Where are the South American Clay-Courters?
The women that is... we are all familiar with the success of the Brazilian, Gustavo Kuerten, and Chileans, Fernando Gonzalez and Nicolas Massu, as well as the Argentine armada featuring Gaston Gaudio, David Nalbandian, Guillermo Canas, Juan Ignacio Chela, Guillermo Coria, etc. However, when the talk turns to the top female players from South America, Gabriela Sabatini still dominates the conversation or sometimes Maria Bueno
from an earlier generation. There have been several successful female players from Argentina including doubles champion Paola Suarez and the talented 2000 Junior Wimbledon, U.S. Open and ITF World Champion, Maria Emilia Salerni, who has undergone elbow surgery and struggled since joining the Tour. However, the only female South American player currently ranked in the top 100 is Argentine, Gisela Dulko. Bjorn Borg sparked a generation or two of successful Swedish men, but somehow despite her enormous popularity, Sabatini's success has not been followed by a new wave of Argentine stars. Perhaps as the economies of Argentina, Brazil, etc. continue to improve then perhaps there will be more girls taking to the tennis courts. The tradition of tennis success is there and let's hope a new champion emerges because the region is ripe for a tennis boom.
|
