Re: The Rainer Schuettler Cheering Thread
That was good!
I liked this: Schon im Frühjahr habe ich gesagt, dass ich dorthin will, aber die meisten haben nur müde gelächelt. :lol:
Here's an article.
Schuettler able to cope when the heat is on
By MICKEY HERSKOWITZ
Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle
Under a broiling Texas sun Tuesday, the steadfast German, Rainer Schuettler, met Houston's weather, internationally renowned for its fickle nature.
And Schuettler won.
He also outlasted Argentina's Guillermo Coria in a hard-earned, back-and-forth, up-and-down endurance test that lasted just under 2 1/2 hours. While the crowd at Westside Tennis Club put to vigorous use cardboard fans provided by an energy company, Schuettler won in three sets, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, in the matinee match of the Tennis Masters Cup.
Schuettler, who at 27 is the second-oldest player in the field of this year-ending event (behind Andre Agassi), flew into Houston a week ago to adjust to the hardcourts at Westside and to playing outdoors. It was a wise move.
"It was very warm and humid today," he said in a slight understatement, considering the mercury hit 85 at midday. "I mean, when I came here on Wednesday, I practiced with a sweater because it was so cold.
"Today, I went out there, and I needed an ice towel after the first set."
Welcome to Houston, dude.
You recall the old saying about life's being fair. Everyone gets the same amount of ice; the rich get theirs in summer, and the poor get theirs in winter.
This doesn't exactly apply to the tennis vagabonds who chase their handsome paydays around the globe. But if it felt like summertime Tuesday, the living surely wasn't easy.
The first set lasted 48 minutes, while the third dragged on for 52, by which time both players were flushed and drained, their hair wet and sticking to their necks.
"Yeah," Rainer said, "(the heat) was a little surprise for me, too. But I think he was a little bit more tired than I was, and that helped me in the match.
"The last couple of weeks, everybody played indoors. Of course, it's a change to play outdoors again. But that's why I came early. That's why I had a couple days to prepare for the tournament."
This might be the Masters Cup won by the player who has the best health care provider. Coria had been running a fever in Paris and was on antibiotics before his match Tuesday.
Monday, his fellow Argentine, David Nalbandian, shook off the effects of a tender wrist to upset Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero, ranked second in the ATP title chase.
Guillermo, like his German rival, was making his debut in a season-ending championship. Speed and touch are a large part of his game, and he believed he suffered more of a penalty because of the heat.
"You come to play in this tournament," he lamented, through an interpreter, "where you have the best of the best. When you're not in your top condition, you're not able to practice as much as you would.
"My game is based on good physical conditioning. I'm fast, so I get to the balls, and I can hit the balls. But it was very hot, and I never felt comfortable on the court. That made me make too many mistakes. I never make that many mistakes."
Coria had 51 unforced errors to 33 for Schuettler and trailed in every category except net approaches. Even at less than his peak, he showed a fine spinning lob, but Rainer returned his share of them after an all-out sprint.
You listen to tennis players explain their wins or losses, and more than most athletes, they sound as if they are making excuses. But more than most athletes, they go one-on-one, relying on the quickness of their hands and feet and their ability to stop and go. So they are less apt than, say, a linebacker, to ignore a sore toe or an upset tummy.
The temperamental tennis pro, a relative of the opera diva, is part of the history of this sport but is also capable of respect and generosity. Coria, ranked No. 4, was impressed with the persistent Schuettler, ranked No. 6.
"He started very solid very quickly," Guillermo said, "and he immediately got an advantage in the game. He was able to take advantage of the opportunities he had."
To the fans sitting in the blistering sun, this threatened to be The Match That Would Never End. Neither player could find a rhythm, and frequently one poor shot followed a good one. On and on they fought, matching each other stroke for stroke.
There were a number of close calls, and Coria, who did not benefit from many of them, defended the officials, sort of.
"They are human beings," he said. "They make mistakes. Sometimes they make mistakes in your favor, sometimes for the other player. It's not a big deal."
Tuesday's competition marked the sixth time Schuettler has played in the States but his first in Houston. He is the first German since Boris Becker to qualify for the final 16 in each of the Grand Slams.
As a national treasure, this puts him ahead of the Mercedes-Benz but slightly behind Marlene Dietrich