W. tennis: Playing in the zone

Just over five years ago, while her competitors were out
training at exclusive tennis clubs, UCLA’s Daniela Bercek
barely left her home. For four months, she rarely touched a racket
or ventured outside to practice.

Yet even as NATO forces bombarded her hometown of Novi Sad,
Serbia and Montenegro with daily bombings, Bercek never lost sight
of her goal. She wanted to escape her war-torn homeland and achieve
fame and fortune, and tennis was her best route to both.

“I wanted to have as much money as Monica Seles,”
Bercek, a sophomore, said of her tennis idol who was born in her
home town. “It was all about being somebody and doing
something more than everyone else.”

Before arriving at the pristine courts of the Los Angeles Tennis
Center, Bercek had to endure conditions that few American phenoms
have experienced. Her local courts had holes in the nets and the
playing surface was uneven. Sometimes Bercek would simply go to an
empty parking lot with her father and hit old tennis balls back and
forth with no net at all.

“Someone growing up in America cannot imagine how poor my
country is,” Bercek said.

Certainly, UCLA coach Stella Sampras Webster wasn’t
accustomed to seeing those conditions before she visited Novi Sad
in late 2003.

Bercek’s recruiting process was different than for most
domestic players. While most American phenoms at the junior level
are showered with attention from college coaches, their European
counterparts must promote themselves. Bercek, who had climbed up to
No. 47 in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) junior rankings
and had been one of the top three players in her country since age
eight, was a typical example.

After Bercek promoted herself via e-mail to various colleges in
the United States, Sampras Webster took an interest in her. So much
so that the coach took a flight out to Bercek’s home to get a
firsthand glimpse of the junior standout. It didn’t take her
long before she was convinced.

“The decision wasn’t a hard one,” said Sampras
Webster. “She’s a great player that could really
strengthen our team.”

Bercek has always been one to emerge from the pack. By the age
of nine, just two years after starting to play tennis, she was
already winning tournaments. By the time she was 17, she had become
the top-ranked junior in Yugoslavia. The ITF, which handles junior
women’s tennis, began paying for her travel expenses,
allowing her to play tournaments throughout Europe.

Before arriving at UCLA, Bercek had played in three of the
Junior Grand Slam Events, reaching the semifinals in doubles at the
Australian Open in 2001.

“I knew I was ready to play,” Bercek said. “I
felt like I belonged there.”

Along for the ride through all of these tournaments was her
first coach, her father Mihailo Bercek. Parents who excelled in
tennis frequently become their child’s coach throughout the
juniors. Bercek’s father was a different kind of tennis
champion, though; he earned his No. 1 ranking in Yugoslavia through
table tennis. Despite his lack of experience on the bigger court,
Bercek does not downplay his ability to coach the game.

“He had such beautiful strokes,” she said.

Yet for as much as her father developed and improved his
daughter’s game, Bercek has taken her game to another level
since arriving at UCLA last year.

After ascending to the top of the Bruin lineup by the mid-season
mark, Bercek went undefeated during an NCAA Tournament run that saw
UCLA reach the finals for the first time since 1991.

In the quarterfinals, she provided the clinching win with a
grueling three-set victory over Miami’s Megan Bradley, who
then was ranked No. 4 in the nation.

Bercek’s impact has been equally evident this year, but
after suffering a shoulder injury against Bradley in UCLA’s
first match at the National Indoor Tournament two weeks ago, Bercek
could only watch as the Bruins dropped two of their three matches
there.

“Seeing her play No. 1 gives us confidence because we
believe in her to pull out her matches,” teammate Tracy Lin
said. “Her lighthearted character and constant smiling lifts
our spirits and makes the whole team enjoy being around
her.”

It’s a smile reflective of the fact that she’s
making a name for herself, far away from any bombings in her
war-ravaged homeland.

Bercek is just as focused on tennis as she ever was back home in
Serbia. Now she’s being rewarded for it.

With reports from Andrew Finley, Bruin Sports senior
staff.

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