Practice court intrigue
Fans attending a tournament during qualifying or the
early rounds have a multitude of viewing choices on
the grounds. Instead of watching matches involving
little known players, many opt to watch their
favourite stars grooving their games on the practice
courts. But do you think all that's happening on the
practice courts is practice? Think again!
Occasionally, a young up-and-coming player can use a
practice session to make a statement against a more
established star. A case in point involved Justine
Henin and Daniela Hantuchova at Indian Wells in March
of this year. Henin was seeded third at the big
California tournament, and was widely regarded as one
of the women to beat. Hantuchova, with the same
seeding as her age (18), was regarded as a promising
player. She had in the past played competitive matches
against some top players, but was still looking for
her first breakthrough result.
Hantuchova's breakthrough came when she stunned Henin,
6-3, 6-3, in the fourth round in Indian Wells.
Justine had practiced with Daniela just before the
tournament, and the practice session left Henin a bit
apprehensive about their match. "I practiced with her
some days ago, and I could feel she was playing well,"
confessed Henin in a commendably frank admission.
"Maybe I was a little bit afraid of this match."
Hantuchova remembered the practice session, and she
said it worked in her favour, giving her confidence
for the match. "When I played her in the practice, I
didn't give her any chance, the same as I did in the
match today."
Hantuchova rode this big win, prepared on the practice
courts, to her first tournament title, as she shocked
Martina Hingis in the Indian Wells final.
The carry-over effect of practice sessions on
tournament play can also work the other way,
benefiting the established stars, as we were reminded
this week in Montreal.
In the third round, Martina Hingis, just returning
from a three-month injury layoff and somewhat rusty,
was matched against an up-and-comer out of Argentina,
Clarisa Fernández. The Argentine had been a surprise
semi-finalist at the French Open this spring, and
figured to be a potentially tricky opponent for the
former number one. Ah, but Martina knew something we
didn't: information gleaned from the practice courts.
Martina had noticed Clarisa's excellent form in Paris,
and was curious. "She replaced me in the French Open
and she reached the semi-finals, so obviously she's a
good player," recalled Hingis. But Hingis had never
played the newcomer, and knew little about her before
this week.
During the tournament's early days, Fernández was
looking for a hitting partner, and Hingis suggested
they hit for a while together. An act of kindness?
Not entirely.... The session allowed the Swiss star to
get a feel for the upstart's game. "I saw that she had
a typical South American game with a lot of topspin,"
said Hingis, "and I wasn't worried."
As fate would have it, the two wound up meeting later
in the week, this time for real. Armed with the peace
of mind obtained on the practice courts, an unworried
Hingis was able to cruise to a 6-4, 6-2 win over the
Argentine lefthander.
So next time you watch your idol in practice, don't
just rivet your eyes on your favourite. It can be
enlightening to look at who he or she is practicing
with and what is going on, and wonder why.