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Post by TennisHack on Jan 5, 2004 17:30:42 GMT -5
From correspondents in Doha January 06, 2004
RAINER Schuttler, the fleet-footed German whose climb into the top ten for the first time was one of the best success stories of 2003, suffered a rude shock in his opening match of the new year.
Schuttler had been seeded to reach the final of the Qatar Open, a $US1 million tournament he won five years ago, but was beaten in straight sets by Mikhail Youzhny, his doubles partner.
The young Russian won 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) despite suffering from cramp from 4-2 in the second set, an ailment which required a three-minute injury break and looked likely to destroy his well-worked advantage.
Youzhny had been playing with great fluency off the ground, revealing a particular penchant for striking the ball hard down both sidelines and often embarrassing one of the most mobile opponents on the tour.
But after Youzhny's own movement was hampered, he failed to serve out for the match at 5-3, missed two match points at 5-4, and only struggled through in the tie-break by capitalising of some surprisingly error-prone counter-hitting from Schuttler.
"At first it only bothered me while I was serving," said Youzhny.
"But then at 5-3 it started to hurt when I was running. I tried to win points quickly and usually this is catastrophic against a player like Rainer," the world number 43 added.
"In the tie-break it started to feel better though and I hit some good shots," added Youzhny, who looks more than good enough to rise into the top 20 if he can avoid the injuries which plagued him last year.
Schuttler, who has abandoned the red shoes and red shirt which were his conspicuous trademark last year, also wore an unfamiliar down-in- the mouth look.
"I am very disappointed," he said. "It can be difficult when you get back into competition at the start of a new year, because nothing you can do in practice is the same as that.
"My mistake was to be too cautious and to play too defensively. But he played very well and made some good winners after he got cramp. I guess if he invites me out to dinner I will still go," he added with a flash of humour.
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Post by Lee on Jan 9, 2004 1:54:02 GMT -5
From Doha official site:
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Post by Lee on Jan 9, 2004 1:55:55 GMT -5
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Post by TennisHack on Jan 12, 2004 12:04:00 GMT -5
www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,8377507%255E23216,00.html Johansson thanks Hewitt12jan04 SWEDISH giant-killer Joachim Johansson paid tribute to Lleyton Hewitt after sending second seed Rainer Schuettler packing from the adidas International in Sydney today. Johansson stunned last year's Australian Open runner-up 6-4 6-4 on centre court at Olympic Park and then revealed he'd spent a fortnight over Christmas hitting with Hewitt in Adelaide. The 21-year-old qualifier - ranked a lowly 150th - is a former world No.3 junior but best known on tour for being the boyfriend of Hewitt's younger tennis-playing sister Jaslyn. "I should say thanks to him (Hewitt) because I practiced with him for two weeks and he introduced me to a higher level," Johansson said. "We've been playing golf every day as well, so she gets a little bit jealous." Johansson began going out with Jaslyn, 20, after they both won Traralagon junior tournament in Victoria in 2000. Johansson's previous best win of his career came in November in Stockholm against Chile's world No.35 Fernando Gonzalez. He had to survive five match points against American Paul Goldstein in the second round of qualifying at the weekend just to make the Sydney main draw of 32. Schuettler will now head to Melbourne Park for Monday's start of the year's first grand slam in tatters. The world No.6 also crashed out in the first round last week in Qatar and will head to Melbourne Park for Monday's start of the Open low on confidence and match practice.
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Post by TennisHack on Jan 12, 2004 12:05:28 GMT -5
I wonder if Rainer feels the pressure to reproduce his results from last year at the Australian Open. When he feels that way, he tends to crack and play very tightly. It would be a shame if his woes continued though the Australian Open
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Post by Lee on Jan 12, 2004 12:39:33 GMT -5
I wonder if Rainer feels the pressure to reproduce his results from last year at the Australian Open. When he feels that way, he tends to crack and play very tightly. It would be a shame if his woes continued though the Australian Open I don't know what's wrong with Rainer. May be you're right. His losing record vs Schalken is partly because Sjeng is more patient than he does and he starts making UEs when he's pressing. I think the same thing happened to him in his 1st match this year vs Misha. In the 2nd set, Misha was cramping and Rainer tried to finish the match fast and ended up losing.
