Angie must get a game plan to reach the top

Angie must get a game plan to reach the top

After disappointing results and waylaid by injury, Indonesia's
Angelique "Angie" Wijaya gave the Australian Open a miss last
week. With great expectations for Angie's future, former top 20
player Yayuk Basuki discusses how the 20 year old, now ranked 139
in the world, can get her game back on track.

A couple of years ago, when I was her WTA Tour mentor, Angie
would SMS me to ask about opponents, and I would reply with
advice on how to play them, what were their strengths and
weaknesses.

We are still close, but recently we haven't talked much.

I'm not sure the reason, although I personally don't have any
intention of undermining what her coach is doing with her. My
only concern is that there are Indonesian players who follow in
my stead -- I feel like I have opened the door for others, and I
want them to follow, not have the door swing back shut on them.

Angie has shown she has the guts to win -- she can do it. She
has it, definitely, but I think now she must work on some
specific things to reach the top. She is young, but in tennis
terms, she is not that young anymore.

She won junior Wimbledon and the French, which were good
achievements. But many of the players she beat along the way --
Dinara Safina, Ashley Harkleroad, for example -- have already
moved past her in the rankings. Except for Martina Hingis, who
was exceptional in winning junior Wimbledon at 14, few junior
champions go on to bigger and better things.

Remember, Hingis and Maria Sharapova were just 17 when they
won the Wimbledon women's singles.

When I watch her, I don't feel that she has character to her
game yet. She has the strokes, yes, but her game as a whole is
still unformed. There is nothing that stands out yet. She can
still win a lot of matches, but you need to separate yourself
with something outstanding from the many other players who also
play well.

That also involves knowing how to change a losing game into a
winning one when things are going against you in a match.

My game was built around my forehand and serve; all my points
were constructed around using them to their full advantage. Angie
has to have that game plan on the focus of her strengths. She is
quite tall at 173 cm, so her serve could be a weapon, for
example, but it's not yet.

Look at South Africa's Amanda Coetzer. She was tiny for tennis
today at 155 cm, but she worked on her fitness and her footwork,
and became one of the world's top players.

Tennis takes commitment and discipline. Around 1985, I know
people used to say, "Ah, Yayuk, she's lazy and lousy". They did
not think I had what it takes to apply myself to be a champion.
But I just took it upon myself to do what was needed.

I worked hard, and the results spoke for themselves. I spent
my time out of Indonesia on the tour and did not follow what was
written about me back home. The expectations are so high here for
players, but people are very quick to criticize when you lose.
They don't really understand what it takes to become a top
player, to make the top 50 and then the top 20.

When it comes to training, there has to be a commitment, but
it's also about quality vs. quantity. Don't just spend seven
hours on the court, and think that is enough. Training has to be
tailored around your game, whether it's a baseline style or all
court. So it could be four hours on court, and then a couple of
hours off, running or doing weights, or working on your footwork

As Easterners, we look up to our coaches and feel that we are
obligated to them, we owe so much to them. Sometimes, though, we
need a fresh perspective. I worked with Jiri Waters for several
years, and he brought me to the low 40s in the rankings. But I
found that when I played the top players, I was tired by the
third set.

I knew that I had to work on my fitness if I wanted to compete
with them, but Jiri thought everything was going fine. I decided
that we should go our separate ways, and I hired my own fitness
coach.

We parted amicably, my results and ranking got better, and a
few months later Jiri called me and said, "You were right".

A coach may be able to bring you to the top 100, but then a
player may need someone else to push them to the next level of
the top 50.

Ultimately, though, it's up to the player. She has to make a
commitment to becoming a champion - setting up practice sessions
at the right time, eating right, going the extra yard in fitness
and training.

You also have to believe in yourself, and want to win - and
not be easily satisfied.

To be a champion, you cannot do things half and half.