Liza puts school before turning professional<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Liza Andriyani never dreamed of being a national
\nheroine when she walked on to tennis court yesterday against
\nTamarine Tanusagarn, the world's 37 ranked player.<\/p>\n
Later the same afternoon, the 18-year-old still could not
\nbelieve she had rallied to upset the Thai to ensure Indonesia's
\ngold in the women's team event.<\/p>\n
She covered her face with her towel when unable to contain her
\nexcitement during the post-match press conference.<\/p>\n
The talented baseliner with the whopping forehand was better
\nknown for her good looks before joining the national squad in
\nJune this year.<\/p>\n
Currently ranked 359 in singles and 187 in doubles in the WTA
\nrankings, she was a member of the losing team which failed to
\nwrest a match against Italy in the Fed Cup.<\/p>\n
But she had signaled her coming of age by taking Wang Shi
\nTing of Chinese Taipei to three sets in this year's Danamon
\nIndonesia Women's Open.<\/p>\n
Identifying her idol as Steffi Graf, Liza said she would
\nfinish high school before turning pro.<\/p>\n
"I had to finish my study first because I think that school is
\nalso important for athletes," she said, adding that she skipped
\nthe satellite and challenger tournaments for three months.<\/p>\n
Liza first picked up a racket at the age of seven and won the
\nnational age group championship three years later. She has been a
\nmember of the Pelita Jaya Club since the age of 12. She was
\ntrained by Poedjo Prajitno in her hometown of Tegal, Central
\nJava, before moving to Jakarta.<\/p>\n
For the past four years, she has trained at the Van der Meer
\ntennis camp in South Carolina since, and she credits this for her
\nimprovement.<\/p>\n
"I think my forehands are very strong and I really love to hit
\ninside-out forehands," she said.<\/p>\n
She is from a tennis-loving family that includes father
\nSultoni, mother Sri Winarni and older brother Sulistyo Wibowo,
\nhimself a member of the men's squad.<\/p>\n
The siblings are paired in the mixed doubles in the Games.<\/p>\n
"It's nice to play with my own brother," she said. "We
\nunderstand each other better and we can speak in the Tegal
\ndialect if we come up against other Indonesians."<\/p>\n
After the Games, she will return to the U.S. for final exams.<\/p>\n
"Please, wish me luck to pass the exam," she said.<\/p>\n
Does she look forward to fiercely competitive and sometimes
\nlonely life on the tennis circuit, including traveling thousands
\nof miles from home?<\/p>\n
"That's the risk we take," Liza said pragmatically. "Sometimes
\nwe can enjoy it, but there will be times when we will be bored by
\nthe pressure." (yan)<\/p>",
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