THE tennisreporters.net NEWSLETTER: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19

EXCLUSIVE
Chanda says she can take a Slam
Says Venus is shocked by Serena losses; puts Steffi over Monica; discusses deep (and strict) Louisiana roots

By Matthew Cronin
tennisreporters.net

At 26, Chanda Rubin is playing perhaps the best tennis of her pro career, taking Serena Williams, Jelena Dokic and Lindsay Davenport in succession en route to the Manhattan Beach title in August and nearly upsetting Venus Williams in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open (a 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 loss).

Rubin firmly believes she can reach the top-five and win a Slam, even though she has come up short in big matches on numerous occasions. She's been ranked as high as No. 6 and has had a number of big wins over elite players in her 13-year pro career, reaching the Aussie Open semis in '96 (where she was two points away from the final in a titanic three-set loss to eventual champion Monica Seles) and the Roland Garros quarters in '95 and '00. Rubin - who's coached by Benny Sims - has risen from No. 54 in '01 to No. 13 in early October is is fighting for a spot in the year-end WTA championships in LA.

A native of Lafayette, La., Rubin is perhaps the most unsung American player of the past decade. She's one of only a handful of women from the Deep South who have made significant waves on tour. The daughter of Edward Rubin, a judge, and Bernadette, a retired teacher, Chanda is from solid stock: Her grandparents toiled thousands of hours under the hot Louisiana sun in order to provide a better life for their children. Rubin spoke with tr.net from Zurich, where she lost to Anna Smashnova in the first round of the singles and, with partner Davenport, upset world No. 1s Paola Suarez/Virginia Ruano-Pascual in doubles.

tennisreporters.net: Given all the great players you have beaten, do you feel you suffer from a lack of recognition?
Chanda Rubin: I'm pretty low key and am not one to create waves. I've had my moments and runs, but also have had some injuries. Then you are out of peoples' minds. I haven't had the same level of recognition that other players who have accomplished the same things or been at the same level have had, but it's not something I concern myself with. I've had my best year to date and stepped up a level.

tr.net: Why the lack of recognition … because you came up at the same time with Lindsay and were lost in her shadow, because Steffi [Graf] dominated when you were young, or because with the way Serena and Venus are playing now that it's easy to get lost in the shuffle?
Rubin: A little. I feel like I've gotten more recognition now with winning LA and playing well at the French, Wimbledon and the [US] Open. I've played well and come up short a few times. Going into New York, I think some people saw how well I was playing. But I haven't won a Grand Slam and as a player, there are accomplishments that put you in the upper echelon. I haven't done enough yet to warrant being there in terms of my name, but people know I'm a seasoned competitor, keep coming back, that I can play with and beat top players. I know it and people know it, too.

tr.net: At the Open, you came in playing great and played very well up until deep in your match against Venus. You had chances to close her out. That would have been a big breakthrough for you.
Rubin: It would have been, not only with the win but because it was there for me -- quarters of the U.S. Open, against No. 2 player -- and if you beat a player like that, you have to like your chances against anyone else. There would have been a whole lot of positives if I could've taken advantage of some points here or there. It would have opened up for me. You can't lament things, but as a player you recognize when there are opportunities and you missed them. Hopefully, I'll have another shot down the road.

tr.net: Were you kicking yourself for a couple weeks afterward?
Rubin: It was tough, but I had a lot of positives I could hold on to. I wasn't down in the dumps a huge amount of time, but it was tough the rest of the Open because I did watch the rest of the matches and I realized I could have been there.

tr.net: Was it tough to recover mentally? It must have been especially hard since you were the only player to beat Serena last summer and must have felt you had a good shot at her in the final.
Rubin: Exactly, but once I got home the week after the Open and got some rest, I was able to start thinking ahead again.

tr.net: Was losing to Venus tougher then when you lost Seles in the '96 Aussie Open semis?
Rubin: Yes, because when I lost to Seles, I was 20-years-old and was having my really great run, from May of '95 through the start of '96. I had other opportunities to look forward to. It was really disappointing, but it was easier to look ahead. Now I realize that you don't get an unlimited amount of opportunities. It's up to me to make opportunities for myself and I feel confident I'll have more chances. But I see things a little differently.

tr.net: Have your goals changed radically since you came on tour?
Rubin: Not radically. After I graduated high school, I was focused on just building my game and getting my ranking up. Now I feel like I'm getting back to the top 10 and am looking to the top five, which is the extra step for me. I don't take things as gradually anymore.

tr.net: Some good players say that as long as they give their best, they could retire without looking back, even if they never won a Slam. If you stopped at age 30 without a Slam title, would you be very disappointed?
Rubin: Yes. It would depend on the circumstances of the future and how I felt about those years. I wouldn't look at one thing and let it color my whole career, but I would be disappointed because I would hope at that point that I would have given myself some more chances, and that would mean that I wouldn't have capitalized on them and made that extra breakthrough. You want to keep gaining more ground. Winning a Grand Slam would represent a lot of growth for me.

tr.net: You have to be convinced that, with all the elite players you have beaten, if you play your best for seven matches in a row that you can win a Slam.
Rubin: Definitely. Benny and I have done as much as possible with the basics and trying new things on court to give myself a chance. The main thing has been mental. If I'm solid mentally, I have the game to win seven matches in two weeks.

tr.net: Talk about makes the following players so tough? Serena.
Rubin: Her attitude. We always known she's strong and athletic, but her attitude has improved a lot.

