Tennis: Courting stardom

South African-born protege Sean Berman will be playing the curtain-raiser to the Monica Seles vs Martina Navratilovaa exhibition match in Auckland in February. Picture / Amos Chapple

Interviewing 11-year-old tennis protege Sean Berman is an interesting experience. He comes across like a miniature grown-up who is already a functioning member of the adult world.

Sean is different. He wouldn't win any popularity contests with his peers but he couldn't care less.

"They don't like me and I don't like them," he says.

His friends are teenage tennis buddies, closer to 20 than 10.

He is direct and candid but then one of his parents will jump in and tell him to stop fidgeting or to blow his nose. There is still a child in there somewhere.

To understand Sean, you have to understand his lifestyle.

As his mother Yael says, he doesn't live a normal life for an 11-year-old.

He doesn't go to school. He works by correspondence through the internet, which seems to be working, as he has the reading age of a 16-year-old.

His days begin with two hours on the tennis court, with one of his coaches Chris or Mark Lewis. He comes home to his St Heliers house for food, possibly school work and an hour's sleep. Then he does either pilates, gym work or agility and speed work, or has a massage.

After that, he eats again before returning to the Merton Rd courts for his afternoon tennis session. He has a physiotherapist, a sports physician and a dietician.

His results are second to none.

He won the national 12 and under title this year for the second year - the only player ever to do that, and is still eligible to clean up the trifecta next year.

He won the New South Wales State Championships in his age group in July and then cleaned up the prestigious Little Mo national event in the United States in October. (US star and world No 2 Andy Roddick is a previous winner.)

Last week introduced the only thorn in his side, when he reached the final of the Australian 12s Claycourt Championships but the match was rained off at one set all. He'd already beaten the No 1 seed on his way to the final and the title "joint champion" rankles with him.

The results point to an exciting future but New Zealand has a history of internationally competitive junior tennis players who have struggled to step up as senior players. Juniors like Steven Downs, who was the No 1 ranked junior in the world in 1993 and won both the Wimbledon and French Open junior doubles titles with James Greenhalgh the same year.

Leanne Baker and Rewa Hudson were the No 1 junior doubles team in the world in 1998.

But Sean may be different.

His father goes as far as to call him "weird" because of his highly driven nature.

The family have video footage of him as a three-year-old learning to ride a bike. Sobbing and bloodied, he nailed it in one session, getting up again and again, determined to master the new skill.

"He was a terrible child," says his mother, only half joking.

But his determination, combined with family backing, may just create something special. "I want to be No 1 in the world," he says, maintaining eye contact.

"I will be," he rephrases.

Sean has a ready answer to every question.

How does he handle losses? He goes away and works harder.

What about injury? He only does what his body can take.

His father Russell, himself a former nationally ranked player in South Africa, is wary of sounding arrogant, but backs his son's ambitions 100 per cent. He points out that many high-achieving youngsters in New Zealand are the children of immigrants. (The family moved to New Zealand when Sean was three.)

"Sean doesn't have the New Zealand mindset," he says. "He doesn't stay in his comfort zone winning in New Zealand, he travels overseas to test himself against a better level of competition."

The Berman family, who also have a nine-year-old daughter, Talya, came to New Zealand with very little, and have worked "seven days a week" to develop a comfortable lifestyle in St Heliers. (Russell Berman is a property developer.)

Some of the family's work ethic has obviously influenced Sean.

Russell Berman also believes the family is doing everything to make sure that Sean does not become just another junior wonder.

"We are leaving no stone unturned. He has the best support team and is training to be a good senior player, not just a good junior," he says.

The training regime is scientific and professional. Tests have already revealed how tall Sean will grow, but they aren't willing to share that information.

The lifestyle is financially draining on the family but Sean is also sponsored by Prince and the Peter Snell Institute of Sport.

Sean has had offers to move overseas to train at tennis academies, but the family chooses to remain in New Zealand.

"We travel overseas to compete against players a level above Sean, but we have the best set-up in the world here."

Mark Lewis is impressed by how early Sean committed himself to being a good tennis pro. He said winning three major tournaments in three countries in 12 months was an incredible effort.

"There are no guarantees, but at the moment there are a lot of positive signs for Sean," he says.

"He hits the ball beautifully and is technically very advanced."

Lewis says Sean's power blows bigger players off the court and he can also sponge up the power from other big hitters.

"He is incredibly competitive - he loves winning," he says.

Sean will be playing for Auckland in the New Zealand Junior Teams Championships in January in both the under-14 and under-16 age groups and will play the curtain-raiser to the Monica Seles vs Martina Navratilova exhibition match in Auckland in February.

As he did last year for the Pat Cash vs John McEnroe exhibition, Berman will play national girls' under-18 champion Sasha Jones. He beat her last year, but that is not what sticks in his memory.

It was the experience of having ball boys and girls, all of them older than him.

"It was great not having to pick up the balls," he says with a grin. Happily, there is still a bit of the little kid in him.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY