|
FORMER WIMBLY CHAMP HAVING SURPRISING CLAY SEASON
Conchita: quietly coming back
By Eleanor Preston
Special to tennisreporters.net
FROM THE TELECOM ITALIA MASTERS IN ROME – You have to hand it to Conchita Martinez: She's 31 years old, has clocked up 32 WTA titles in 15 years as a pro and, for the most part, has managed to do so almost unnoticed.
Even when she sprung her biggest surprise by winning the 1994 Wimbledon title, Martinez was regarded as a mere spoiler, an anonymous Spaniard who failed to read the script and, instead of politely stepping aside, stopped Martina Navratilova from winning her ninth title at the All England Club. She has also made the final at both the Australian Open and Roland Garros, reached No. 2 and, in 1995, achieved a rare feat of making the semifinals in all four Slams.
All the while, she has guarded her privacy as doggedly as she defends the baseline, viewing the press with a wary eye and spotting impertinent questions from miles away. By living in a small beach community in San Diego County, the quiet, unassuming woman has stayed well below the radar. In 2001 and in early 2002, she suffered a number of debilitating injuries but vowed not to retire a mediocre performer who was forced out of the game because of a few aches and pains. But who really noticed? Few people, which is why she retains the capacity to surprise.
DISPATCHES DANI
Just ask Daniela Hantuchova. The willowy No.9 possesses a fearsome array of weaponry and, on paper at least, might have expected to brush Martinez aside when they played in the third round of the Italian Open. So often Martinez looks vaguely bored in her matches, although she would be doing something far more interesting if only she could think of what it was. She can usually be relied upon to saunter through to a quarterfinal or two and then shrug her way to defeat. Yet every so often, when no one, least of all Martinez, expects it, the stars align to remind everyone of just how good a player she is.
Her match against Hantuchova was one of those occasions. Beguiling drop shots, a bewildering array of spins and a barrage of topspin backhands were more than enough for Hantuchova, but what really did her in was the way Martinez remained three steps ahead of her at all times.
"After spending so many years on tour and winning so many tournaments on clay, she was the one with more experience," said a chastened Hantuchova afterwards. "It's very, very hard with her. Things are different with her to the other players. Balls usually come very flat and very fast from the other players and she's one of the few that can mix it up and can slice it and hit a lot of spin. It's very awkward to play against her."
Perhaps Hantuchova could commiserate with Nicole Pratt, the usually game Australian who was given a lesson in clay court tennis when the pair met in Fed Cup recently. It was a performance, which prompted a colorful yet succinct description from Australian Fed Cup captain Evonne Goolagong Cawley. "Conchita just played out of her brain out there," she said.
Martinez revels in Fed Cup, and these days, with Aranxta Sanchez-Vicario finally retired, she has become the team's elder stateswoman and talisman, the star of the show at last. Interestingly, despite her normal habit of eschewing attention, she actually seems to revel in the boisterous and noisy home crowd.
SPEAKING OUT
The same, well-hidden, extrovert streak was present when she beat Hantuchova, too. "When I have wins like this and I'm feeling the ball I enjoy it," she said. "It's hard when you don't have a good time on the court because you don't know what you're doing out there."
Enjoying matches? Showing off to the crowd? This is hardly the Martinez we have come to expect; yet if Martinez' extraordinary career has taught us anything it's that we should expect the unexpected from her. With the French Open fast approaching anyone on Martinez' side of the draw at Roland Garros should heed these words: It's always the quiet ones you have to watch.
Tennis correspondent Eleanor Preston writes for a number of publications, including The Guardian.
|
