RI teen tennis talents lack focus: Bolander

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's top teenage tennis players have good technique but do not seem to be willing to focus 100 percent on the sport, according to Swedish coach Michael Bolander.

Bolander is midway through a weeklong training camp here for the country's 16 top junior tennis players sponsored by footwear giant Nike.

The 16 players include Frederika Girsang, Eny Sulistyowati, Fed Cupper Wynne Prakusya in the girls' group and Ifan Taufik, I Wayan Wijaya and Ferdian Andi Rizal in the boys' group.

"They have good technique. They can do everything you want them to do with the strokes. But I think they need to be tougher mentally," said Bolander who has the experience of coaching Swedish greats Thomas Enqvist and Stefan Edberg.

"It seems to me they do not have a strong determination to be number one. They lack willingness to get 100 percent focused on the game. But they seem to start playing seriously once they are trailing 3-0, for instance," Bolander said.

"Perhaps they think their study is more important than tennis. But if this attitude remains, they will never make a name on the international tennis scene.

"Hence, I am curious to know how they will play under pressure when they have to take on each other in a selection tournament on Saturday," he said.

The two tournament winners will be sent to an Asia-Pacific Nike International Tennis Tournament in Melbourne, Australia, next year.

Bolander said that compared to the junior players of other Asian countries such as Singapore, Malaysia and Chinese Taipei, the Indonesians are better. "All the 16 players are good in that they have big potential to develop further. The 14 players I coached in Malaysia were not that good."

Bolander also said that Indonesian players had to improve their fitness. "Perhaps the humidity and heat of Jakarta makes them less fit. The climate in Sweden, dry and cool, is ideal for tennis players," he added. (arf)