Interview with Melanie Oudin - 7/14/08

LeagueTennis.com interviews 16 year old Melanie Oudin from Atlanta, Georgia. Melanie is currently #2 in the world in the ITF junior rankings and has been as high as #248 in the WTA rankings. Here is what she had to say about her incredible climb up the rankings in the last year!

LT:  Melanie, you have had an incredible run starting last Fall!  You have jumped to #2 in the world in the ITF Junior rankings and #255 in the WTA pro tour rankings.  To what do you attribute these incredible results?

Melanie:  I would have to say that i attribute my results to my hard work and discipline. I sacrifice a lot of things to do what I am doing right now, and as of now, it is paying off. I still have a lot more that I want to achieve, but I think I am going in the right direction. I give 100% every time I go onto the court and try my best and that is all you can do. I am dedicated to being a professional tennis player and hope to keep getting good results.

LT:  You had an incredible showing as a wild card at the Pacific Life Open and then again at the Sony Ericsson in Miami, going to the 2nd round at the Pacific Life. What was the high point of these tournaments for you?

Melanie:  The high point of these tournaments for me was really just getting to play in them. These were my first tier main draw tournaments and my first win in one which was pretty exciting. Mainly, being able to hang out around all of the players and seeing how people treat the players in those tournaments compared to some of the lower level ones. I had a great time there and I hope I get to play in a lot more of those kinds of tournaments soon.

LT:  So much exciting stuff is happening right now—you’ve just turned pro and entered into a sponsorship agreement with Adidas!  How on earth do you stay so grounded with so much going on right now?

Melanie:  Well, I have never really thought about myself being different just because I got a contract with Adidas and turned pro. At first it was a little nerve racking playing as a professional, but now I am used to it. I am very happy with the way everything is going right now and that I am still improving. Everything is still the same to me and I don't think that there is anything different going on now then there was a year ago.

LT:  Your twin sister Katherine is also a top ranked Junior.  How did the two of you get interested in tennis?

Melanie:  Katherine and I started tennis when we were seven years old. My grandmother actually got us started cause she played. We started playing some with her in her neighborhood, and we decided that we really liked it. We then chose tennis over soccer which is what we playe d at the time.

LT:  When did you first decide you wanted to be a professional tennis player? 

Melanie:  Since I was really little I have always wanted to be a professional tennis player. When I first started watching the grand slams on television, I always thought that I wanted to be playing there someday. It is really weird sometimes to think that now I have turned pro.

LT:  What racquet do you use?

Melanie:  I use the Wilson N Tour 2.

LT:  You are coached by Brian de Villiers of DSI Tennis Academy.  What is your training routine?

Melanie:  I get up in the morning and do school work for about 3 hours, and then I go to tennis from about 11:30 to 4:00. During that time, we warm up and play some points. Then, we hit some serves and do some drills according to what Brian wants us to work on. Then, we might play some doubles or some singles matches. After that, we do fitness which is usually running. 

LT:  What advice would you give other young players who are trying to work their way up the rankings?

Melanie:  I would say to keep working as hard as you possibly can because the harder you work, the closer you will get to reaching your goals. Usually it is not easy and you might feel like you want to quit sometimes, but it will be worth it eventually as long as you keep trying. 

LT:  What do you feel is your greatest strength? 

Melanie:  I feel my greatest strength is my speed on the court and my forehand. Also, my mentality on the court is a strength of mine because I stay calm and fight as hard as I can throughout the entire match. 

LT:  What area of the game are you working hardest to improve?

Melanie:  I definitely want to improve my serve because I am not very big and need to make sure I get a good percentage of serves in all the time. I also want to improve my backhand because I want it to become more of a weapon like my forehand. 

LT:  Of the players currently on the pro tour, who do you most admire and why? 

Melanie:  Well, I used to like Justine Henin because she was like me. Now, I would have to say I like Jelena Jankovic. She is very quick and fights really hard, and even though she is not the most powerful of the women on tour, she beats them because of her speed and variety.

LT:  With all the time spent traveling to tournaments, what do you do to relax!

Melanie:  When I am home I like to just hang out and relax in my house because for some reason you feel way more relaxed when you are in your own home. At tournaments, I try to go back to the hotel room and watch some television and go to bed early.

LT:  And finally, what are your top 3 goals for 2008/2009?

Melanie:  My top 3 goals for 2008/2009 would be to get into the top 150 WTA and number 1 in the world in the ITF rankings. At the end of this year, I would love to be top 200 WTA. I still want want to keep improving my game and getting quicker and stronger everyday.