Tennis: Fernandez facing a battle with her self-belief: John Roberts looks at the prospects of an American baseliner causing an upset in today's women's final of the French Open
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Your support makes all the difference.MOST people, including Steffi Graf, acknowledge that self-belief will be the crucial factor if Mary Joe Fernandez is to cause an upset in the women's final at the French Open here today.
The 21-year-old American's proudest moment on a court to date was the one she shared with her namesake, Gigi, after winning the gold medal for doubles at the Barcelona Olympics last year. As a singles competitor, her best performances have been achieved at the Australian Open. She was a finalist in 1990, losing to Graf, and again in 1992, when Monica Seles was too strong for her. On neither occasion was she able to push her opponent to a third set.
'She never went the last step,' Graf said after securing her place in today's final. 'She has had some good matches, but she never had the confidence to win one of the big tournaments. But for the last few weeks she has shown a lot more eagerness and toughness on the court. She needed a little bit more confidence, and I think she has that right now.'
Gabriela Sabatini and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario would go along with that. Sabatini led Fernandez 6-1, 5-1 in the quarter-finals and had five match points before losing 10-8 in the final set, and Sanchez Vicario fancied her chances of regaining the title she won in 1989 until out-rallied by the fifth seed in the semi-finals.
As these performances showed, Fernandez's seemingly languorous style is deceptive. Her progress is the result of hard work, both on the practice courts and in the gymnasium, and the sound guidance of Harold Solomon, her coach for the past 18 months.
A devout baseliner himself, Solomon realised that it would take time to coax Fernandez to vary her game and win a greater number of points at the net. Waiting for Graf to make mistakes has proved a forlorn exercise for Fernandez in the past. She has lost in their 10 previous matches. The ninth, however, was more encouraging than the rest. In Berlin two weeks ago, Fernandez led Graf by a set and 4-2 and was also 3-0 ahead in the third set before losing six successive games.
Graf, having regained the No 1 position in the absence of the injured Seles, is within reach of her 12th Grand Slam singles title. The Wimbledon champion, who won the second of her French titles in 1988, was defeated by Seles 10-8 in the final set of a magnificent final last year.
Today's encounter has the elements of a decent contest, the outcome dependent on Graf's ability to impose her game on her opponent. Her confidence has fluctuated since Seles was stabbed by a spectator in Hamburg, and she has yet to be tested here. The question is, does Graf believe in herself?
(Photograph omitted)
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