MELBOURNE: Few understand the pressure created by the hype of teen success like Jelena Dokic, so the former world No.4, who shocked tennis with a run to the Wimbledon semi finals as a 17-year-old, has no desire to make headline grabbing predictions about teen prodigy Emerson Jones.
Jones, who at 16 is the world’s No.1 junior and last week broke through for her first WTA Tour victory by beating top 50 player Wang Xinyu, will make her Australian Open main draw debut on Tuesday, with the expectant eyes of a nation already on her.
Over the past week she has drawn headlines wondering if she will be the player to fill the incomparable Ash Barty’s shoes, with women’s tennis in Australia having fallen into a bit of a hole since the then dominant world No.1 retired in 2022 at the age of 25.
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Putting that kind of expectation on a 16-year-old is supremely unfair but such was her poise against established and highly ranked opponents in Adelaide it’s impossible to keep a lid on the idea that Jones is going to be good. Perhaps even very good.
Even a cautious appraisal from Dokic concludes that Jones can be “amazing” but the Nine commentator can’t realistically envisage the Queenslander toppling her first round opponent, world No.6 Elena Rybakina, when they do battle on Margaret Court Arena on Tuesday afternoon.
“It’s a massive opportunity, but let’s not forget she’s 16, it’s a tough draw, she plays the sixth seed, Elena Rybakina, but it’s just about getting experience at this point,” Dokic told Wide World of Sports’ The Morning Serve.
“She’s going to get out there and compete, that’s who she is, and want to compete hard and still believe she can win, which is exactly what you want to do, not just be happy to be there, but this is a process, let’s not forget when you’re 16 it’s about improving your game, not always about those wins, she needs to get the experience as well.”
Regardless of the outcome of Jones’ grand slam debut, 2025 shapes as a massive year in her development as she attempts to push up the rankings from her current position at 293.
But Dokic warns that it would be a mistake for her to do too much too soon, with the rigours of a full calendar of travel for a player of such a tender age having the potential to damage her long-term prospects.
It will be crucial, Dokic says, to strike the right balance.
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Emerson Jones plays a forehand in her win over Xinyu Wang at the Adelaide International. Getty
“After the Australian summer of tennis, the year is long, she’s only 16, she can only play a limited amount of WTA tournaments even though she’s close to getting inside the top 200, so scheduling and that decision about what she plays is key,” Dokic said.
“… I would still, to be honest with you, mix juniors with some lower ITF tournaments, some WTA tournaments if she can get into grand slam qualifying, but also don’t be out there on the road for too long, although you do have to play more than maybe 10 tournaments a year and that’s the balance.”
Dokic added that it was “normal” to make some mistakes in regards to finding the right scheduling balance as a young player and encouraged Jones and her team to experiment and embrace the lessons that arrive when a mistake is made.
“I always say at such a young age, focus on improving yourself as a person, improving yourself as a player, improving your strengths and weaknesses, but also look at the long-term plan, it’s not about the next 12 months, it’s about the next 10 or 15 years of her career.
“Just stay grounded, do your thing, enjoy your tennis, take some time at home as well, and I think having a really supportive network is going to be crucial because even though she’s doing well now, there’ll be some tough years, we all go through it, so it’s going to be really important that she has a support system that’s there for her.”
While nailing her schedule shapes as a crucial step in Jones’ development, Dokic also encouraged the young gun to look to the incredible rise of Italian world No.4 Jasmine Paolini for an example of what can be achieved by a player who doesn’t have a naturally powerful frame.
“I think she can be amazing. I’d straight away say she can be top 100, no problem. When I see someone who has such a great attitude, who competes so well, who moves so well,” Dokic said.
“She’s not big in stature but she makes up for it with how dynamic she is. I see some similarities and maybe she should watch her a bit and base her game on her a bit – Jasmine Paolini who’s the world No.4 and a grand slam finalist.
“She might not be able to have the biggest serve but she’ll be able to make up for it in other areas. Let’s hope she stays healthy, injury free and keeps doing what she’s doing because she’s done so well in juniors.”
