ROLAND GARROS, DAY 13

Wacky Verkerk finds the way to work

By Matthew Cronin
tennisreporters.net

Susan Mullane/Camerawork USA, Inc.

FROM ROLAND GARROS – You have to go back to wacky Croat Goran Ivanisevic in 1992 to find a more colorful first time Grand Slam finalist than the Netherlands' Martin Verkerk, a gentle, jocular giant off-court and a terrifying titan on court.

His run to the Roland Garros final has been part amusing, part amazing and completely entertaining. He wears his heart on his sleeve, the red clay on socks and on the back of his head, and is willing to share the improbability of his victories with the world over. He has gone from classic underachiever to accomplished entrepreneur in matter of months and in the past 13 days, has become an "A-list" player.

"I don't know what happened. It is a dream for me; it is unbelievable," the 24-year-old said after overpowering red-hot Argentine Guillermo Coria 7-6, 6-4, 7-6 in the semifinals.

Verkerk is the first Dutchman to reach the final at the French Open and, on Sunday, he'll bring a huge serve, airtight backhand, improving forehand and sound volleys to face third-seed Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain. Ferreor is favored because this is the Spaniard's second straight visit to the final, he's healthy this year and it's doubtful that Ferrero will fall prey to nerves, like he did last year.

Yet if Verkerk gets his burners fired up, he could become the most improbable Slam winner since Gustavo Kuerten in 1997, when the Brazilian came in here ranked No. 66 and won the title. Verkerk will hit to open spots and when you blowtorch balls like he does, even the fleet Ferrero may not be able to keep up if he's on.

"I prefer just to hit the ball and let the other guy run," the No. 46-ranked Verkerk said.

FINDS A WORK ETHIC
It's a miracle of sorts that he's come this far, but it's not at the same time. At 6-foot-5, Verkerk has always had the makings of a big time game, but he was a lazy son of wealthy parents and his work ethic was admittedly awful.

"If you saw me one year ago, I had difficulty with volleys, I had difficulty to run, I had a weak forehand, I had, actually, only a backhand and a serve," he said. "Of course, sometimes I had matches that I served well and beat good players. But now I served well the whole tournament. If you work hard, put in your hours, eat well, sleep good, physically in the gym, do all your things, something like this can happen. Maybe not like this, because this is too much maybe … but you can be a good player."

Not since Richard Krajicek won Wimbledon in 1996 has a Dutch player reached the final of Grand Slam. At this time last year, Verkerk was in such bad shape that he playing club matches while Roland Garros was going on. In fact, two years ago his career was going so badly that he considered packing it in. Ahead 6-0 in the third set tiebreaker against Coria on Friday, Verkerk's life flashed before him.
"Some things are going through your head like your whole life," he said. "I saw the ground, like the Challengers [minor league tournaments]. I was struggling. Two times I wanted to quit with tennis because I was mentally not good. I had the talent, but not the fight."

A year and half ago, Verkerk had a revelation. He didn't want to be a lifelong underachiever, so he hired a new coach, New Zealand's Nick Carr and got cracking. He jumped some 90 spots in the rankings last year and cracked the top 100, ending the year at No. 86.

This year, he won his first title in Milan in February, but his confidence was still questionable. He lost seven times in the first round prior to Rome, where he reached the quarters. The next week in St. Poelten, he reached the semis. The blonde with a rapidly-receding hairline had gotten it inside his head that he could play at a high level but needed to keep his nose to the grindstone.

"I grew up a little late," he said. "I was just too young, like a young duck, just walking around, saying, 'Look how talented I am.' I was not focused on the job. Then things happen and you start thinking, 'Okay, do you always want to be the guy that should have been good? He had the talent, not the mentality, not the concentration.' So things happen and you want to show the people who I am."

Verkerk cried after beating Coria. Just imagine what will happen should he take down Ferrero on Sunday, who has been the world's most consistent clay courter over the past four years. Whether he will rise to occasion like Kuerten or Krajicek did is very much in question, but he says he never gets nervous, so there could be another miracle waiting right around the corner.

"It's not too much," he said. "It was already too much to get to the quarters or semis. I have one big thing with me. I don't like to say it about myself, but to come on a big occasion with the crowd and everything, from the first ball on, I don't feel pressure. I just try to compete and enjoy myself. I hope that the crowd enjoys what I'm doing."

They already do.