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Defiant Swiss
Patty Schnyder insists she still does not want a coach to
travel with her to tournaments.
And that tactic appears to suit the
eighth seed after she demolished unseeded Yugoslavian
Jelena Jankovic 6-4, 6-0 in the first round of the
Australian Women's Hardcourt Championships at Royal Pines
yesterday.
The 1999 winner of this event was
coached by Hubert Choudury but decided to go solo in April
last year.
Since then, her world ranking
slipped from 13 in April to 22 in August before recovering
to 18 in October.
Schnyder, ranked 23rd in the world,
is to continue playing without a coach.
"A coach only knows what's wrong by
seeing it but the player can feel it and that's easier
than having a coach to try and tell you," she said.
She said she is comfortable
discussing her tennis with her husband Rainer Hoffman and
believes she has the ability to correct any problems she
develops on the tour.
"I wasn't sure how I would go
without a coach but whenever I can't get my serve going or
my backhand, I know it and I get them back after a couple
of days," she said.
"I haven't been playing so bad and I
enjoy the free time.
"I talk a lot with my husband and
together we can manage any problems."
Schnyder overcame a determined
opponent in Jankovic but will have to be on her toes
against defending champion Nathalie Dechy who breezed
through the first round 6-3, 6-1 against Katarina
Srebotnik of Slovakia.
Although unseeded this time around,
Dechy showed good poise and will be a tough prospect for
25-year-old Schnyder who rates herself in better form than
in 1999 when she was ranked No. 8 in the world.
"I hit the ball well and I'm
definitely better than I was but I would like to improve
my first serve percentage," said Schnyder.
Dechy was playing her first
competitive match since July after overcoming tendinitis
in her left wrist and said she was thrilled with the way
she came through.
"I just woke up one morning and I
couldn't hit my backhand anymore so today I just really
tried to set up my game and tried to do the things I
learned," she said.
"I'm just so happy to be back on the
court and my wrist really feels strong.
"I didn't know what to expect
because I'm still not used to playing a full match."
The Frenchwoman said defending her
title will be tough due to the top quality field assembled
this year.
"Patty (Schnyder) and I were seeded
one and two last year and this year it's very different
(eighth and unseeded) and we're playing each other in the
second round," she said.
"My goal is to play the maximum
number of matches to set up my game after this long break,
it will be difficult but I'm really happy to be here
playing again."
Her match against Schnyder is likely
to take place tomorrow but in the meantime, Dechy will hit
the practice courts to give her wrist a thorough workout.
"Winning my first game gives me a
lot of confidence but things can change the next time you
play and it will be tough," she said.
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