[rhz]

well people talk a lot about them, and this year they proof that they have the game...

kim's french open final
justine's wimbledon final
jelena's 3 tournament victories

elena is the only one who is declining comparing to last year! but a finish as a finalist in Moscow shows that she's still there!

what about next year? will they stay in the top 10? will elena earned back her top 10 ranking? are they really talanted? or are they just lucky?

u go girls <IMG SRC="smilies/drool.gif" border="0">

 

[ys]

I think you are not entirely correct even about Elena D. She now actually has more Championship Race points than she had ranking points an year ago, meaning , that technically her results of this year are better than her results of last year.

 

[jd4eva]

Umm

No, not at all. I mean, winning Tier I's and making Slam finals are hardly the sign of a talented player! <IMG SRC="smilies/wink.gif" border="0">

I think that they're all improving. Dokic has improved, so has Clijsters, Henin and Dementieva. The thing is though, where can they go from here?

Dokic and Dementieva could still improve immensely. Henin could still work on a few things. But Clijsters?

I really don't see how she could improve her game except getting a little bit more experience.

A year ago, Dementieva was the leader. A year on, she's improved but the others have improved by such a margin that they've now leapfrogged her.

Next year, Dokic, Henin and Clijsters will stay in Top 10. It'll be tough for Elena but she could also make it.

Dokic, I think could definitely make Top 5. Kim will drop, a little, maybe 1 or 2 spots. Justine will be right there and Elena will be contending.

Another factor is age.

Dokic, Clijsters are the youngest so they'll probably have more years on tour although Henin is 1 year older. Dementieva is in the same age group as Serena Williams, Anna Kournikova etc and she has to contend with them. The others are a little lucky that they're younger and have just started playing full schedules.

At this stage, I'd group all the youngsters like:

Group 1:

Kim Clijsters
Jelena Dokic
Justine Henin


Group 2:

Elena Dementieva
Daniela Hantuchova
Daja Bedanova


It's just very close between these girls and anyone can win on any given day. It's not whether they've improved because they all have, it how much they can improve.


My bet?

They'll be around for a long time. Dokic and Clijsters will be a real force and regular in slam semis and finals. Henin may have some problems with injuries and Dementieva will just be mentally not strong enough. That being said they'll still be firmly in the top 10.

What they've shown me is that their big tournament players. They rise to the big occasions and big events and that is a good sign.

Technically, they all have their flaws. Dokic's strokes are beautiful to watch but when she's off, she almost wills the ball in. She's just that determined. Dementieva worked out a lot of her problems. Henin is beautiful to watch and Clijsters really can't improve all that much except gain more experience and learn from each match.

Mental toughness is something these girls have. Dokic and Clijsters are prob the toughest. Wally Masur says that Jelena is the strongest player mentally he's seen. Henin and Dementieva at times can fall apart when matches get close, not like the other 2 but they're still very good mentally.

Anyway, they're all great players and will do well. But I expect Dokic and Clijsters to maybe just move ahead of the other 2.


P.S - Who says Jelena can't serve! She hit a 185 kph serve in Moscow!

 

[Martian KC]

If Justine can stay consistent and handle pressure, she will surely be the best out of them. <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/kiss.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/angel.gif" border="0">

 

[MANEVSKI]

roshan hit the nail in the head IMHO.
good analysis

 

[DutchieGirl]

rhz, you said what I was going to say... this year, Jelena, Kim and Justine prooved themselves... Elena didn't quite match-up with them, but I still believe she is very talented too!

 

[thefreedesigner]

They are all talented obviously, and all have proved that to some extent this year, but only Kim has really proved that she has the real talents: is the 'real deal'.

In successfully defending Leipzig like it was a warm-up, and remaining nearly a whole year in the Top 10 at such a young age, qualifying for the Chase Championships again is all the proof you need. Dokic perhaps too, could be considered encapsulated all the promise she's shown for 2-and-a-half years with excellent tournament wins this year (doesn't get much better than2 Tier I's and a Tier II). But, she has been found wanting occasionally in the Majors and been caught napping.

Justine has proved to those who ever doubted it, that she has Top 5 capabilities, but still will have to prove next year that occasional weakness of mind, and lack of stamina, will not get the better of her and her results.

