Tennis: As Wilander knows, staying on top is usually short-lived in

tennis

Richard Dunn

NEWPORT BEACH - Mats Wilander knows how fleeting a career can be in

tennis.

Wilander, a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion from Sweden, is

widely known for one remarkable year, 1988, when he reached No. 1 in the

world, captured three Grand Slams and won the Association of Tennis

Professionals Tour Player of the Year award.

“It was just a perfect year,” said Wilander, 36. “The pieces came

together for me in one year. Unfortunately I couldn’t stay up there for

very long, but it was worth it.”

Wilander, perhaps the second-biggest name in the field this week

behind John McEnroe at the Success Magazine Champions Tour at Newport

Beach Tennis Club, went through Scott Davis, 6-3, 6-3, in a round-robin

singles match Friday afternoon in 1:10 before 500 fans.

Henri Leconte, a distant second on the Champions Tour point standings

behind McEnroe, knocked off Guillermo Vilas in the earlier match, 4-6,

6-4, 10-6 in the championship tie-breaker in 1:25.

For Wilander, injuries and an older body have taken a toll on him and

recovery following a matches is the real key.

“I just don’t play as much, because in tennis you hurt yourself

physically a lot more than jogging or golf, and the wear and tear on your

body is hard to recover from,” Wilander said. “It’s much easier to jog

... tennis is so hard.”

Wilander, who rides a bike and skis to stay in shape, had no problem

beating Davis, who works at the club as director of tennis.

“I beat the hometown hero I guess, so that’s a good thing,” Wilander

said.

Davis, warming to the antics of the men’s senior tennis circuit, went

up a break in the second set, 2-0, with the serve, but gave it right back

as Wilander rallied, using a variety of topspin returns and backhand

slices.

“I had a good feeling coming in that match toughness would be a big

factor, and it was,” Davis said. “I couldn’t keep up (with McEnroe

Thursday and Wilander Friday). But I’m really happy, because I was able

to go out there and lace it up with some great players.”

While Wilander is enjoying success on the Champions Tour, he realizes

the length-of-time on the job is short, just like on the ATP Tour,

because of the sport’s grueling physical demand.

“In golf, you hit the ball a lot shorter, but you can still score the

same and play your own game,” said Wilander, an avid golfer, like many

senior tennis players these days. “In tennis, it’s different. You have to

be fit. It’s a hard sport.”

Only five years removed from the ATP Tour, Wilander has always been a

baseline specialist known for long matches. But, physically, he’s a long

way from his zenith in 1988, when he was ranked No. 1 and won the

Australian Open, French Open and U.S. Open.

“Once you can’t improve anymore, there is a certain competitiveness

that goes away in you I think,” Wilander said. “And once you reach a

certain stage in your life, you can’t improve anymore. I weigh the same

(170 pounds) and look the same, but I’m probably half a step slower. I’m

hitting the ball about the same, just not as hard at 30-40 anymore. And

my breathing might be a little heavier these days.”

As far as the Champions Tour is concerned, Wilander would like to see

more serious competitors, like Pat Cash, than showmanship.

“I think what happened in the beginning of the senior tour (in 1993)

might have worked against the senior tour a little bit,” Wilander said.

“The first two years, it was fine. There was a lot of show going on. It

was all about entertainment and all that. And I think it’s not anymore.

“Yes, some points are more entertaining on our tour than on the other

tours, because we’re trying to have a little bit of fun. But it’s so much

more serious now, and I think that’s why we’re getting guys like Pat

Cash. He’s not a showman. He’s a serious competitor and he knows that now

he can play his own game, and he can go for it.

“As I said, I really think that the first two years of the senior tour

were great, but it put a bit of, ‘Oh, it’s just a show and it’s all this

and that, and the same guys win all the time.’ This is true, the same guy

wins all the time now, but trust me -- nobody wants to lose to McEnroe.”

In doubles Friday afternoon, Vilas and Leif Shiras defeated Wilander

and Leconte, 6-4, 6-4.