After the first full day of tennis at the 2004 Mercedes-Benz
Cup, one thing is absolutely certain – a new champion will be
crowned. Defending champion Wayne Ferreira fell in the first round
to second-seeded Paradorn Srichaphan, 6-3, 7-6(4), signaling what
is very nearly the end of the road for the 32-year-old South
African. "I’m getting to a stage where it’s over," Ferreira said.
Ferreira, who plans on playing in the US Open and possibly the
Davis Cup, appeared to tire in the second set tiebreaker, which
Srichaphan forced by fighting off several set points at 5-6. "I’m
just not in the shape that I should be to win," Ferreira said. The
last tournament Ferreira played in prior to his first round loss
Tuesday was Wimbledon, where he advanced to the Round of 32 before
falling to Florian Mayer of Germany. Ferreira said he typically
plays a lot of tennis, and that naturally keeps him in shape for
tournaments. But lately, he has been spending more time at home
with his family, and his game has suffered. "A few years ago I
probably wouldn’t have lost the second set," said Ferreira, who has
won 15 singles titles and 11 doubles titles in his career. The
South African said he needs to face a weaker opponent in the first
round to be able to work himself into a tournament, and the
25-year-old Srichaphan certainly didn’t fit the bill Tuesday.
Srichaphan used a combination of power and mobility on his favorite
surface, the hard court, to advance to the second round. "It’s
always tough to play Wayne," Srichaphan said. "But I think it’s
more pressure to be the defending champion." Ferreira said the act
of defending a title is simply something you get used to. On the
one hand, everyone is gunning for you, but on the other hand, a
tournament title is a confidence booster, knowing that you’ve done
it before. Last year, Ferreira defeated Lleyton Hewitt in the final
of the Mercedes-Benz Cup. This year, he bowed out early. And next
year, he’ll probably be at home with his children, or possibly
coaching a young player he preferred not to name. "If I do
something, I want to do it perfectly," Ferreira said. "I don’t feel
like I can do it anymore."
A HOME AWAY FROM HOME: Srichaphan, a native of
Thailand, had quite a cheering section on Tuesday. Situated in one
corner of the Los Angeles Tennis Center, wearing red shirts and
waving the Thailand flag, the group of vocal supporters seems to be
with him whenever he plays in the United States. "It’s great to
have a lot of people coming out," Srichaphan said. It all started
two years ago with a small group of Thai people at a tournament in
Washington D.C., and the group has continued to grow. This week,
they’ll hope to cheer Srichaphan all the way to the title.