the lovely (cheek)bones

The Aussie Open is definitely in full-swing (it’s already Day 4), with its share of upsets — Venus Williams, David Nalbandian, Ana Ivanovic — and cliffhangers (Gonzalez vs. Hewitt; Djokovic vs. Delic).

But right now, let’s talk comebacks. Let’s talk controversial pasts. Let’s talk drama. Let’s talk about Jelena Dokic.

Watching her match against Caroline Wozniacki today, I was struck by two things: her striking features — those imperiously high cheekbones worthy of a supermodel — and her natural ability to infect spectators with her intensity and drama.

At three match points, Dokic nets a ball in the middle of a rather rythmic rally with Wozniacki. The spectators gasp as the camera closes in on the agonized look in her eyes. Another error makes it 40-30, on her serve. Her anguished cry was more to herself and it would’ve passed unnoticed, but how can it? The camera seems drawn to her telegenic profile and the fleeting traces of girlhood about her: that pink barette, the way she touches her ponytail…

She really knows how to turn it up.

Her brand of drama isn’t like Serena Williams’ or Sharapova’s. She’s not a screamer. Even when she pounds her chest or clenches her fists as she lets out a cry of victory, there is an intensity around her that silences instead of explodes. She’s lightning, not thunder.

And I can’t help but fall for her.

I’ve heard snippets of stories about Yugoslavian-born Jelena (the “first” Jelena, before Jankovic burst onto the scene). They sounded more like a plot from a soap opera. From her infamous switching of allegiances citizenship from Yugoslavian to Australian, back to Yugoslavian, then British, and finally, back to the Land Down Under, her alleged “kidnapping by her boyfriend and former coach,” to her seemingly never-ending feud with her father, Jelena’s talent and budding tennis career had no choice but take a backseat. Take note that most of this happened before she was even twenty years old.

Now at truce with her equally controversial father, with a renewed Australian citizenship and stable environment, Jelena Dokic can make a fresh start. She’s in good shape and has that gravitas that can only come with age. At 26, she is poised for a comeback. Whether she is due for redemption or another crash-and-burn is not the point. The point is she’s back — in a big way.

if tennis is a religious experience…

…then here are its saints:

St. Marat, patron saint of overawed celebrities

St. Roger, patron saint of flattering haircuts

St. Fabrice, patron saint of magic floating tennis rackets

St. Novak, patron saint of levitation and impersonators

St. Rafael, patron saint of furrowed brows

holy unflattering photos, batman!

Coach Willie always emphasized form and control in our lessons. He always said I should move as if there were people taking my photos from every angle, and that I should make sure each frame was picture-perfect.

Guess these guys didn’t get the memo.

More photos after the jump.

some home pride

I’m seeing more and more articles on local tennis talents cropping up in broadsheets, like this one:

Young Filipino sensation Leander Lazaro downed Japan’s Kenta Hashimoto, 6-3, 6-3, Thursday to retain the boys’ 16-under title in the 20th Andrada Cup age-group tennis championships at the Olivarez Sports Complex.

The lanky, 15-year-old Lazaro, also the defending 18-under champion, overwhelmed the visitor after organizers moved the venue from the open-air Rizal Memorial Tennis Center due to intermittent rains. Read the article here.

I hope this is the start of something big. I would love it if we had regular representatives in the major tournaments and Grand Slams, like the Japanese and Chinese.

true to form and an ATPtennis.com “precious moment”

As in past two years, Nadal crashes out of the pre-Aussie Open tune-up tournaments. Monfils upset Nadal 6-4, 6-4 in the Exxon Mobil Open in Doha, Qatar. Nadal’s first serve percentage was better than last night’s, but he had no answer tonight for Monfil’s 18 aces and 35 winners.

If the pattern holds, we are looking at Nadal in the finals of the Aussie Open this year, if not winning the Grand Slam title altogether. It seems every year he’s been improving on every surface. And it’s obvious that he is setting his sights on hardcourts this year.

DOHA “JOKER” TENNIS COURT

We’re seeing a more colorful trend in the ATP for 2009 — starting with Nadal’s bright yellow and blue ensemble and Doha’s lime greem and purple tennis court reminiscent of the Joker’s costume colors in comics. I was tickled pink when I saw that even the linesmen’s chairs were purple.