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Hi!
I've been thinking about this for a while. Last year, Elena really did have the advantage over Jelena but this year, Jelena's seemed to have skipped past Dementieva and they aren't really in the same league.
This got me thinking. Why did things change so drastically? What's the difference between the two players?
I've been lucky enough to witness two of the matches this year between Elena and Jelena. The one at Hong Kong, I believe was the turning point between these two players.
In the first set, Elena was playing awesome and Jelena was very frustrated with the way things were going. She just couldn't seem to find her rhythm and it was really sad to watch. Elena was really starting to play well and was even laughing at some of Jelena's shots. What kind of got me was that Jelena was able to sense that Dementieva was relaxing and Jelena pounced, recovering from 3-6 0-2 to win 3-6 6-3 6-4.
I think that it was the key.
Elena had all the opportunity to win against Jelena at New Haven but once again, Jelena had the better mental state and pounced and in the end, there was that thrashing at the Kremlin Cup which showed the clear difference between the two players.
The main difference in my opinion is their approach to the game. Jelena recognises she needs to improve however Elena doesn't seem to know that she needs to work on certain things.
While Elena is saying she can beat Venus if they were both at their best, Jelena is saying that the Williamses and Davenport are the best and that Jelena still has to improve to get to their level.
During their Kremlin Cup match, the difference was really noticeable. Jelena was very aware and focused mentally. When pushed out wide and forced to scramble, Jelena would throw a deep ball, while Elena would try and smack the ball back with little success. While Elena's stood behind the baseline for Jelena's 2nd serves, Jelena was a foot inside the baseline for her 2nd serve. Their long rallies were quite good however, at some crucial stages, it was Jelena who took the initiative and came in.
In terms of strokes, serve and volleying, Dokic is a class ahead of Dementieva. The one advantage Dementieva had was her speed however even Dokic has bridged the gap.
While Jelena is saying that she needs to add variety and improve her serve (which is what she is currently doing), I have yet to hear anything from Elena.
Does anyone know anything of what Elena's doing?
<br />What do you think is the difference between the two?
<br />Also, no hate responses, just some logical ones.
Thanks
I've been thinking about this for a while. Last year, Elena really did have the advantage over Jelena but this year, Jelena's seemed to have skipped past Dementieva and they aren't really in the same league.
This got me thinking. Why did things change so drastically? What's the difference between the two players?
I've been lucky enough to witness two of the matches this year between Elena and Jelena. The one at Hong Kong, I believe was the turning point between these two players.
In the first set, Elena was playing awesome and Jelena was very frustrated with the way things were going. She just couldn't seem to find her rhythm and it was really sad to watch. Elena was really starting to play well and was even laughing at some of Jelena's shots. What kind of got me was that Jelena was able to sense that Dementieva was relaxing and Jelena pounced, recovering from 3-6 0-2 to win 3-6 6-3 6-4.
I think that it was the key.
Elena had all the opportunity to win against Jelena at New Haven but once again, Jelena had the better mental state and pounced and in the end, there was that thrashing at the Kremlin Cup which showed the clear difference between the two players.
The main difference in my opinion is their approach to the game. Jelena recognises she needs to improve however Elena doesn't seem to know that she needs to work on certain things.
While Elena is saying she can beat Venus if they were both at their best, Jelena is saying that the Williamses and Davenport are the best and that Jelena still has to improve to get to their level.
During their Kremlin Cup match, the difference was really noticeable. Jelena was very aware and focused mentally. When pushed out wide and forced to scramble, Jelena would throw a deep ball, while Elena would try and smack the ball back with little success. While Elena's stood behind the baseline for Jelena's 2nd serves, Jelena was a foot inside the baseline for her 2nd serve. Their long rallies were quite good however, at some crucial stages, it was Jelena who took the initiative and came in.
In terms of strokes, serve and volleying, Dokic is a class ahead of Dementieva. The one advantage Dementieva had was her speed however even Dokic has bridged the gap.
While Jelena is saying that she needs to add variety and improve her serve (which is what she is currently doing), I have yet to hear anything from Elena.
Does anyone know anything of what Elena's doing?
<br />What do you think is the difference between the two?
<br />Also, no hate responses, just some logical ones.
Thanks