Angie blames hectic schedule for dismal run
Angie blames hectic schedule for dismal run
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A hectic play schedule has been blamed for Angelique 'Angie'
Widjaja's dismal run in the 2003 season, which has seen her
singles' world ranking drop from a career high 55 to the current
73.
Angie will have played 25 tournaments when she defends her
title at the Volvo Women's Open in Pattaya, Thailand, early
November.
However, her doubles ranking has equaled her best of 20 after
she and Emmanuelle Gagliardi of Switzerland reached Tashkent's
semifinals last week.
The number of tournaments turned out to be more than she could
cope with in her singles' campaign.
"I toured Europe for nine weeks before returning home for the
Fed Cup (in July). But I have hardly been able to take a break
since then with tournaments in the United States," Angie told
reporters after an announcement of her sponsorship with sports
apparel maker Adidas here on Thursday.
After rounding 2002 with a victory in Pattaya, Angie entered
the 2003 season with high hopes of breaking into a place in the
world's top 50.
But the second round appears all that she could reach in her
tournament stops, the latest being the Dubai Open, where she fell
to Eva Birnerova in the second round.
Her best performance was at the Wismilak tournament in
September where she advanced to the quarterfinals before going
down to Saori Obata of Japan.
Angie said that she had lost confidence particularly in recent
tournaments.
"I seemed scared. But I don't know what I was scared about. I
felt it worst in Japan and Tashkent," she said.
She lost to Yuka Yoshida of Japan 4-6, 5-7 in the first round
in Japan and went down to Lioudmila Skavronskaia of Russia 6-
7(3), 1-6 in second round in Tashkent.
Looking ahead for next year's season, coach Deddy Tedjamukti
said that they would probably plan for Angie to play in as many
as 22 tournaments.
"We are looking for a break for her to take a rest at home
between tournaments," Deddy said.
Being unable to finish in the top 10 seemed to disappoint
Angie but the 17-year-old was trying to be positive about it.
"It's disappointing. But hopefully that will motivate me to
improve my next game.
"And I feel better now after following a training regime this
week. I have regained my shots," said Angie, who had opted for a
ten-day training camp in Scottsdale, Arizona, early December
instead of joining the Indonesian sporting delegation for the
Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Vietnam.
Asked about her Pattaya's defense campaign, Angie said that
she would not be too preoccupied by a feeling of having to win.
"I will simply be trying to improve my play," she said.
While she is faltering in the singles, she has fared modestly
in the doubles to reach the top 20.
Most of Angie's wins this year were when she paired up with
her permanent partner, Maria Vento-Kabchi of Venezuela. They
reached the final in Toronto and won Bali's title. They also
reached the quarterfinals in Wimbledon and the US Open.