By Elena Rerikh
Elena Bovina seemed to have made a comeback when she played at Kremlin Cup after a serious injury last year. Yet Bovina got knocked out in the first round and fell out of tennis for a still longer period of time. She has taken part in only four tournaments since then and invariably suffered defeats in the opening matches.
In a bid to find out what is going on with the Russian tennis player I called Bovina up. She is now in Barcelona training at Sánchez-Casal Academy.
- What kept you out of tennis for so long?
- I got injured when I returned to Moscow from Australia in February. The injury came as a result of the change of surface and strenuous trainings for which I was not physically fit. I had a pinched nerve between the third and the fourth toe and consequently neuritis. They said I needed injections or even an operation. But I do not hail curative treatment. However, I could have recovered quicker.
- What measures did you take then?
- I set off for Spain. There is everything you need here. You can bathe in the sea which is good for the foot. The only treatment was physical therapy. Not a single injection.
- Who is coaching you now?
- I have no coach in the Academy. Yet every specialist can help, direct and give advice.
- Why is it you have no coach?
- Those who I think could help me are too busy. I can meet them or consult on the telephone if it is necessary. And to have a coach just for him to always be by your side seems ridiculous to me. I'd rather train alone. I just need sparring-partners or someone from the club.
- Have you ever asked Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario for help?
- She is now busy working on TV and you can hardly ever see her on the court.
- Do you like the living conditions here?
- Yes. I rent a house here. It takes me three minutes only to walk to the sea and some twenty minutes to get to the courts.
- Could you please describe your daily routine?
- I play tennis for two or two and a half hours in the morning. Afternoon is devoted to physical training either in the workout room or on the beach where I usually jog. My fitness trainer used to work with basketball players. I had been looking for someone to keep an eye on my physical form for quite a time. It is now no less important for me than tennis trainings. Your organism can't bear the loads if you are not physically fit.
- What conclusions did you draw after Hertogenbosch tournament in Holland?
- Though I lost in the first round I think I was in a good form. It is not easy to come out after a long break and start beating everyone. I am also happy with the tennis I showed. What I need now is to play three or four tournaments, get used to the competition pace.
- Did you follow tennis events when out of the game?
- I watched tennis on TV and at the tournaments if I had an opportunity. I mostly watch men's competition. You can learn a lot from them. I even make notes sometimes. As for women's competition I watch only the Top-five macthes. It really pays to see Justine Henin or Serena Williams in action.
- Henin did not leave the opponents a ghost of a chance as she grabbed the title in Eastbourne the other day.
- She has made big progress lately. She has made a step up in every aspect of the game. Justine is of a medium height. Yet she manages to make the most of her capabilities. I watch her play and feel I am gaining self-confidence. When I compare my physical makings to those of Justine (Bovina is 192 centimetres in height - E.R.) I understand how far I can go. If she plays so well, then what am I capable of? The thing is to find a coach who can help me show my worth.
- Some think your manner of play is similar to that of Elena Yankovic of Serbia, who has become one of the world's key tennis figures.
- I'd say she plays in a manner similar to that of Anastasiya Myskina. I wouldn't say I am a straightforward player. Yet I don't invent anything complicated on the court. As for Yankovic, she is a creator on the court. She is a versatile player, she feels the ball and the court. She follows her intuition rather than well-learnt plays. That's what I am working at now.
- You studied with Yankovic at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy. What are your memories of those days?
- As far as I remember she never had a coach. She goes to tournaments only with sparring-partners even now. By the way I don't think it is a great mistake to have no coach. There is a difference between one coach and another. A good coach should be reasonable enough not to put plays into the player's head. It suppresses the instincts of the player and they are very important if one is really gifted. A good coach can see the strong points of the player and make them develop from within. So if Yankovic trained alone for quite a time it means she expresses her own idea on the court and not the idea that someone has imposed on her.
- Another Serbian Ana Ivanovic has also been a household name lately. Do you think the distinguished appearances can prevent her from achieving a lot in tennis?
- You don't have to be ugly to get on top. It all depends on your charge and the goals you aim to reach. Nothing can prevent Ivanovic from reaching her goal if she really wants to succeed. By the way she spent two weeks training here, at the academy. She is quite pretty.
- It is common knowledge that agents aim to make players with distinguished apperances show business stars. It tells on the display now and then.
- That's the agent's right to make use of the distinguished appearances of the player to sign deals. I can't see why they should not? I only hail that. You can combine buisness with pleasure. As long as the player knows what he aims at of course. It can hardly do you any good if business comes to the forefront.
- You must be striving to play atfer the unsheduled stay off tennis.
- This period has changed my attiude to the game dramatically. I used to feel I did not belong in WTA Tour. Lots of things worried me and I could not explain why. I am different now and take things in a different way. I am a stronger person now. I am self-confident. I think it will be easier to achieve things now. I could not have changed so much were it not for the injuries. Thanks God, they are behind.
- What are you going to do in the near future?
- My fitness coach and I go to Munich in a week to meet the coach I like. I will play in America the next month. There are six tournaments ahead of US Open.
- Are you going to take part in US Open?
- If I have enough points to qualify. I am no chooser now. I can play only if my points let me.
