't battling against bad draws due to her low ranking. Unlike Hantuchova, her head wasn't in the clouds after her first career title. And, unlike Dokic, she wasn't battling an injury. Instead, Waffle #2 simply suffered through her second consecutive poor result and is still searching for that first '02 title. **MATCHES** 1.2r- Black def. Hantuchova ...it isn't always going to be as fun as it was in Indian Wells, Daniela 2.2r - Smashnova def. Henin 3.1r - Daniilidou def. Kournikova ...Anna K's second straight 1r loss 4.3r - Irvin def. Shaughnessy 5.3r - Capriati def. Myskina ...Myskina served for a straight sets win before Capriati finally woke up *QUOTES* ...Kournikova on her 1r loss: "The reason for this loss is that I don't have enough matches. I don't really feel comfortable because I haven't played enough." ...Venus, who said she plans to play 18 tournaments in 2002, after playing just 12 last year: "I want to live up to the commitment, the tournaments and the Tour. That might not be easy but... people want to see the top players play, and I need to show up." *NOTES* ...The WTA announced that the year-end Sanex Championships, after one year of poor attendence, player absences & disatisfaction with Munich, will move to L.A. starting this year. The event will switch weeks with the Fed Cup final in order to accomodate the event being held at the Staples Center there. **** **** **** **** NEXT WEEK: 1.To Sarasota, or not to Sarasota... that is the question 2.The March Awards, and 2002 WTA 1st Quarter Report |
