Tennis: Stephens keen to make most of the hometown advantage

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Being handed a wildcard into the main draw of next week's ASB Classic in Auckland means more to Shelley Stephens than just the chance of a rare home tournament in front of friends and family.

Although that is important, there is the small matter of the WTA points at stake here and on the Gold Coast as the first stops on the new season's tour schedule.

For the second year in a row, the 24-year-old, who is based in Germany, has been given her chance in the big time.

"You don't get wildcards when you play away from home, so it is important to make the most of them when they come your way," said Stephens.

"If I play good tennis, who knows how far I can go. Even winning one round in the main draw is worth valuable points."



Stephens, who has been on the road since February, struggled to get into the bigger tournaments this season because of tough draws early in the year.

But she was unworried at the prospect of immediately coming up against a big-name player here.



"If you start thinking about your opposition in that way you might as well walk off the court.

"For sure, it is hard when you come up against a big player. It can make you a bit nervous but on the other hand it is the chance to play someone who will make you play better."

Although she has yet to make a Grand Slam singles draw, she and partner Maiko Inoue of Japan were in the main draw of this year's Australian Open. They lost in the first round to 17th seeds Alex Fusai (France) and Caroline Vis (Netherlands).

"That was another unlucky draw," said Stephens, who has a career-high doubles ranking of 130 compared with her singles best of 240.

During the year she got to play some big names in doubles, including Jelena Dokic and Meghann Shaughnessy, who are both ranked in the top 20 in doubles.

Driven almost to the point of frustration at times as she struggled to get into the bigger tournaments, Stephens took a step back, and opted to play some US$10,000 tournaments.

"I made four finals and while I didn't win any, the chance to play at that level helped rebuild my confidence - and get me some points."

Although she has been on the road for six years, Stephens says she does not spend much time dwelling on which way her bank balance is going.

"As long as I have got enough to live on, I'm happy."

Studying for a business degree through Massey University helps keep some balance in her life. She lives most of the year in Germany with a family who treat her as their own.

"They are the nicest people and like second parents to me," said Stephens, who speaks German well and plays in a local league.

She was coached initially by Jeff Simpson but is pretty much on her own these days.

Asked what aspect of her game she would like to improve, she said: "I would like to be more aggressive and come into the net more. I play a lot on clay which tends to make you a baseliner."

She has an early chance to show whether there is a new-found aggression when she steps on court at Stanley St for what could be the biggest match of her year.