Jelena Dokic looks forward to 2011
Tennis pro Jelena Dokic was awarded a wild card to the Sydney International next month and the Australian has revealed that she looks forward to 2011 being the “most important” season of her career. She also revealed that her goal is to keep playing with
the WTA for another six years (which would make her 33 years old at the time of retirement).
This will be the first time Dokic plays at the Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre since the Olympics in 2000, where she gave up the bronze medal to Monica Seles. Dokic entered the tennis circuit ten years ago, and enjoyed a meteoric rise which had her on
the fast track to success after she upset World Number 1 Martina Hingis at the 1999 Wimbledon Championships.
Dokic worked her way up to World Number 4 in 2002, before she suffered a dramatic crash after rows and fights with tournament officials and her coach and father, Damir. However, it seems as if a return to greatness has been in the pipeline for quite some
time now; it was exhibited in 2009, when Dokic made it to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. She herself says, “I’m in the shape I was in 2009. That’s a good sign for this year.”
Dokic, who is preparing for the Brisbane International next week, says, “I wouldn't say this is the last shot I will give [the tour] but I've changed my coach and I've changed everything that I do, I've completely redone my fitness and I'm working with different
people so I'm really giving this 150 per cent and I think it is going good.”
Dokic’s new coach is Glenn Schaap, who has also mentored Nadia Petrova and former World Number 1 Dinara Safina. Currently World Number 138, Dokic seems to have had her confidence restored by Schaap. She says, “If everything goes well and I do come back I
would like to play for another six years, that's my goal. But 2011 is the key, it's my most important year for me so far, and I really need to have a full consistent year with no injuries and no health problems.”
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