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WOMEN HAVE WIDE-OPEN FIELD
Serena, Capriati confident
they will contend
JH-H, Venus, Mauresmo also stick
chins out
By Matthew Cronin
tennisreporters.net
FROM ROLAND
GARROS – Serena Williams and Jennifer Capriati have had some
true wars at this Troy of Grand Slams and may be headed for a showdown
in the quarters. Fresh off an appearance at the Cannes Film Festival
where she didn't trade Achilles Heel stories with actor Brad Pitts
(but did get some substantial face time with Tom Hanks and actually
claimed to have loved the geeky movie, "Turner and Hooch"),
'02 Roland champ Serena said she's insatiable to star on stage in
her first love – tennis.
Susan Mullane/Camerawork USA |
| Serena says she wants to be at the top of the tennis world again. |
"I do have that inner voice,"
Serena said. "That really seems to be the driving force that
enabled me too do well since I've been young."
Capriati, who hasn't won a Slam in over three years, says she's
playing as well as she has since the US Open, when she dropped
the ball in her spectacular loss to Justine Henin-Hardenne in
the semis. After dealing with a meddlesome back injury in the
off-season, the Florida veteran sputtered and wheezed until Rome
two weeks ago, when she body slammed Serena for the first time
since 2001 and lost a cliffhanger to Amelie Mauresmo in the final.
She says she's in the mix of contenders.
"I always believe that," she said.
Believe this: This is the most open women's Slam draw we've seen
since Roland Garros '01, when Capriati came in as the Aussie Open
champ but had yet to prove herself on clay, Henin-Hardenne and
Kim Clijsters were still babes in the woods and the Williamses
really hadn't learned to slide yet.
Unlike the past two years when either a combo of the Williamses
sisters and the Belgians were out and out favorites everywhere,
we now have five main contenders for the women's crown and all
are question marks: Henin-Hardenne, who was quite spry and content
discussing her chances even though she hasn't played in two months
due to a debilitating virus; Venus, who had her first decent practice
on Sunday after injuring her ankle three weeks ago but isn't too
comfortable moving to her left; Serena, who went down in flames
here last year; Capriati, who hasn't won a clay court tournament
since '01 Roland Garros and Amelie Mauresmo, who despite her Berlin
and Rome titles, has never played a good match here against a
sizable opponent.
SERENA STAR POWER
Serena is smiling an actress's sparkling smile these days and
at times, it's hard to see beyond that. She's downright funny
at times and know how to work a room. When a British journalist
told her there's a film coming out about a British player winning
Wimbledon and said he thinks it's a comedy, she cracked, "It
must be."
Serena also works very hard at looking spectacular and really believes
that she's making an impact on the fashion world. Who else would
have the moxie to say that she's willing to wear a white leather
jacket on court with her name "lasered" into the back
of it in Paris and imply that it will be height of fashion? It appears
to be more appropriate for a cameo role as a Pink Lady in "Grease"
than it does for a lead outfit to be displayed in front of the ritzy
boutique class of fans who will be watching on her on Court Centrale.
But what do we know about
Serena's sense of herself?
In some ways, not a lot. But what
we do know is that she broke down crying last year after the fans
booed her off the court in her depressing and messy loss to Henin-Hardenne.
On the one hand, Serena says she doesn't care if she is booed
and on the other, she says, "There is nothing I like more
than walking out there and hearing the crowd just clap and clap
and clap. It's just an unbelievable feeling for me." If she
is roundly booed this year, expect her to fight back, on court
and off.
Even though Serena says that the other players realize that she
isn't vulnerable now, she's only speaking for herself. Sure, she
was spectacular in Miami when she won the tournament after not
having played for eight and half months, but she's played three
tournaments since then and hasn't raised another trophy. Two weeks
ago Capriati beat her for the first time in eight tries. Serena
credits Jennifer with playing well, but says she has another level
coming.
"Oh my god, for sure," Serena said. "If I didn't,
I don't think I would need to be here. … I'm hitting the
ball better. I feel it in my zone. I'm ready."
Susan Mullane/Camerawork USA |
| Capriati retains an elite
ranking without recent tour victories. |
She has to be. She could have a very
rough first round against tricky lefty Iveta Benasova and now
that Capriati is back in her face, Serena can't afford to look
past the quarters. But even though she's more animated when discussing
clothes or films, you have to take the six-time Slam champ at
her word when she says she pumped up to get back to the top. Although
her knee injury isn't 100 percent healed, one has to respect the
fact that she's won five out of the last six Slam she's contended.
It was here in '02 when she began her Serena Slam. She always
said she was ready for those runs and now says she's ready for
this one.
"It feels like I have that drive," she said. "I
can't stop. "I can't be satisfied with just getting to the
semis. I want to go out and be much better than that."
NEW COACH MIGHT CHANGE RESULTS
The same goes with Capriati, who is currently working with Heinz
Gunhardt, who once coached Steffi Graf. She needed to hear a different
voice, not one who's going to tell her to get up at dawn to go
practice, but one who can bring out her strengths. The main thing
that Gunhardt has to convince her is that she's capable of winning
this tournament – or any tournament – which no easy
task considering that she hasn't really won a title in nearly
two-and-half years (unless you consider that Mauresmo and Lindsay
Davenport's withdrawing from their matches against her in '03
New Haven as qualifying as a crown).
The fact is, Capriati is still having trouble closing out matches.
She certainly can take heart that she played well and nearly beat
Mauresmo in the Rome final, where she lost in a third-set tiebreak,
but she can't be completely pleased.
The stakes will be higher against an elite player next week and
if she doesn't go for her shots, she might be looking for a new
coach to transform her into baseball closer Mariano Rivera. She
closed out Serena here in '01, all but taking her rival out as
a main contender for the rest of the year and then couldn't pull
the trigger the next year late in the second set in what be considered
the launching pad for Serena's remarkable four-Slam run. If Capriati
is to rediscover her appeal, she had better rediscover he knockout
puncher's instincts by next Wednesday.
"I think I'm getting more confident at it," she said.
It's more about playing just one opponent instead of playing two
opponents, which are basically myself and the opponent. I don't
know if I've turned the corner. We'll see."
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