tr.net: Venus.
Rubin: She's a little shocked with losses she's had to Serena, but she's always been a competitor. You have to come up with something great to beat her. She's never out of a point or match. She'll hit a ball any way she can to keep it coming back.

tr.net: Lindsay.
Rubin: Her strength has been more mental. I've known her a long time and seen her grow as a player. Her self-belief has been the biggest thing, but it does helps to be solid on the groundstrokes like she is.

tr.net: Jennifer.
Rubin: She's just hits the ball so well and clean; she doesn't even have to think about it. Sometimes she isn't thinking as clearly, but she hits it so well that she makes up for that. She doesn't always have to be at her best or moving well because of how well she strikes it.

tr.net: Mauresmo.
Rubin: One of the most athletic players out there. She really does have a lot of variety. She can mix up spin, slice and now she's coming in a lot more which has improved her game tremendously.

tr.net: Of the teens -- Clijsters, Henin and Hantuchova -- who's the best?
Rubin: You have to look at Henin and Clijsters first over Hantuchova. The rankings also suggest that. She's not at their Slam or ranking level. Between Henin and Clijsters, it's hard. Justine hasn't been as consistent recently, but one is Wimbledon finalist and another a French. Both have won tournaments. They're slightly different players, but they're are both strong and athletic. They attack the ball.

tr.net: What keeps Monica going?
Rubin: Her competitiveness. Even with the game changing and players hitting bigger, being quicker and fitter, she's still one of the most competitive around.

tr.net: Would you put Steffi above Monica overall? Are Venus and Serena in Steffi's class yet?
Rubin: I didn't play Monica until '96, which was after her break, so I would have to put Steffi above her. Venus and Serena are in Steffi's class, but it's tough to compare generations. Steffi was as tough mentally as anyone -- as is Serena -- but Steffi had the game, work ethic, was so quick, had the forehand, could mix pace and slice with her backhand. That could throw people off. Now, people are just hitting the ball hard. In Steffi's time, the average player wasn't as fit or quick. Times have changed, but she'd still be right in there if she was playing now.

tr.net: You've spoken of your grandparents – your mom's dad raising chicken and hogs on a farm, how he sold his prize hog so your mom could go to school and how she cried. Your dad's parents working so hard so your father could have a chance at a good education. It sounds like your family is very driven, which maybe is why a girl from Lafayette cracked the top 10.
Rubin: Both situations were special and a little extraordinary. My dad comes from a large family, 11 kids, living in a small house. One of his sisters died. My grandmother raised all these kids. He was the first one to finish school, work his way through graduate school and law school to get his law degree while my mom was teaching and working and making money to sort of support the small family early on. My mom comes from a big family, six kids, not a lot of money. At that time it was working the field to make money. They were people who worked hard with their hands. They didn't have a great education, but worked hard to give their parents some opportunities. My parents were both the first of their siblings to go to college and finish. That was something they had to push for. It wasn't a given that they could do it, but they wanted to make a better life for themselves and to improve themselves. They tried to instill that in me. I appreciate where they came from, the value of hard work, setting a goal and working to it. Adversity that comes along the way, you just deal with it.

tr.net: Did your parents have to be strict with you, or were you an easy kid to deal with?
Rubin: I was pretty easy going, but my father was pretty strict and he had certain ideals, things he wanted to see happen in terms of school, grades, not getting into crazy stuff. There were certain rules and guidelines we had to abide by. My mom was a little easier and sometimes let us do what we wanted to and it would be up to my dad to reign us in.

tr.net: You were such an accomplished junior tennis-wise that college wasn't a real option for you as a player. But how hard was it on your mom and dad that you didn't go to college, considering how important higher learning is to them?
Rubin: My dad never put that on me. It was always important to have an education, but tennis is what I wanted to do and my dad always had a love for the game. He always enjoyed that I liked to play and was good at it. He saw there were opportunities for me in tennis that aren't there for the average person who goes to college, gets a degree and goes out into the work force. He recognized that and never pressed me one way or the other. He did see that I had potential. College is something that I can always go back and do. I had a good high school education, have a good mind and I knew if things didn't work out in tennis I still have other options.

tr.net: Is your dad big on praise, or is he more the quiet, pat-you-on-the-back type?
Rubin: He's fairly subdued. It's not a lot of praise all the time, but he does get excited when I do well. He'll congratulate me or he'll get something across in terms of that. I can always tell. I've gotten older and gone my own route and now it's Benny and me out here. My dad's more on the sidelines now, versus when I was younger and he was involved more.

tr.net: How does it feel to be the most famous women's tennis player in Louisiana history, a state that takes its sports very seriously?
Rubin: I rarely think about it, but its nice when you think about. Right now, I'm just another player trying to maximize my talents. I don't get caught up in all the extras.

tr.net: Some players have said that they will never get their kids into tennis. What about you?
Rubin: I would give them the opportunity to play and develop a love of game. Whatever they choose to do with that is their choice. But it's a game that provides a lot of life lessons, learning about your self, being comfortable and confident in your abilities as a person. There's a lot to gain by just picking up a racket. I can't see why someone who has had a lot of opportunities and positives experiences in the game wouldn't want their kids to play. There are certain things I've gotten out of the game and I would encourage others to try it. I want my kids to play other sports, too, but tennis is a great sport and one that I love very much.