US Open, DAY 1

Silver medal win propels Fish to next level
Amer Delic first Bosnian-born player to win main draw match

By Matthew Cronin, TennisReporters.net

Fred Mullane/Camerawork USA

Olympic silver medallist Mardy Fish rolls in New York.

Mardy Fish says that because of his silver medal run in Athens, he's never had more confidence. He says that the Olympics were the first time that he did well at an event when he wasn't serving that well, depending more on his now formidable net game and steady play from the baseline.

"I really feel like, if I can serve well and put it all together, I figured out how to do it," said Fish who reeled in David Ferrer in straight sets on Monday. "I have to come in and put pressure on the guys end, the points quick, not give them too much rhythm."

Fish said the Olympics were pretty much all good, from hanging out with gymnast Blaine Wilson and wrestler Rulon Gardner, to watching beach volleyball. But his gold medal loss to Nicolas Massu, where he led to sets to one, still hurts.

"It's tough to take a lot of positives out of it because I played well," he said. "I felt like he beat me and I didn't beat myself. I felt like I gave it all because I left everything I had out there."

If that was the case against the 10th-ranked Massu, does that mean that Fish doesn't have Top-10 tennis in him? He's never reached he second week of a Slam and although he's in the weakest quarter here (Carlos Moya is the leading man) and was picked by US Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe to reach the semis, he isn't sure whether he has another level in him.

"I've yet to show myself or anyone else that I do," Fish said. "I feel like I can play good tennis against top players and beat them. It's a matter of doing in three out of five set matches at the Grand Slams."

Delic first Bosnian-born player to win main draw match
The USTA coaching brass is said to believe that Amer Delic has Top-50 stuff and with his Max Mirnyi/Preying Mantis body and similar charge the net style behind a big serve, he could get there.
Why doubt a guy who came to the US eight years ago as a Bosnian refugee with his family (who brought with them no more than $1,000 dollars), who spoke no English and four years later, was a Top-5 US junior? Two years after that, he was the NCAA singles champ, playing for the University of Illinois.

On Monday, he won his first Grand Slam match, taking down Janko Tipsarevic in straight sets.
"It's been quite a ride," Delic said. "I think I'm the first Bosnian born player to win a match at the US Open."

Upon arriving in the US, immigration officials asked Delic's parents if they had any relatives in the US. They did have a cousin in Jacksonville, Fla. Off they were sent to the Sunshine State. Delic had grown up on clay courts in Bosnia, but had no idea how good he was. Neither did his parents, who had little interest in sports.

He brought his only two rackets with him to the States and when he got to high school, was asked whether he played any sports. He wrote down tennis, the high school coach played with him once and then entered Delic in a local country club tournament where he reached the final. There he met up with now USTA coach Ricardo Acuna, who seriously polished his game.

"He helped me so much," said Delic, who along with a group of young US players now travels with Acuna and USTA coach Dean Goldfine. "I'm very comfortable with him. I didn't really know how to play before I met him. Between 15 and 18, I improved a lot."

Delic is a quick learner and kept plugging while trying to understand the nuances of US culture. He said the first year of high school was hell, because even though he knew the answers to numerous academic questions, he wasn't familiar enough with the language to make his points.

But his parents and sister hung in there, and so did he. His dad now works for a petroleum company and his mother is a mortgage broker.

GOT MATCH POINTS BUT NOT VICTORIES
After winning the NCAAs, Delic made a decent showing in the pros as an amateur, gaining match points against Paradorn Srichaphanin Indianapolis and Sargis Sargsian at the '03 US Open before falling in both contests. He didn't decide to turn pro until October (thereby squandering some $35,000 in prize money) because he wasn't sure whether he could round up enough money to play on tour. Fortunately, the USTA is helping him out.

This year, Delic hasn't done much since then trying to play through a high ankle injury in attempt to qualify for Wimbledon. In fact, his win at the US Open was his first main draw victory all year "It means a lot," he said. "It was like getting monkey off my back."

Delic stands 6-foot-5 and is a headstrong net-rusher. He's not that the quick to the net and sometimes has trouble handling the low volley, but has great range and is committed to making a living there. He knows that banging wildly from the back isn't going to get him far.

"That's where I'm the most comfortable," he said. "If I can keep putting pressure on guys, I can really do something out there."