Orlando becoming magic tennis kingdom

By Charles Bricker
CBS SportsLine Tennis Writer
April 28, 1998

It's going to seem like old times for Pete Sampras and Jim Courier.

First,
Pete Sampras
Although his new house is on a golf course, Pete Sampras moved to Orlando to improve his tennis. (AP)
Courier moved from Miami to Orlando. Now, Sampras is moving from Tampa into a new home that is, according to Courier, "just a strong downwind drive from my place.''

That's drive as in golf, a passion for both men. In fact, the houses are on a golf course.

But this move for Sampras is more about getting close to the things he needs -- practice partners and proximity to super-trainer Pat Etcheberry, who has raised Sampras' physical level over the years.

Sampras' new home is in the Lake Nona area just outside the Land of Mouse, and it's already a minor tennis mecca. A number of Aussies, including Jason Stoltenberg, Todd Woodbridge and Scott Draper, have settled in Orlando. Armenian Sargis Sargsian, who is close with a number of U.S. players, also is an Orlando resident.

THIS IS GOING to be similar to the training atmosphere Courier and Sampras had when they were youngsters, battling each day along with Andre Agassi and, occasionally, Michael Chang at the Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Fla. or at Saddlebrook, just outside Tampa.

The daily competition made the players better, and they're trying to resurrect a little of that in Orlando. Also, the more players who settle in the Orlando area the more chance even more players will filter in, either as permanent residents or just for a week of hitting.

This move should answer any doubts Sampras wants to do what is necessary to stay at the top.

WTA's loss

That announcement that a Chicago stop will return to the women's tour in 1999 is not quite accurate. It is the intention of the WTA to get Chicago back on the calendar for '99.

When lead sponsor Ameritech pulled out, WTA CEO Bart McGuire announced Monday the tournament was being shelved, at least for now. It was only a $450,000, 28-player draw. But it drew big names every year. That's what's confounding.

Last year, the tournament had Jana Novotna, Monica Seles, Lindsay Davenport, Iva Majoli, Mary Pierce and Mary Joe Fernandez. This was a major location (Chicago) and the WTA put its major players on stage for it.

This pullout by Ameritech cannot look good at a time when the tour is looking for a new lead sponsor for '99 to replace Corel, which is not going to re-up. It also cannot look good that the WTA wasn't able to find another sponsor to step in.

Yanking a tournament off the calendar just flat out looks bad. Ask the ATP Tour, which has dumped its Philadelphia stop for '99 because of bad attendance.

Island fever

These are tough times for tall, blond, curly-haired Bahamian Mark Knowles, one of a handful of players who has made a very healthy living playing doubles.

Knowles has earned $1.5 million in prize money, the bulk of it in dubs since leaving UCLA in 1992. But he lost three months last year to a rib injury. Now, he has knee problems that are really setting him back.

"I can't work hard on the practice court,'' he said after he lost last week and saw his doubles record fall to 6-6 after going 29-16 last year and winning two Super 9 titles with Daniel Nestor of Canada (Indian Wells and Rome).

"I'm having trouble getting motivated, and that's really surprising because you'd think I'd want to get my rank up,'' Knowles said.

The problem could be his childhood environment.

"Growing up in the Bahamas, everyone was pretty laid back," he said. "You didn't worry about much and I really don't get stressed very easily.''

Knowles and Nestor have made the World Doubles Championships three times in a row. They're going to have to work hard to make it this year.

Short Angles

  • Nothing like planning ahead. Corina Morariu, No. 49 in the world, is engaged to be married to her coach, Peter Turcinovich, but the wedding isn't planned until "the end of 1999.'' That's a long engagement, but, said Morariu, "If you find the right guy, why not?'' It's unusual to find a Corel WTA pro marrying at such an early age. Morariu is 20.
  • Now that he's 30, Petr Korda loves to tell people how the pressure is off because he's only playing for fun now. But when you look at Korda's performance since winning the Australian Open, it leaves you wondering if he still isn't able to cope with pressure situations. Three times he has had a chance to move up to No. 1 for the first time in his career. Three times he's failed right after Sampras has lost a key match.
  • Who is Andrei Pavel, who won Tokyo and reeled off a nine-match winning streak before losing at the U.S. Clay Court Championships last week? He's a late-blooming 24 year old with a great running backhand, a decent serve and a bit of a temper. He reached the semis at Orlando after flying 17 hours from the Far East and making a cold turkey change in surfaces from hardcourt to clay. He's also a simple man who enjoys fishing in his leisure moments.

    Charles Bricker covers tennis for The Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale

    Return to the Wiseguys Corner