Elena has proved that she's inches away from being a consistent challenger, and threat on the tour. Mostly with the serve (which should be a big weapon for her) and maybe variation of game, are where she could improve upon? She's not far away either imo. So she's 20 (on Monday). How old was Venus when she won her first Slam? How old was Lindsay, how old was Jennifer?

I'm not saying Elena is going to win a Slam, but I don't think it's right to write her off because she's, what, 9 months older than Justine, and 18 months or so older than Jelena and Kim.

[ October 13, 2001: Message edited by: thefreedesigner ]

 

[per4ever]

ILUVJELENA: great analysis.

Although I don't agree on each point. In my opinion Henin is better then Clijsters (or can be better). She has more talent, and can approve a lot. If she becomes more experienced, then she won't lose matches in which she is leading a few breaks. She does now. She can also train on her service and get a lil bit more power (not too much of course, that isn't her way of playing).

Clijsters is already playing at her top, I think you are right about this.

About Jelena: I think she has more mental problems then Justine. Why does she play great in the last tournements? Where was she in all the others??? Her problem is that she can't play a whole season at a reasonable high level. She will have to improve a lot on that part, but I doubt that she will be better then Clijsters or Henin.

Dementieva is a big questionmark for me. You never know with her. It's possible that she plays great next season, but it's also possible that she plays terrible the whole season. We'll just have to wait and see. She might break through.

 

[XMan]

Very good analysis ILUVJELENA!
I don't agree with some points. I think that Clijsters is not on her top yet, there are a lot of things that can improve. Henin could become better than Clijsters and Jelena, I think that she has the most chance to contend one day for the number one spot.

 

[mickcecilio]

We have to remember that Dementieva had her breakthrough year last year, while Dokic/Clijsters/Henin had their breakthrough years this year. We haven't fully seen how D/C/H can handle the pressure of being the huntees instead of the hunters and how they handle the pressure of defending all their points.

My take is that Clijsters and Henin are starting to show that they are capable of handling this pressure as they have had many good results since reaching the Top 10, having handled the pressure by living up to their seedings regularly and beating top players. Next year will be the telling year and will prove to be an even bigger test.

Dokic is yet to embark on that pressure-filled role of being an elite player (a Top 10 player) having just reached this status so it will be interesting to see how she herself handles it.

We've basically seen that Dementieva is having that "sophomore slump", feeling the pressure somewhat of having been a top 10 player. We saw that once her ranking dropped after the US Open to #17, her lowest position this season, she put in some good results, eg. Leipzig and Moscow - perhaps because she once again felt like the hunter instead of the huntee.

 

[*Karen*]

While we're reopening ancient threads. Have they improved?

 

[TennisVSTennis]

While we're reopening ancient threads. Have they improved?

Obviously Kim and Justine and even Elena have achieved much more since then.

But the most talented players among them for me is still the 98 World Junior Champion Jelena Dokic who had upset over #1 in the world at the age of 16 and has won more Tier I titles than any of the people mentioned above before coming out of AER. Even more talented in Kim just by that aspect alone who never had good upsets when she was young.

She peaked at a bad time. In 2001, there were only 2 people winning slams, and even they couldnt finish #1 in the world, and all 3 players were at the peak. And what happens in 2002 is obviously not working in her favor to win a slam. Unlike in 2004, our top 3 is the weakest in history, with our #1 never reaching slam final, #2 suffering opening round upset from week to week, and #3 suffering injuries and thus upsets from time to time. As talented as Jelena is, she never had a chance to shine at slams. I hope Jelena can come back and show why she is more talented than Svetalena Kuznetsova who will not be able to handle baseline rallies against Jelena.

 

[DEETHELICK]

Kim and Justine proved themselves long ago.

Elena D only really kicked into gear since last year, with 2004 proving she belongs right up there and deserves a Slam. The improvement in her game (except that damn serve) is startling.

Dokic is still caught up in the craziness of her off court life. If she can find a way out, I believe she could be a Slam contender ONLY if she is totally dedicated to tennis and improves her fitness to a level beyond even her capabilities.

Good luck Elena, get a Slam girl!

 

[fammmmedspin]

. I hope Jelena can come back and show why she is more talented than Svetalena Kuznetsova who will not be able to handle baseline rallies against Jelena.

.

v:timebomb: