|
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |  |
Back in form Seles again a contender at Roland Garros
Posted: Friday May 26, 2000 03:46 PM
By Pedro Pinto, CNNSI.com So the first French Open of the new millenium is just a few days away, and center court, which will crown the new champion in just 2 weeks, is still undergoing renovations. Construction workers in the stands outnumbered the players who were still able to practice on the red clay. One of the stars to watch on the women's side of the draw is Monica Seles. We had a chance to talk to the Yugoslav-born American, who dominated the WTA tour in the early nineties, winning 12 grand slam titles. She extended her winning ways to Roland Garros, where she won three straight times. After a series of personal problems which circled around an attack by a Steffi Graf fan in Hamburg and the death of her father, Seles appears to be back to her best. She is one of only three players to win more than one title this season, and coming in to the French Open, she lost over 5 kilos in 2 months. Seles told us she had been putting in extra hours of training to improve her fitness and conditioning, as she is trying to focus more on the work she puts in on the court, than the titles she wins. At her practice session, the 26 year-old Seles looked to be confident and in top form, pouncing on every ball. Her powerful forehands and crisp backhands left winning marks on the French clay as she hit with her coach. Whether those impressive strokes will carry over to the tournament, is still an uncertainty, but one thing is sure ... She will be a contender for the 2000 title. At least Seles believes that two weeks from now she will be giving a victory speech. Why else would she be improving her French?
| ||||||||||||||||
