France's Golovin set for big 2008

PERTH, Australia: Four years after bursting onto the tennis scene as a precocious teenager, France's Tatiana Golovin believes she is ready to make the quantum leap from talented youngster to top-10 player.

Golovin was just 15 when she made her Grand Slam debut at the 2004 Australian Open and stunned the tennis world by reaching the fourth round.

That performance, along with another fourth-round appearance at Wimbledon and a mixed-doubles title at the French Open, saw her named tour newcomer of the year, but injuries have meant her emergence has been a little slower than many expected.

However, a stellar finish to 2007, with narrow losses in successive finals against world No 1 Justine Henin in October and a career-high ranking of 13, has the Russian-born and Miami-based 19-year-old poised to make her mark.

Golovin also claimed her first two singles titles this year and said here Sunday she was full of confidence about 2008.

"A lot," she told AFP when asked what confidence she took from her late season form.

"I thought I was playing amazing and it was a shame I had to stop there and have to start all over again.

"It's going to take time, but I definitely know what I can do.

"I know I can beat the top players, I have beaten them before, and I know I can play consistently for two or three weeks.

"Now it is just a matter of really focusing on the Grand Slams, staying healthy, and really believing in myself."

Golovin has battled various injuries in the last couple of years and was frustratingly sidelined by ankle and respiratory problems at various times during 2007, while a knee injury almost ended her season prematurely.

However, she was confident those dramas were behind her.

"It was unfortunate that I had to stop for two and a half months in the middle of the year when I was playing so well on clay," she said.

"It takes a while to come back, but I was very happy with how I ended (the season) and it gave me something to look forward to."

The glamorous Golovin looked in fine fettle as she opened the new season with an impressive straight-set win over Argentina's world No 38 Gisela Dulko at the mixed teams Hopman Cup.

She heads into the new year with a new coach, Glen Schapp, who previously worked with Dinara Safina and Nadia Petrova and is known as a strict disciplinarian.

Golovin said the pair was working toward fine-tuning her all-around game.

"We started working together two weeks ago," she said.

"He's out there with me every day and making me work hard, he's very professional.

"We're working on coming in (to the net) and I hit a couple of volleys today.

"My doubles game is improving, we are working on a lot of things, just little touch-ups."

Golovin obviously values representing her country and has already marked the Beijing Olympics in her calendar.

"Olympics is like a dream come true, being able to participate," she said.

"My dad (Gregori) is a hockey player and he taught us how much the Olympics matter to an athlete and for a career.

"I missed out three years ago, so it is definitely going to be a priority."

Golovin's win over Dulko helped France to a 2-1 win in its opening Hopman Cup tie, raising its hopes of finally winning the mixed teams event at the 15th attempt.

France's next tie is against top-seeded Serbia and Golovin will get a significant test of where her game is at when she faces world No 3 Jelena Jankovic in the singles.

AFP

(China Daily 01/02/2008 page23)