Yayuk determined to make top 20
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's top women's tennis player Yayuk Basuki will concentrate on breaking into the top 20 players and leave it up to the Indonesian Tennis Association to decide if she is to play in the 19th SEA Games here in October.
"I will concentrate on my efforts to get into the top 20. The association can decide what's best for me, either to play in the Games or not," the world number 22 said yesterday.
"I'm sure that pak Sarwono (the association's chairman) is wise enough to make the decision," she said.
The National Sports Council's chairman, Wismoyo Arismunandar, has urged Yayuk to compete in the Games from Oct. 11 to Oct. 19.
In the same month, she has to compete in the US$450,000 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Filderstadt, Germany, the $926,250 European Indoor in Zurich, the $164,250 Seat Open in Luxembourg and the $926,250 Ladies Kremlin Cup in Moscow.
"If I fail to collect 400 points, I can't stay in the 22nd spot. Maybe I'll drop to 30, or worse, 40. I have to start all over again," she said.
Husband and coach Suharyadi said Yayuk would have to return home late September if she was going to compete in the Games.
"She needs at least two weeks preparation for the Games. But she will lose many points if she plays here," he said.
Yayuk has to repeat her achievement at last years's $926,250 De Maurier Canadian Open when she cruised to the semifinals before losing to world number two Monica Seles.
Yayuk said "the council knows that only the association has promised that I will play at the Games. I didn't know anything about it.
"I could have made the decision but whatever it is, I would be the one who was blamed."
Although she is unlikely to compete at the SEA Games, Yayuk said she wanted to win at the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok.
Yayuk's manager, Robert Manurung, said yesterday that all Yayuk's sponsorships would now be handled by Yayuk Basuki Management.
Yayuk Basuki Management was launched yesterday and is allied to Wimar Witoelar's management firm PT InterMatrix. (yan)