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!