By TERRY MADDAFORD
AT 66kg and barely 1.78m (5ft 10in), 18-year-old William Ward is never going to be one of the big boys on the ATP circuit.
No surprise, therefore, that the former Sacred Heart College student prefers to model his game on players such as Andre Agassi and Marcel Rios.
He
has also been known to toss in a bit of the John McEnroe and Lleyton Hewitt to show he is not afraid to question calls.
Which all adds up to the "enfant terrible" tag Ward is keen to shake.
New Zealand Tennis bosses, who at one time slapped a 2 1/2-month suspension on him, would also like that.
They see Ward, fellow 18-year-old GD Jones and 16-year-old Marina Erakovic as the face of their game and the real hope of getting a New Zealand name back in lights.
"They are the priority for us at the moment," admitted NZT chief executive Don Turner this week. "We have a real desire to see someone back in the world's top 30.
"While we are pinning our hopes on this trio, we have others like Simon Rea, Lee Radovanovich and Adam Thompson who are still young enough to do something."
Jones, Ward and Erakovic have given New Zealand junior tennis its biggest boost since 1975, when Chris Lewis won the boy's singles at Wimbledon.
At this year's championships - which, surprisingly, was a rare grass surface experience for the trio - Erakovic and her Romanian partner, Monica Niculescu, lost a three-set final to the third seeds.
Earlier, Erakovic lost in the third round of the singles to the eighth-seeded Russian; Ward was beaten in the singles quarter-finals; Jones lost in the third round to the seventh seed and the Jones/Ward combination lost to the fourth seeds and eventual semifinalists in two tight sets in the first round.
Next month they get to do it all again at the US Open. Beyond that, many see Ward and Jones as a Davis Cup doubles pairing.
Jones has made himself unavailable for next month's tie in Pakistan because of commitments to his University of Illinois team.
"I have to work things through with them," he said.
"It is not all tennis. I have to keep my grades up as well, which means I can't take too much time off.
"If I don't maintain a C average I would get kicked off the team."
Jones' average is "just above B".
Ward, who is now ranked at 27 among the world's juniors, is keenly awaiting the tie.
"I would go anywhere to play Davis Cup," he said.
And, one feels, a game of tennis.
"I'm prepared to give myself until I'm 23-24 to make the top 200 [on the ATP rankings].
"But my real aim is to be in the top 10."
Erakovic, who still has two more years as a junior (if she decides not to step up to the WTA earlier), is ranked 10th in the world and is certain to be seeded for the US Open.
Asked how much a year on the circuit has cost her, Erakovic, who continues to juggle her studies at Glendowie College with her tennis, said: "You will have to ask my mum."
The answer, a cool $80,000 - the same as Ward.
That brings us back to the degree to which NZT is prepared to chip in.
"We have set aside $40,000 for Marina and William," said Turner.
"Luckily, GD has more of his costs covered at present."
It is a big commitment, but one Turner and his board hope will some day pay a dividend.
By TERRY MADDAFORD
AT 66kg and barely 1.78m (5ft 10in), 18-year-old William Ward is never going to be one of the big boys on the ATP circuit.
No surprise, therefore, that the former Sacred Heart College student prefers to model his game on players such as Andre Agassi and Marcel Rios.
He
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