[Volcana]

As you know, Jenn Capriati's brief reign as #1 in 2001 ended with no tournament victories, a rather unusual circumstance for a #1 player. Suddenly Jenn will be #1 again, as soon as Sydney points drop off. How many tournaments will she win this time?

Zero? One? Four?

She unlikely to remain #1 if she fails to defend OZ. She's likely to be #1 for quite some time if she does.

 

[joao]

None!!!!!
She will #1 again thanks to a withdrawal or because of injuries...not because she fought for it!

 

[Volcana]

But with Venus and Lindsay both not playing Sydney, Jenn will be #1 the moment the tournament starts. So if she wins Syney,that would be one right there.

 

[Kart]

I was going to say none, but with Lindsay out of the running for Sydney it suddenly becomes much more likely. However, I don't see her getting past Serena provided she is in the form she finished the last season in.

Sydney is her only real shot though - I expect Venus to get to no.1 soon after Oz and stay there for some time.

 

[jel-x]

Jenn has been floating slowly back down to earth since the second half of last year and it's starting to get pretty crowded at the top. I will be very suprised if she stays around long enough at #1 to win a tournament.

 

[roots]

When will Jennifer get credit for her accomplishments. Who gives a damn if she ascended to number 1 with Lindsay defaulting in Germany. Lindsay just made sure she would fininsh year-end number 1 and "defaulted" again in Munich vs Serena. For crying out loud, Jennifer played great tennis last year and deserved to be ranked number 1. Apparently many people agree. Wasn't she just named female athlete of the year by Reuters and the Associated Press. Give it a rest with your Jennifer bashing. I do expect her to stay on top this time round. I hope Jenny wins OZ, if she doesn't I expect her to go out no sooner than the semis!

 

[Celeste]

It will be interesting to see how she plays in Australia. Even if she doesn't defend her Australian Open points (even if she's playing well, it might not happen), you guys forget, she left many gaps in her playing schedule last year. For instance, she has "free" Tier I points available at Pan Pacific if she plays, she can collect more points during the European indoor season which she didn't play last year, and then, there's Indian Wells, which she didn't play also. What I'm saying is that, even if she only makes the quarters or semis at the Australian, she is still "around" to make it back to No. 1. All she has between the Australian points and Ericcson is a finalist at a Tier III at Oklahoma City. Even a half-baked Capriati playing all these "new" tournaments has a *great* chance at getting back to No. 1. Assuming she plays a full schedule, she is really only facing a bad patch from Ericcson though the French Open. She's the most vulnerable then. After that, she has grear opportunties. It depends how she plays and where she plays!

 

[Celeste]

Sorry, I screwed up, she also has Tier II Scottsdale semis between Australian and Ericcson, but the point still remains, she has very little to defend after Australia up to Ericcson, with a lot of "free" tournaments in between. Failing to defend Australia is not a death sentence for her No. 1 ranking. The French, yes, but not the Australian!

 

[Rollo]

And your point was a good one Celeste. Venus has fewer events where she has to defend points, but what she does have to defend comes in this part of the year. Hong Kong is just an exo, but if it's any indiction, then Jen may stick around longer than some may think. Two grand slams-back to back and on different surfaces, are no fluke, as many Venus "haters" have learned to their chagrin. Just because JCap isn't Miss Congeniality doesn't mean she should be taken lightly.

 

[Celeste]

I have to say, I don't care for Venus much (I love Serena, figure that), but Venus did an AWESOME deal this summer. She had a load of points to defend, 2 Slams, and 3 Tier II's. She did it all but one Tier II. Amazing woman! I don't think she's any Steffi Graf (yet?), but I watched her play and stare down those points, if a Steffi Graf exists today, it's Venus, fair and square. She just needs to play like that all year round, lol, no small chore, but from what I've seen of her this summer, she's capable. It's all up to her!

 

[Rollo]

One big advantage for Venus is she has the best nerves of all the women on tour today. She's CAPABLE of dominating for a whole season like Graf, if she can ever put together a good early camapaign in Australia and Paris. To her credit, she's doing the right thing by showing up early down under. Good as she is though, Venus is no where near Steffi-Graf or Monica Seles territory yet. If she wins 3 of 4 slams in a year, then she's moved up to a higher level.

 

[joao]

If she wins 3 of 4 slams in a year, then she's moved up to a higher level.

3 or 4? she's already at a higher level by winning back-to-back Wimby and UO....and looks like she's gonna dominate these 2 for awhile!!! I'll be happy to see her winning those 2 every year!!! She doesn't need more than 2....GO VENUS :bounce: :bounce:

 

[Tiburon]

ZERO

I dont think she'll win any titles this season although she'll stay in the top four for a while by making it the semifinals in most tournies...

 

[jel-x]

back to jenn...... she's definitely a good player and she accomplished a great deal last year, but the last couple of months she hasn't been as dominant and many of the top ten players are stepping up their game. So I'm not detracting necessarily, I'm just trying to be realistic.

I did forget about all those points she can collect thanks to everyones favorite ranking system so maybe she can hang at #1 for awhile.

 

[Joots]

Exactly how long did Capriati hold the no.1 title? Not very long!She had her momments, but I don't think she can reclaim her no.1 spot. If she did, she probably won't even last 6 months until Venus, Kim, Martina or Serena will take over.


Hey jel-x, who's that guy on the pic?

 

[jel-x]

that's me.

You think with that serve I would have gotten past the first round

 

[Crazy Canuck]

Why is everyone focussing ON Jenns form in November?

That was three months ago folks!

If you dont think Jenn will do very well this year, thats fine and well, but basing it on her form two months ago is just plain silly.

She dipped off at the end of last year - no kidding - but they've all just had two months off and its a whole new ball game now!

I think Jenn has a reasonable shot at Sydney. IF she faces SErena, she has a good record against her and won't be intimidated. I hope that matchup actually occurs- even though their matches are always sloppy and excuse ridden (by BOTH players), it would be a great matchup heading into the Aussie.


However, I'll happily bet my left foot that Jenn wins at least ONE title this season - not winning any titles at all sounds a little like wishful thinking to me

 

[Crazy Canuck]

Did I say three months? Make that two...hehe

 

[Tratree]

Excellent point, Becca. Jen had played more matches by the US Open this year than she ever has in one year. She was burnt out big time by the indoor season and her conditioning suffered. She seems to be in good form and looks to be in good fitness, so I feel confident she will win some titles and I wouldn't be surprised if she wins a slam or two. Ya'll Just keep on underestimating Jen....we'll keep that side of slaw on hand for that helping of crow to be consumed.

 

[LucasArg]

I will tell you how far she get in Adidas after the Draw is ready. I f she has to face players like Testud, Serena , Kim or Justine. She will not reach even the semis.

SHe lost last month ago against Kournikova in Florida, And lost her last two proffesional matches against Testud.

She is going down.......