Tennis player Romana to undergo physical test

JAKARTA (JP): Romana Tedjakusuma, Indonesia's second best tennis player, will undergo a fitness test today at the National Sports Council's laboratory as required for the Olympic Games.

Romana, who will team up with Yayuk Basuki in the women's doubles, is in her hometown of Surabaya, East Java, after returning from studying in the United States.

"We'll see Romana's fitness test tomorrow. If she is in perfect physical condition, I don't see any reason why we should not send her (to the Olympics)," Subardi Soear, head of the national training project, said yesterday.

"Yayuk herself underwent the test before a series of tournaments in Europe and the result was perfect. She does not have any problems with her physical condition," he added.

The duo of Romana and Yayuk have been nominated as a wild card at the Olympics after the International Tennis Federation considered their winning at the Asian Championships in Manila last year.

Yayuk and Romana stopped the Chinese Taipei pair of Wang Shi Ting and Weng Shu Ting from getting the wild card. Asia only receives one card for the Olympics. Indonesia will be represented by Yayuk, ranked the world's 28th top player, in singles, and Yayuk and Romana in doubles.

The council will have to respond to the International Tennis Federation's nomination before Friday. If not, the wild card may go to other country.

Women's tennis is among the four potential winners of the Olympics along with boxing, archery and badminton. (yan)