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Post by Lee on Jan 12, 2004 14:57:25 GMT -5
This was what Rainer said after losing to J. Johannson
"This is not the optimal way to prepare for the Aussie Open", Schuettler said. "I looked forward to get more matches. But when I win one or two matches, my confidence will come back."
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Post by Lee on Jan 12, 2004 15:08:44 GMT -5
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Post by TennisHack on Jan 12, 2004 17:09:02 GMT -5
Poor Rainer Here's hoping he's able to win a few matches soon
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Post by Lee on Jan 17, 2004 22:55:16 GMT -5
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Post by Vera on Jan 20, 2004 19:40:08 GMT -5
Lee, we chat about whether Kiefer will play double with Rainer. Guess what, they will ;D. They'll face a team of Aussie in the first round, not the top Aussie, so they have a good chance, I suppose. Cool, so they do get along. Now I really want to see them play double.
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Post by Lee on Jan 20, 2004 23:23:42 GMT -5
Lee, we chat about whether Kiefer will play double with Rainer. Guess what, they will ;D. They'll face a team of Aussie in the first round, not the top Aussie, so they have a good chance, I suppose. Cool, so they do get along. Now I really want to see them play double. I have talked about Rainer in chat thread that he will do everything to get Germany back to World Group. So I'm not surprised that he played with Kiefer. Wish they have good result. I only hate it if they get to 2nd round, they may run into Nestor/Knowles.
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Post by Vera on Jan 21, 2004 3:38:10 GMT -5
I have talked about Rainer in chat thread that he will do everything to get Germany back to World Group. So I'm not surprised that he played with Kiefer. Wish they have good result. I only hate it if they get to 2nd round, they may run into Nestor/Knowles. lol. You make it sounded like Kiefer is a horrible guy to partner with . Anyways, nice double pair and Kiefer is a pretty good S&Ver so I think he's handy in dbl. Hope they can bring some life to the German team. In fact, a lot of the guys seem trying to prepare for Davis Cup by partnering their countryman in the double. Interesting to see lots of different combination from the spaniards, including Juanqui and Garcia-Lopez (who's that), but we can all rest assure that Juanqui won't be playing DC double no matter what .
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Post by Lee on Jan 21, 2004 13:16:01 GMT -5
lol. You make it sounded like Kiefer is a horrible guy to partner with . Anyways, nice double pair and Kiefer is a pretty good S&Ver so I think he's handy in dbl. Hope they can bring some life to the German team. In fact, a lot of the guys seem trying to prepare for Davis Cup by partnering their countryman in the double. Interesting to see lots of different combination from the spaniards, including Juanqui and Garcia-Lopez (who's that), but we can all rest assure that Juanqui won't be playing DC double no matter what . Sorry that I sound so hash on Kiwi. I like the guy too. Most Germans are strong minded and stubborn, I guess that make them crash with each other, like Becker, Haas and Kiefer. Schuettler seems to be the most easy going one but I do feel he's quite a mull himself but he is more mature in handling himself. For Spaniards, they have a number of double teams and even crash with each other in 1st round there.
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Post by Lee on Jan 22, 2004 2:17:12 GMT -5
After losing to Soderling in 1st round match, Rainer said he would not touch his tennis racquets for a while and get some rest. After leaving his tennis racquets alone for one day, he was back playing doubles with Kiefer because he promised Kiefer he would play doubles with him in AO. Poor guy! Sorry I wish they will lose to Nestor/Knowles (better than they lose later to other teams) and Rainer can really get some rest before Rotterdam.
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Post by Lee on Jan 22, 2004 2:28:10 GMT -5
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Post by RogiFan on Feb 9, 2004 15:17:49 GMT -5
Lee, great pix! Now how can I get a dinner date w Rainer at a Japanese resto??? Good for him, he uses chopsticks, the ONLY way to eat sushi and sashimi! He loves that raw tuna -- maguro!! YUM!!! Here's Mr. March: www.atptennis.com/...oops, my mistake -- it's not tuna he's eating, it's salmon! even better!! Cool that Rainer seems to like Japanese things... after all, he did win Tokyo!
