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Wismilak International 2003 - News & Press


   August 19, 2003 8:18 AM
   Jelena Dokic: Will be Battling Hard for the Trophy


   Jelena Dokic has done many things in her career. But she 
   has never been to Bali, and she is eagerly looking 
   forward to finishing off business at the US Open, 
   jumping on a plane, and relaxing on the beach at the 
   Grand Hyatt before getting down to business at the 
   Wismilak International 2003.

   It's not work I'm coming for. It's to play, she said, 
   but with her it is one and the same, of course. Playing 
   tennis matches, and playing them very well, is her work. 
   Relaxing? She'll do that too, but once the tournament 
   gets underway you can be absolutely certain that Jelena 
   will be battling hard for the trophy.

   I've never been to Bali so it will be very exciting to 
   see. I've heard it's unbelievable and a lot of people go 
   there for their honeymoon and holidays. I'll be playing, 
   but hopefully I'll be able to get there early and rest 
   after the US Open. That will make me nice and fresh for 
   my matches at the Wismilak International, she said.

   It is comparatively rare for players such as Jelena to 
   be able to conduct their business in such luxurious 
   surroundings. Often, they have to go to places they'd 
   rather not go to. Sometimes it's not much fun, 
   especially if you're stuck in a boring city in winter 
   and are virtually trapped in your hotel room.

   It looks great, what we do, but sometimes it's not so 
   great, she said. There's a lot of travel and sometimes 
   the places are not as great as Bali, and you get tired 
   and you just see tennis courts and hotels and you live 
   basically out of your suitcase. But that is part of it, 
   the experience of being a tennis professional, and you 
   have to deal with that.

   Jelena, you'll remember, pulled off one of the biggest 
   shocks in Wimbledon history when in 1999 she qualified 
   and then upset world number one and defending champion 
   Martina Hingis in the first round before going on to the 
   quarter-finals. The next year she did even better, 
   reaching the finals. Later, she went as high as four in 
   the world, but this year has been more of a struggle.

   The reason was, she just loved playing and over-did it. 
   When she last played at the Wismilak International, in 
   Kuala Lumpur, she arrived in Malaysia after spending the 
   previous three weeks travelling from the United States 
   to Brazil, on to Japan and then back to Europe. No wonder 
   she was beaten in the first round. Now she's learned her 
   lesson, and she'll be rested when play begins on 8th 
   September.

   I've played a lot of matches the last two years. I've 
   done well, but maybe I got tired. But I've played less 
   matches this year and I'm starting to feel better the 
   last few months. It just happens. Sometimes you don't 
   play as well and your confidence goes a little bit and 
   then you're not so comfortable on the court. I think 
   that is what happened this year.

   Jelena is a star, a truly world-class player who has 
   taken on the best and won. And she's still only 20. That 
   has often put her in the spotlight, and the antics of 
   her controversial father also focused the wrong kind of 
   attention on her. To her enormous credit, Jelena has 
   taken everything in her stride and shown a maturity far 
   beyond her years.

   I've had to deal with a lot of things when I was young 
   and I dealt with it pretty well at the beginning. Now 
   it's got easier, she said. There is a lot of pressure 
   but you have to try and get past it. I think it's 
   basically up to the individual whether things get to 
   your head or not, and it depends what kind of people you 
   have around you and what they do to try to make you feel 
   better. I don't like to get frustrated, because you take 
   it out on the court and it's not a great thing. I have 
   good people around me now and I feel good.

   Jelena is also recognised wherever she goes, and that 
   can be upsetting if you are ?off-duty? and just want a 
   quiet evening out. But, again, she shows she is a class 
   act by accepting the attention she receives.

   I've dealt with being recognised for a while so now it 
   comes naturally, she said. I haven't thought about what 
   it would be like not having this attention. Sometimes it 
   would be nice not to be recognised, but it's part of 
   tennis. It's part of fame. It's normal if I go to a 
   restaurant and someone recognises me.

   Sometimes there are a lot of people and it can be a 
   little bit too much. Maybe you're not in a good mood or 
   maybe you're talking about something else and people 
   come to you, but I try to be nice to them and I know 
   that if I was in their position I would want the same. 
   So if they want an autograph or see me and talk then 
   that's fine. I have no problem with that.

   Jelena says she doesn't have any regrets about her 
   career, but you suspect she does miss not having had a 
   normal childhood. She was always having to practise, 
   and missed her last two years at school and that time 
   usually spent with friends.

   I never had a normal life really, which I don't mind. I 
   knew this would come with it. I would like it if I 
   didn't have had to train, maybe, and could have gone to 
   school. I went to school, but tennis was more a 
   priority. I had to travel more and more and I had to 
   finish the last two years at home school. I would like 
   to have more time for friends at school that I couldn't 
   have. Just to have normal days when I didn't have to 
   talk about tennis.

   But Jelena has gained far more than she has lost, and 
   because of the sacrifices she made she is able to 
   demonstrate to her fans in Bali some of the best tennis 
   in the world.


   Extra stuff

   The training I do depends on whether I'm playing or not. 
   But you do some fitness training, go to the gym a little 
   bit, but how much you do depends on if you have matches. 
   I enjoy the training. 

   There are a lot of sacrifices to be made and it's a lot 
   of work, and you're not able to do that and still have 
   fun at the same time it's not so nice.

   I like music, beach, shopping, movies. I listen to 
   everything other than jazz and classical. I like to buy 
   shoes and bags. You know, I didn't used to. I used to 
   buy more clothes and make-up and things, but now I'm 
   more into shoes and bags. And jewellery. I love to buy 
   jewellery. That's a little bit dangerous.

   I would sleep in for a while. I don't sleep too long, 
   but I'd lay in a little bit longer until maybe nine. Get 
   up slowly, and maybe go for a run. But not like we do 
   now when we have to work hard. I'd have a fun run. Or 
   I'd go for a bike ride with friends. Then have lunch and 
   I'd watch movies all day or go shopping. In the evening, 
   dinner and maybe go out. Depends who's around.

   I'm definitely not and I hate it because there are so 
   many people that can eat whatever they want. I like 
   everything, from pasta to meat to fish. I have a really 
   sweet tooth so I'm in trouble, because I love cakes and 
   chocolate and things like this. So I definitely have to 
   control myself.

   I always wanted to be a flight attendant. When I was 
   little. Not now. I don't think that would be for me. I 
   would be involved in sport in some way for sure, because 
   I'm competitive and I would have to do something like 
   this. I like to exercise and move around, so I would 
   have to do something related to sport.


Copyright 2003, Wismilak International. All rights reserved.

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