Tennis: Russians to stay on top

At 30, Elena Likhovtseva is looking at a world beyond tennis. Picture / Martin Sykes

Elena Likhovtseva sees no end to the march of Russian women across the world's tennis courts.

Since the country's political order was turned on its head about 15 years ago, Russia has become one of the heaviest hitters in the women's game.

A glance at the top 45 players shows 11 Russians, headed by Maria Sharapova at No 4, Elena Dementieva at No 8 and ASB Classic top seed Nadia Petrova at No 9.

Drop the eyes a shade lower and there's Likhovtseva at No 17, good enough at 30 to be just off her career high of No 15 and good enough to make her second seed for the US$140,000 ($204,500) Classic starting in Auckland on Monday.

"Until perestroika started, it used to be the [Soviet] federation paid for everything. They took the best three or four players from all over the Soviet Union, and it was really fierce competition," she said. "Now it's better because anyone who can play tennis can go and compete, if they have a sponsor and find a way to do it.

"That's why there are now more girls who can travel and they see the opportunity of earning good money and maybe becoming a superstar."

Likhovtseva sees no reason the dominance of Russian players should not continue for years.

She was one of the earliest to make the grade, ahead of the current crop of late teen-early twentysomethings.

She has won three singles and 24 doubles titles, four this year. She won the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon in 2002 with Indian Mahesh Bhupathi.

Likhovtseva has banked over US$5.4 million and reached the semifinals of a grand slam singles event for the first time this year, losing 6-1, 6-1 to Mary Pierce at the French Open.

Likhovtseva, originally from Kazakhstan but now living in Moscow, is now more content with her game and admits she gets less stressed if things go wrong.

"Physically I feel good, mentally I've matured and I understand the game better. I'm much calmer when I play and I enjoy it better than I used to.

"[In Paris] Mary was just too good and I didn't think I played that bad. She just overpowered me. We had another game in Moscow and I was 6-0 up in a tiebreak [in the third set, and lost]. That hurt, I still remember that."

Likhovtseva is seeded to meet Petrova in the final next week. They've met six times, and it's 3-all. Likhovtseva admits there is - in the nicest possible way - a special desire among the Russian players to get the better of their compatriots.

The articulate Likhovtseva has her eyes on the future. This might be her final year, but that will depend on her form towards the end of 2006.

"If I'm still in the top 20, I don't know," she said. "But I want to have a family. My husband Michael travels most of the time with me, but there is a life besides tennis."

Somewhere down the line she'd like to study psychology. Coaching fulltime on the world circuit doesn't appeal.

This is Likhovtseva's fourth trip to Auckland. Her best result was making the quarter-finals in 2000.

Beginning what might be her last run around the globe with a win next week would be a perfect start, and perfect Auckland farewell ...


World rankings:
4 Maria Sharapova
8 Elena Dementieva
9 Nadia Petrova
14 Anastasia Myskina
17 Elena Likhovtseva
18 Svetlana Kuznetsov
20 Dinara Safina
25 Maria Kirilenko
32 Anna Chakvetadze
40 Vera Dushevina
42 Vera Zvonareva