Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
LONDON -- Don't refer to her as the instant replay girl. Jamea Jackson has bigger ambitions.
"That was great and a lot of fun and everything, but I would like to be known for something else as well," laughs Jackson, who christened the new electronic line-calling system that made its debut at the Nasdaq-100 in March when she made the first challenge.
It's already old news.
The 19-year-old American showed Tuesday why she is one of the brightest young prospects in U.S. tennis with a comeback 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory against Kristen Flipkens of Belgium to reach the second round at Wimbledon.
Jackson, a late bloomer who trained at the Nick Bollettieri Academy in Florida in the shadow of Maria Sharapova, Tatiana Golovin and other stars, has come into her own the past few months.
In April, she almost single-handedly led the U.S. Fed Cup team -- minus veteran stars Lindsay Davenport and the Williams sisters -- to a 3-2 victory against Germany by winning both singles matches.
She followed that effort by beating fourth-ranked Sharapova, the 2004 Wimbledon champ, and two other top-30 players to reach her first WTA Tour final at a grass-court tuneup in Birmingham, England, this month. It propelled her to a career-best No.54 ranking.
Jackson says the Fed Cup experience and encouragement from Fed Cup captain Zina Garrison, mentor Lori McNeil and her coach of four months, Rodrigo Nascimiento, convinced her she belonged.
"I think after that point it kind of started really getting into me that I was good and I deserved to be up there like all the other players," says Jackson, who lives in Bradenton, Fla., and trains in Boca Raton.
"Stepping up in a pressure situation can make you grow infinitely," says former pro and ESPN commentator Pam Shriver, an admirer of Jackson's positive energy, quick feet and determination.
Flipkens, a Belgian ranked 120th, tasted Jackson's blooming work ethic and self-belief in their rain-delayed first-round match.
Trailing 4-5, 0-15 when play resumed, Jackson hit two unforced errors to drop the first set on serve. But she broke to open the second set and began dictating play with her aggressive baseline play. She fought off two break points to serve out the second set 6-4 before powering through the third 6-1.
"She's got the bounce," Shriver says of Jackson's confidence. "Look how she finished that match."
She not only has bounce, she also has all-court quickness. For that Jackson can thank her father, Ernest, a former NFL cornerback with the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions.
"He wasn't that tall, like 5-9, but he was a great corner because of his speed," says Jackson, who at 5-4 often gives away a half a foot or more to today's players. "I inherited that from him."
Some question whether a player shorter than 5-6 can reach the top of the sport. Jackson bristles at the notion her size is limiting.
"I think everyone else makes a big deal about it," she says. "My dad went through the same thing. I've found that I can play with the taller players, and it doesn't make a difference to me. ... I'm shorter than a lot of players, but I'm quicker. I can use that to be aggressive in a different kind of way."
Part of the reason Jackson is only now reaching her potential is that she chose to attend school rather than be home-schooled, partook in normal teenage social activities and was allowed by her parents to make many of her own choices.
"They were focusing on getting their tennis game better," she says of her peers at Bollettieri. "I think my priorities are more in line now with what they need to be to accomplish the goals that I have."
"She's a real professional now," says Nascimiento, who sees lots of upside in Jackson's game now that she has stepped up her conditioning, nutrition and training regimens. "She's going to surprise people," he says.
No surprise would be bigger than going deep at Wimbledon. Jackson has yet to step it up at a major, and second-round losses at last year's Wimbledon and at this year's Australian and French Opens are her best results.
Against today's second-round opponent, Daniela Hantuchova, the No.15 seed from Slovakia, it won't get any easier. Jackson will see how far her professionalism has taken her, but she's not sweating it.
"If the breakthrough comes here, it will come here," she says.
To see more of USAToday.com, or to subscribe, go to http://www.usatoday.com
© Copyright 2006 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.
