Jelena Dokic Hires New Coach, Readies for US Open
27-year-old Jelena Dokic has announced that she will now be training with coach Glen Schaap of the Netherlands. The two have had a working relationship for a couple of months now, with Schaap helping Dokic train on improving her overall fitness level and increase her athleticism on court.
“Glen has changed a few of my strokes, tried to shorter them up a bit,” Dokic said. “But he and I have been working mostly on my fitness. When you’re winning and get to play a lot of matches that’s a big help. There’s nothing like being match fit.”
Schaap has formerly trained Russians Dinara Safina and Nadia Petrova.
Dokic has just entered the Van Open in Vancouver, coming off a slew of injuries that plagued her this season. She was forced to sit out several tournaments, but was able to score two title victories at the smaller Challenger-level tourneys in Bucharest, Romania, and Contrexeville, France. Despite being smaller scale events, taking home the silver there has served as a boost of confidence and morale for Dokic, who has seen her share of hurdles throughout her professional tennis career.
Tough times after early success
Following her impressive Wimbledon quarter-final match at the age of 16, Dokic faced a series of injuries and personal problems that kept her off the court for extended periods.
“I feel good right now. I’m healthy again. To win two events in Europe on clay, which is not my favourite surface, is a very good result for me. When you’re winning matches – I’ve now won 10 in a row – you feel a lot better about yourself,” Dokic said.
On Wednesday evening, Dokic will play her first match at Odium Brown. She is seeded at number four at the Van Open and currently represents Australia on the WTA tour.
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