Aravane Rezai Impresses Both On and Off the Tennis Court

NEW YORK — Aravane Rezai’s name may not be familiar to most tennis fans, but you had better mark it down, because you just may be hearing a lot about her in the very near future.

My knowledge of Rezai before arriving at the US Open was limited to a couple of articles that mainly focused on her difficulties with the French Tennis Federation and her struggles as a young tennis player who was trying to make it big. I knew that she had an excellent run at Roland Garros before losing to Nicole Vaidisova in the third round, but I had never seen a picture of her apart from her official Sony Ericsson WTA Tour profile. I did not even figure out how to pronounce her name correctly until the chair umpire announced it before her third round match.

I got my first look at her game on Friday as I was taking a walk around the practice courts early in the morning. I originally headed to the courts to watch Nicole Vaidisova and Shahar Peer practice, but I found my attention captivated by this slight teenager, who was not only pounding backhands on the court as if this was a real match, but enjoying herself while she was at it.

She was in no hurry, and did not even seem to mind when her shots were fired way past the baseline. Instead of the players that normally look like they have lost their best friends before coming to practice, Aravane was relaxed, easy-going, and getting in a few grins with her brother, who is doubling as her coach while she is in the United States.

It was not until I was sitting court-side during her match against Maria Kirilenko that I realized why Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Lucie Safarova - both top fifty players - were already out of the singles draw. Aravane Rezai may look relaxed while practicing, but her power and accuracy is top-fifty quality already. Maria Kirilenko has several solid wins to her credit, including a junior US Open title, but she was no match for Rezai.

Aravane Rezai may not have the drop shots and angles completely down yet, but she hits big, and is not afraid to go for broke on her shots. Her two-handed backhand is her bread-and-butter shot and I was surprised to see so much power coming from a player that is only 5′5 inches tall. One would expect a lot of unforced errors from players that are content to power their opponents off court, but Rezai only posted 10 unforced errors during her straight sets win, which pales in comparison to her twenty-one winners.

I took advantage of having access to her press conference after she finished up her doubles match with Olga Savchuk, and once again, I found out that I was the only journalist in the room who wanted to interview in English. The WTA representative asked if I would be willing to wait for the French-speaking press to finish, and just do a one-on-one interview with Rezai back at the Tour booth. Of course, I had no intention of turning down a chance at an exclusive interview - especially as everything that is said in an official press conference is fair game for other reporters.

As we walked down the hallway, and exchanged some small talk, to my surprise Aravane immediately apologized for keeping me waiting while the French media pressed her for answers. I hastily replied that was no problem for me, and thanked her for being willing to give yet another interview. The fierceness that I saw on the court was completely shed from her persona; instead I saw an articulate, unassuming, and perfectly pleasant nineteen-year old, who wants nothing more than to play her best tennis. Her only request during the interview was that we speak slowly, as she is still not yet comfortable communicating in English.

I started the interview by talking about her performance today and inquiring where she found the motivation to come out and play so well against Kirilenko. I saw during her practice session how hard she works, and she explained that this was one of the keys behind her victory. “I think I need to want more points, because I need to win more good matches, and practice is very difficult with my father, and maybe this motivation is giving me a chance”, said Rezai. “I practice very hard in my home and in my town and now I see the very good condition and I want to win more and more matches. ”

I asked her what her thoughts were on reaching the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament in only her third attempt. This feat is especially impressive as only three members of the current top ten, Kim Clijsters, Maria Sharapova, and Patty Schnyder, reached the fourth round or higher in their first three majors. Aravane smiled and replied, “I am so happy, it’s unbelievable, it’s very, very big, because the fourth round is fantastic. Because, when I played the first round, it was very difficult [against Groenefeld] and the third round too, and the second round too, but the third is more easier. I’m happy because I played good today. I’m not happy because I won, because I know for the next match that I can play well and I am happy for this.”

Her next match will be against Russia’s Elena Dementieva and I talked to her about what she would try to do in the match in hopes of securing a shocking upset over Dementieva. I reminded her that Dementieva’s weakness is her serve, and Aravane shed a grin when I mentioned how impressive her two-handed backhand up the line was against Kirilenko. I asked her if she was going to change anything about her game or the way she played, but she said that she would not be changing her game. “I don’t change my games. I play the same games and I want to prove I am better, and can play better than her, but I don’t change tactics or something. No, I play the same today and I don’t think about what I play more left, backhand, or forehand.”

Rezai is definitely happy about her fourth round posting at the US Open and her projected rise through the rankings, and she told me that she was excited because this will allow her to play in more tournaments, and grant her an automatic entry into main draws. Her spot in the round of sixteen guarantees her a minimum of $72,000 (USD) in prize money, which is more than she has made in the entire 2006 season. Aravane will find Dementieva a more challenging opponent than any of the others that she has faced this week at Flushing Meadows.

Dementieva may have a difficult time holding her serve against the power of Rezai, but she is still one of the best service returners on the Tour. One thing is for certain, Rezai will certainly keep Dementieva on her heels trying to run down shots, and will go for broke on every point, just like she did against Kirilenko. It worked great against Dementieva’s countrywoman, and I personally believe that it will work once more, giving Aravane Rezai a shot at her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.

If you enjoyed this tennis article, please sign up for a free subscription!