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Post by Lee on Feb 13, 2004 1:03:07 GMT -5
Lee, great pix! Now how can I get a dinner date w Rainer at a Japanese resto??? I'm in line ahead of you for a dinner date! Yes, it's shake not maguro. And his technique of holding the chopsticks are perfect. ;D I can't tell how good he use them since that's just a pic.
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Post by Lee on Feb 18, 2004 12:29:11 GMT -5
www.abnamrowtt.nl/Confident Schüttler through to quarter-finals 18-2-2004 | 15:18 While the big names were getting ready for their first court appearance, Rainer Schüttler managed to secure a place in the quarter-finals. The German beat Radek Stepanek in straight sets: 6-3, 6-4. Schüttler’s victory came as a relief, not least because his Czech opponent had beaten him three times in 2003: "Although you want to forget your previous defeats, it’s not as easy as it sounds. I am very confident about the way I’m playing at the moment. My serve-and-volley game is going well, and my service is going even better," a satisfied Schüttler proclaimed afterwards. Schüttler, who is seeded third, ran into minor difficulties in the eight game of the second set, when he faced two breakpoints. However, his opponent was unable to force a break, and subsequently lost his own service game, and with it the match. Schüttler: "Stepanek played with a sense of resignation during the opening games of the second set, which allowed me to play more aggressively." Looking back, the German is happy that he took a breather after the hectic 2003 season: "It’s done me the world of good. I really don’t mind who I play next. Besides, the tournament only attracts strong players. What's he implying?
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Post by Lee on Feb 20, 2004 12:05:00 GMT -5
Hewitt battles past Schuettler to reach Rotterdam semis 2004-02-20 14:09:46 GMT (Reuters) By Pritha Sarkar ROTTERDAM, Netherlands, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Lleyton Hewitt scraped into the semi-finals of the World Indoor Tournament with a 7-6 6-3 win over third seed Rainer Schuettler on Friday. The Australian's victory set up semi-final showdown with either world number one Roger Federer or British fifth seed Tim Henman. Hewitt, whose only defeat this year has been to Federer in the fourth round of the Australian Open, ground out his win in one hour 53 minutes after Schuettler faded in the second set following a finger nail injury. "I'm happy to get through to the semis here on my first visit here," said sixth seed Hewitt. In a tight opening set, Hewitt grabbed the first break in the seventh game after his German opponent miscued a forehand into the net on break point. Schuettler displayed his frustration by loudly muttering to himself and repeatedly slamming his racket into the advertising hoardings during the changeover.
Spurred by his anger, Schuettler immediately broke back after forcing Hewitt to slam a forehand into the net. He has quite a temper The 11th game summed up the day for Schuettler. He won a spectacular first point when a lunging Hewitt failed to make contact with the ball after a lengthy rally. Five points later, the German had dropped his serve once again with a tame double fault. Although Schuettler managed to grab the break back, a fist-pumping Hewitt charged to a 4-0 lead in the tiebreak. The Australian wasted his first three set points before he let rip a blistering forehand winner on the fourth and greeted the moment with a reverberating cry of "Come on". In the second set, a bloodied finger nail, caused by the racket flying out of his hand in the fifth game, added to Schuettler's woes. I don't know what's wrong with his grip, why the racket always flying out of his hand. He lost a point in TMC when his racket flied out of his hand when he served and not able to retrieve it fast enough. Hewitt pressed on for victory and clinched the match when Schuettler slapped a sloppy forehand into the net.
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Post by RogiFan on Mar 1, 2004 10:17:47 GMT -5
Sorry Lee, Rainer is already out of Dubai in the first round... we don't want him to be in a slump... let Pandy and AA do it...
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Post by Kiro on Mar 1, 2004 11:14:44 GMT -5
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Post by Lee on Mar 1, 2004 11:45:07 GMT -5
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Post by RogiFan on Mar 1, 2004 17:22:30 GMT -5
Lee, for you!
Rainer Schuettler interview from French Tennis Magazine, March 2004
They introduce the interview by calling Rainer an unknown whose key to his 2003 success was hard work. Rainer has a sense of humour and knows how to deal with his newfound notoriety.
