Dizzy Dokic crashes out on Wimbledon return

 

Originally published on: 26/02/10 11:36

Five years on from her last appearance at SW19, Jelena Dokic fell at the first against qualifier Tatjana Malek 3-6 7-5 6-2.

The popular Australian looked set to make it through to the second round when she breezed through the first set out on Court 7, but she suffered with dizziness in the second eventually succumbed to the German.

The former Wimbledon semi-finalist still draws quite a crowd despite playing on the outside courts, but wasnt able to capitalise in the manner that she had at her home Slam in Melbourne earlier this year.

“Its not like an injury or anything. Maybe its a virus”

Despite her first round exit, Dokic spent a long time in the pressroom, in part because the 26 year old is one of the more interesting characters on the womens tour. The tennis questions were of little interest – she admitted she was pretty disappointed with the result here but she is clearly not enjoying full health at the moment.

Ive been weak, she told the press, denying that the back problem that forced her to retire in Paris had returned. I was straightaway weak after the first set, but it got worse in the second Worryingly, she is not sure what has caused it. I think when you have something like this nothing they can do really. Its not like an injury or anything. Maybe its a virus.

Asked about her fitness, she conceded: I think I can be much better than I am, especially playing more and more matches that always helps which I havent had. After she reached the quarterfinals in Melbourne she played Fed Cup for Australia in their match against South Korea. But since then Dokic thinks she may have got her schedule wrong. Prior to Roland Garros she had played only four events.

However, on the poignant matter of the possibility of reconciliation with her father, Dokic declared the matter closed. Ive said it a million times. I have absolutely nothing to do with him, before adding that there was no way she would ever reunite with him and decreed: This is the last sentence ever you guys will hear from me, and thats the way it is.

tennishead hopes that the 59” Aussie can restore herself to full fitness and show some of the pluck of 1999. Back then, Dokic scored one of the biggest upsets in Open tennis history by beating world No.1 Martina Hingis 6-2 6-0 in the first round of the Aussie Open one year after turning pro. Today the former world No.4 said, I still enjoy tennis. You cannot play well every day. Thats the whole point of this sport.

Womens tennis needs some gutsy women and Jelena Dokic sure seems to be one of them. Malek now faces another Aussie in the second round, after Sam Stosur beat the American Bethanie Mattek Sands in three sets 6-4 6-7 6-2.

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