Injury-humbled Angie expects to bounce back in 2005
Eva C. Komandjaja The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
Top women's tennis player Angelique 'Angie' Widjaja's blamed recurrent injuries for her dismal run this year but said successful knee surgery had boosted her hopes for a comeback in 2005.
After turning pro in 1998, Angie quickly played her way into the country's top tennis spot and then proved she could take on the world, deservedly staking her claim as the successor to former Indonesian international Yayuk Basuki.
The 18-year-old all-court player from Bandung, West Java, first stepped into the international tennis spotlight by snatching the Wimbeldon junior singles title in 2001, and then making off with another junior singles title a year later at the French Open.
She has also collected two Women's Tennis Association (WTA) titles -- as 2001 Wismilak Open champion in Bali and the 2002 Volvo Open champ in Pattaya, Thailand.
Under the coaching of local trainer Deddy Tedjamukti, Angie reached a career-best 55 in the WTA rankings, but the 2004 season saw her crash in early stages in as many tournaments and, as a result, her ranking dropped to a low of 132.
Yayuk, who was able to break into top 20 during her heyday, said that if Angie was satisfied with merely making it into the top 50 in the world, she should stay with present coach. However, a foreign coach was imperative if she wanted to join the tennis elite, Yayuk said.
Starting this year with high hopes, Angie had to exit early on after losing to Switzerland's Patty Schnyder in the first round of the Australian Open, one of the four prestigious Grand Slam tournaments.
She upped her the challenge in the next tournament by advancing to the quarterfinals in Hyderabad, India, in February before falling to a string of early exits in the following tournaments.
She signed up for Birmingham WTA and then Wimbledon where she won the junior title in 2001 only to find out she hadn't made it into the qualifying rounds.
Her Olympic campaign was dashed in the early stages, crashing to Croatia's Karolina Sprem in the singles. And her doubles run with Wynne ended similarly, the Indonesian pair going down in flames to Sprem and Jelena Kostanic.
After yet another first-round shutout at the U.S. Open, Angie looked to the Bali Wismilak International, a WTA tier III tournament that earned her a title in 2001.
And here at least, she was partially redeemed. However, while the support from local fans was distinctly strong, competition on the court proved stronger. But Angie did manage to take a few large scalps before she was edged out by eventual champion Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia in the quarterfinals.
Admitting she was humbled by the recurrent tendon injury she sustained at end of 2003, Angie decided to take a lengthy layoff, fearing the muscle tear had been worsened by blood clots caused by playing.
It was a successful surgery in Australia and Angie looks ahead with optimism.
"I am optimistic that I can fully recover from the injury and get back in shape for next year's tournaments," Angie said.
Angie's poor run this year was redeemed by an inspirational performance that steered the women's team, consisting of Angie, Wynne Prakusya, Sandy Gumulya and Septi Mende, to the Fed Cup's World Group II playoff, with a 4-1 victory over Slovenia.
The victory rounded off an undefeated record for Indonesia, which took out Uzbekistan, Taiwan, India, South Korea and New Zealand in the preceding Asia-Oceania Group matches.
The Slovenia rout came in the wake of the men's team's success -- comprising Febi Widhiyanto, Prima Simpatiaji, Suwandi, Bonit Wiryawan and Hendri Susilo Pramono -- in trouncing New Zealand 5- 0 in the Davis Cup's Asia-Oceania Group I playoff.
While delighted by the team's victories, the Indonesian National Tennis association (Pelti) later received a slap in the face by a rebellion led by the country's top players.
Indonesia men's No 1 Febi Widhiyanto, Prima Simpatiaji, and young star Septi Mende refused to join the Indonesia Awakens (IA) sports program, currently grooming the country's best athletes for Indonesia's medal challenge at the 2006 Asian Games.
The defectors said they were not happy with the trainers Pelti had assigned to the tennis team and their boycott is likely to disrupt Indonesia's tennis campaign at the SEA Games in 2005.
The campaign is grooming plenty of new blood Indonesia can pin its hopes on in the future, including possible Angie-successors Septi, Ayu Fani Damayanti, Sandy Gumulya; and young men's players Sunu Wahyu Trijati, Sandi Purnomo, Ayrtan Wibowo and Agung Bagus.
However, observers say a condusive domestic atmosphere must be created if Indonesia is to make the best of its young hopefuls.