- talking about the AO03 F Rainer said confidence was important and reaching the final revealed a lot about his potential that he wasn't aware of before - he said if he plays well he can beat anyone - before the AO03 he had never gotten beyond the R16 in a slam - he didn't think he had the level to go further but now he is sure that he can play the big pts better - he's more serene, calm - when he was young, he was nervous - now he can channel his energy better
- after the AO03 he said why not aim for top 10, not just top 20? - he always tries to invest 100% when he's on the court
- Rainer knows that a little luck plays a role, e.g., when Safin pulled out last yr but he puts a lot of store in hard work, which he believes will be rewarded - he trains 6 hrs/day for 5 wks at the beginning of the year - he starts w a checkup at the sports university in Frankfurt
- he doesn't mind training hard; he gets satisfaction from returning to his hotel room with a feeling of pain in his legs; he says it's not as bad as you think!
- Rainer's not a big fan of holidays! he prefers to take 10-15 days off rather than 3 weeks; he doesn't like to break his rhythm
- his 2 best memories of AO03? beating Blake and Roddick to finally realize the dream of making a slam final
- during the final everything went too fast, he said; he couldn't appreciate the gravity of the event and was very disappointed after he lost to Agassi - but Rainer felt better the day after, satisfied with what he had achieved - later, he got his revenge in Montreal
- he had a lot of confidence after the AO and said to himself that this was his chance to become the player he had always dreamt of becoming
- after losing the AO Rainer played DC in Argentina, thus avoiding the press in Germany, although when he returned to Frankfurt, the mayor was waiting for him for a reception in his honour
- it was Dick Hordoff who encouraged him to be a professional tennis player, which he would never have thought of himself; he would have gone to university
- his coach is the ideal guy who is demanding but not overly so and is very direct
- Dick has even brought in outside assistance from Bob Brett, who helped Rainer with his serve, and Hernan Gumy during 2002 and 2003, for new ideas
- they have really worked on his forehand, volley and serve
- when he was stuck at 40 or 50th spot, Rainer thought of quitting and going to university but in 2001 he started to play better
- he had a great childhood and his parents never pushed him and started with football but at 14 chose tennis and his father drove him everywhere for training and matches
- Rainer said that in Germany you never want to be second best! it's been tough for the Germans lately but there's still Haas and Kiefer and himself
- Rainer doesn't have to appear on TV or in newspapers as they leave him alone
- he still hangs out with his friends from school and likes the quiet life in Switzerland where he lives, close to the German border
- his private life is very important; he wants to be known for his tennis, not his private life
- now that he's tasted success, he doesn't want to let up; he intends to stay at the top - he loves a standing ovation in a stadium of 15,000, who doesn't? - thinking about beating Roddick at the AO03 gives him goosebumps!
- Rainer doesn't feel he has to justify his early 2004 losses… he felt some pressure at the AO04 and trained well but it didn't transfer to his matches but in a few weeks, it will be better because it can't be any worse than it is now, he said.
- Yannick Cochennec
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Post by Lee on Mar 1, 2004 17:28:33 GMT -5
Lee, for you! Thanks RogiFan It is worse now
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Post by TennisHack on Mar 2, 2004 10:48:02 GMT -5
German football legend Franz Beckenbauer (C), president of the organisation committee of World Cup 2006, poses with German tennis player Rainer Schuettler (R) and Emirati Salah Tahlaq, director of Dubai Open tennis tournement, 02 March 2004. AFP PHOTO/Rabih MOGHRABI
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Post by TennisHack on Mar 9, 2004 14:19:00 GMT -5
From the February 17, 2004 print issue of Tennis Week
Fire and Nice Rainer Schuettler is as surprising off the court as he is successful on it by Brad Falkner
During matches, Rainer Schuettler is a fiery fist-pumping perfectionist. Off court, he's an almost painfully shy, soft-spoken, good-natured, humorous guy. It's one of the many paradoxes about Germany's No. 1, who improved his year-end ATP Entry ranking for the ninth consecutive season, a record streak among active players.
When shirtless on the practice court, it is clear that Schuettler, 27, is blessed with the kind of physique that you normally find only in shrink-wrapped packages (eg, G.I. Joe, Stretch Armstrong and Superman). But perhaps the most remarkable thing about him is how grounded hehas remained, despite his steady rise to the top, including, in 2003, his first Grand Slam final, his first Tennis Masters Cup appearance, a year-end No. 6 ranking and nearly $2 million in prize money. "I've known Rainer since 1998, and he has not changed even with all of the success that he's had in the world of tennis," declares Andre Antic, editor/writer for Tennis Magazine in Germany.
