Kiefer hits strong opening in Beijing after horror injury run

A devastating injury just after reaching a career pinnacle is normally enough to sink most athletes, but not hot shot Nicolas Kiefer.

The tenacious German has fought back to regain full fitness after an injury-plagued 2006 and 2007 saw him fall from the top 200. The former top German player now has his eyes set on the world top 10.

"For sure I am motivated to rediscover the form I had before," said the former world No 4, who thrashed Dudi Sela of Israel 6-2, 6-3 on Wednesday at the 2007 China Open.

"I've been working my way back and tried to stay healthy. I'm starting to play a lot better than I did last year."

Once tipped to restore the glory days of German tennis following the achievements of Boris Becker and Michael Stich, Kiefer, 30, burst into the spotlight in 1999 by winning consecutive titles and climbing to No 4 on the rankings.

He finished as the No 1 German for four-consecutive years, ending the reign of Becker after the man nicknamed "Boom Boom" been the top German for 12 of the previous 13 years.

Accompanying the titles and prize money, however, were a number of injuries that caused Kiefer to miss most of the past two seasons.

His latest blow came in 2006 when an injured left wrist required two operations.

"My wrist took me away for such a long time," Kiefer said.

"I had to start to face a lot of new challenges I have never had before.

"There was a time when I couldn't practice as hard as I wanted and I couldn't play as many tournaments as I wanted," he recalled.

"When I decided to have an operation on my left wrist, I doubted whether I was still able to come back to where I was so that was very tough."

With six ATP singles' titles to his name, Kiefer returned to the tour this year at Wimbledon where he advanced to the third round.

He continued the charge to the third rounds of the ATP Masters Series in Cincinnati and Canada before making the semifinals at the Los Angeles International.

A rapid recovery saw him rise to No 187 in the world rankings at the end of the summer and won him a wildcard at the ongoing China Open, his first ever tournament in Beijing.

"I am not putting too much pressure on myself," Kiefer said.

"I am happy to see I have done some decent job over the past months and also I am happy because event organizers gave me wildcards and let me play."

Despite a second-round exit at the US Open this month, the Swedish all-court player is now aiming for a title in Beijing.

"For sure, I am coming for the title here in China," Kiefer said. "I've prepared well before the tournament and I'm really focused on the task ahead."

The German is playing in his first tournament in China and believes the Beijing event will be a good springboard for the rest of his season.

"There are plenty of tournaments left in the rest of the year, so I just want to make a good start," he said.

However, his boosted confidence will not make his Chinese trip much easier as he might face a group of strong rivals here in Beijing.

The unseeded Keifer defeated French Jo-Wilfried Tsonga yesterday and will face Croatian Marin Cilic who upset top seed Nikolay Davydenko. He is likely to play third seed Tommy Robredo if he is able to advance past the first half of the draw.

"I am looking forward to the matches over top players," he said. "It is a good way to regain my confidence, and as long as I keep myself away from injury, I am able to play against anybody."

(China Daily 09/14/2007 page22)