Tennis: Bit of sushi goes long way

Owners of Auckland's Japanese restaurants might want to watch out for a tall, lean man peering at their menu boards next week.

It could be Dutch tennis ace Sjeng Schalken who, if he harbours a superstitious bone in his body, might be out to recreate part of the environment in which he won the Heineken Open title here six years ago.

"That week I ate only Japanese. Every day," he remembered.

"I played very solid tennis that week. I didn't lose a set, so I was playing on the top of my game."

It was the fourth of Schalken's nine ATP titles and he was a player on his way to a career-high singles ranking of 11 early in 2003.

His last year has been marred by a lengthy bout of glandular fever, which meant for the first time since 1997 he dropped out of the world top 50.

Now he's on the way back, eager to make up for lost time. He is unseeded for the Open, a direct result of that illness and the subsequent loss of points and matches.

How good is he at his best? He would have been third seed here if he'd maintained his 2003 form.

Schalken enjoys Auckland, likes the feel of the place and the tournament, and as a regular visitor is something of an expert on the city.

"I've seen the city improving with the America's Cup. I've known it before and after the cup. It's changed a lot, and for the better.

"I feel good here. I've always found if it's nice weather I'd start practising in the morning before my matches and already the public are sitting waiting for matches to start in 1 1/2 hours.

"Maybe it's a little like the cricket public. They like sitting a long time in the stands."

Schalken has developed a formidable record the longer he stays in tournaments. Consider that in his 12 singles final appearances he's won nine - to go with six doubles titles out of nine finals - and he has a strong Grand Slam resume.

Rhythm is the key to Schalken's success.

"When I get to a final everything is smooth. In the first matches you may struggle. But if I get through those, then at the end of the tournament I play my best tennis."

He had played 35 successive Grand Slams until missing the French Open last year.

He has been a Wimbledon quarter-finalist three successive years and made the US Open quarter and semifinals.

Schalken vividly recalls the two points in his career when, by his estimation, he was playing the best in his life - both in 2002.

"I lost to Lleyton Hewitt when he won Wimbledon, 7-5 in the fifth set, in the quarters. It was a little bit of luck at the end of the day, but he was the better player because he won.

"Also at the semifinals in the US Open [against Pete Sampras] it was the best tennis I can play.

"Unfortunately in both those cases the draw was very tough. But what can you say, you're in the semis of a Grand Slam.

"I played Pete [losing 7-6, 7-6, 6-2] and Hewitt and [Andre] Agassi were in the other semi. I was proud to put my name down in that list, Sampras, Agassi, Hewitt and me. But I was just not strong enough to beat Pete."

Schalken remembers his early years on the circuit as a hard, competitive environment.

And now?

"It's just brutal. For everybody it's tough to get past the first round. That's a big achievement except for maybe five or six guys who are a little ahead. The big names. This is a strong field, I'm happy to get in it."

Schalken could be forgiven a family thought or two next week.

When he beat German Tommy Haas to win in 1999 it was three years to the day since his 15-year-old brother, Tuur, died of leukaemia.

"I woke up that day and you are never happy on a day like that. To win a title then, there were a lot of mixed feelings, but it was special day."

The competitive spirit still burns strongly for Schalken even if the suspicion lingers that his best chance of a Grand Slam title has gone.

He knows he is no Roger Federer, the dazzling Swiss who won three Grand Slams last year and looms as the dominant figure again this year. Schalken knows his limitations.

"I have to have a little luck, my game has to be good and I have to fight to win my matches and get into the second week.

"It's all if, if, if. But I like playing more now because I know what to do to win matches."

If there's a bugbear for the Dutchman it's the travel - "I am completely sick of it" - but loves the tennis.

And as the old Sinatra song goes, he can't have one without the other.

His chances next week depend on the draw. And you can be sure some of the heavy hitters will not fancy tackling one of the game's senior pros searching for a way back into the game's elite.

* Sjeng Schalken

Born: September 8, 1976, Weert, the Netherlands
Lives: Monte Carlo
Height: 1.93m
Weight: 82kg
Turned pro: 1994
World ranking: 52
ATP titles: 9 singles, 6 doubles
Career earnings: US$5.1 million