"Rainer is not the person you see out on the court. Yes, he is a perfectionist, but what really matters is his heart and loyalty to those who surround him," says Dirk Hordorff, who has been Schuettler's manager, coach, confidant and friend since his days as a junior player. Hordorff' sense of humor, knowledge of tennis and fatherly wisdom have plotted the course of Schuettler's success for the past 11 years.
Brad Falkner's conversation with the 2003 Australian Open runner-up began at the 2004 Qatar Exxon Mobil Open.
How has life changed from the days of being a no-name player to being ranked No. 6 in the world? My coach, physiotherapist, and my friends are the same from before. I've tried to stay in the same environment. What is more difficult is the other people around me have changed. They give more attention to me. Before nobody cared, and now there are so many people that want something. The people around me have changed -- not so much me.
For example my coach, Dirk, we have been working together for 11 years; there's no reason why he should change or I should change. Because we travel the whole year together, so we know each other pretty well.
Hordorff: "What has changed is that an American magazine is now making an interview with you in Doha. When he won this tournament in '99, no US journalist wanted to do an interview."(Laughter)
How do you handle being a celebrity? I don't mind it. I don't want to change my life to be in the spotlight. I don't want to be involved in any scandal. I want to have my private life. I had a long-time girlfriend. After we broke up, I started to play better. It sounds kind of mean, but now I have more time to focus only on my tennis. After Australia [in 2003] I thought, "Now I have the chance of my life to get Top 10." That's what I did, and now I'm more successful. The point is that when I don't have a girlfriend, I don't have to feel bad or worry about her if my whole day and night is consumed with tennis. I don't have to compromise. I can focus everything on tennis. If I did meet somebody and fall in love, its not like I wouldn't do it. If I fall in love with somebody and it just happens, there is nothing I can do about it, and I would not force myself to avoid this. For now, I'm happy to just concentrate on my tennis. If you're well known and you go somewhere, there are some women who are crazy about tennis.
How would you classify yourself as a play; is there any particular playing style that you fit into? I play aggressive from the baseline. Maybe my serve is not as strong as I would like it to be. The rest of my game is improving and improving. Even my serve is getting better and better, but its not exactly how I want it to be. I don't think that I have a real weakness. I think that I'm pretty fast. I don't think that I'm the fastest, but that's my strength, that I reach a lot of balls. I have an all-around game. I don't think that I am a counter-puncher because I try to play aggressively from the baseline. I don't try to win my points by the mistakes of my opponents. I don't think that you can be Top 10 these days without weapons. If its not a slow surface, I will try to work my way into the net.
You went 3-0 this past year against world No. 1 Andy Roddick. How do you explain your success playing against him? One of my strengths is my return of serve. So I like to play against big servers. His game is set up on his serve and huge forehand. In the last matches we played, I was able to return his serve, and I was able to stay in the point and rally, which is my strength. His game plays into my strengths. I always play good against players who like to attach and play aggressive.
There were some less than positive comments made from some of the non-US players at the 2003 Tennis Masters Cup in Houston, where you got to the semis. Can you talk about how you felt? When you read the first day in the newspapers that the tournament owner doesn't care about the other players, just about Agassi and Roddick, it's a little strange. I mean, they are the best eight players in the world, and I think that he (Jim McIngvale) should show respect for all of the players. That's my opinion; I think he should be fair to everybody. If we are complaining about something we don't like, I think he should listen.
con'd
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Post by TennisHack on Mar 9, 2004 14:35:57 GMT -5
Are you willing to give Mattress Mac the benefit of the doubt or another chance to make certain changes? If I get to go back [this] year, I'm sure that the negative things will be better. For example, I'm sure he realized that the court could have been better. Every year there is a new chance. Even if he favors Agassi and Roddick, it just seemed a little bit strange to see that in the press.
Do you notice a difference when you play tournaments in the US? Of course it's different when you are playing in a different country. Because tennis is not that popular in the States, it's different than in many other countries. In other countries, if you are like 20 or 30 [in the rankings], they know you and recognize you. In the States if you are in the Top 10 or are an American, the they know you. The attention is different. Your country (US) is so big and you have so many other popular sports, this response is normal. In the States, I have more space. For me it's quieter, which is nice.
You live in Switzerland? I've lived there for five year. One of my best friends on the tour, Ivo Heuberger, is Swiss. So this makes for ideal practice conditions. I live in Altstaetten, the German part.
Growing up as a kid in Germany, were you more of a Michael stich or Boris Becker man? Obviously Becker is more popular in Germany bcause he was the first to win Wimbledon. So the guy who wins the firstone is always the biggest. They have different personalities. Michael is more quiet. Boris always like to have the attenton. One of my greatest memories was watching Becker win that first Wimbledon.
Speaking of Becker, what type of relationship do you two have? To be honest, I don't know Boris very well. He was the Davis Cup coach for one year, but I don't know him very well. We are not in touch. I don't know if he's a nice guy or not.
What are your thoughts about Germany doing well in the Davis Cup? We have a good team if everyone is healthy. The last couple of years we never played with our best team. If we had been healthy, then we would have a great team. To play for Germany is very special. One of my goals is to do really well in the Davis Cup. I think if we had a doubles specialist team like the US and Australia, it could really help our team. Doubles has always been the weak point of our team.
What is your relationship like with Tommy Haas? We have a very close and good relationship. We shared a room at the last Olympics, in Sydney. At the end of last year, I took a holiday to Miami and Tommy came down from Bradenton and we went to a party together. I hope that Tommy comes back soon to the tour. This would really help our Davis Cup team; it would give us more of a chance to reach our goals.
I've noticed over the last couple of years that some women are crazy about the players and that the guys with the best rankings seem to do pretty well with the ladies. Have you noticed this? The women get more beautiful with every tournament you win, and it's pretty funny (laughing). In a lot of sports its like that. It's strange. You're right, it's very strange. It depends what lifestyle you want. If you want to go for it, yes . . . I'mnot the guy who goes to the tournaments and every tournament I have a different girl. Of course there are guys who do that; I'm just not one of them. While you're traveling, it's not a problem, but it's a personal thing. It depends on you, if you want to take the opportunity or not. Obviously if you're alone and you go somewhere, there are also some women who are crazy about tennis. It's in every sport. In the States, they are crazy about basketball players. You see the story that happens to Boris Becker with the Russian girl. I think it's everybody's personal decision. You should know what you want to do and the risk about it.
How did you feal with the instant international fame that last year's Australian Open final gave you? I have so many good memories from Australia, I will never forget it! For me it was a dream to play in the final of a Grand Slam, especially against Agassi. But I always played well there. I made it to the last 16, I think twice.
For me, it's (fame) okay because I was not that young. I think it's more difficult if you are 18 or 19 or 20. Then there is a bigger chance that the fame, the money, girls could change a person. They might get a big head and become cocky. For me it was different because I did not get into the Top 10 until last year. So it happened to me in my mid- to late 20s and I was more mature than some players who become famous when they are teenagers.
It has been a difficult start to the new season. How are you feeling about it? I've had three pretty disappointing weeks now. I started in Doha, Sydney, and now the Australian Open. In each of those matches I had my chances, but I didn't win a match. So it's been a pretty tough month for me. I'm still quite relaxed, but unhappy about my start to the new season, especially at the Australian Open, being up two sets and having a break point at 5-all in the third. But my game is improving and my serve is much better than last year. I'm still very hopeful for the rest of the year.
Brad Faulkner is a regular contributor to Tennis Week and TennisWeek.com.
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Post by Lee on Mar 9, 2004 14:48:57 GMT -5
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Post by RogiFan on Mar 9, 2004 15:07:36 GMT -5
"When you read the first day in the newspapers that the tournament owner doesn't care about the other players, just about Agassi and Roddick, it's a little strange. I mean, they are the best eight players in the world, and I think that he (Jim McIngvale) should show respect for all of the players. That's my opinion; I think he should be fair to everybody. If we are complaining about something we don't like, I think he should listen." Well said, Rainer, good for you for speaking up!
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