Mic Huber( HeraldTribune.com)
Portugal's Elias brings his ample potential to IMG Academies' courts
Pepe was so nervous he could hardly walk, let alone run. All he thought about was making certain he didn't swing and miss the tennis ball.It was Wimbledon and Rafael Nadel wanted to warm up and needed a hitting partner. Gastao "Pepe" Elias got the call. It was just a brief hitting session but people were crammed along the court at the world's most famous tennis site, watching one of the game's top players warming up with a 15-year old from Portugal."I was so nervous," Elias said this week at the IMG Academies where he is preparing for the Eddie Herr International Junior Tennis Championships. "It was grass and the ball is so fast."I think I did not do too bad."Pepe usually does really well, regardless of the surface or who is on the other side of the net.
Elias turns 16 today. He hopes to go out to dinner but that will come only after a day of practice at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy courts. He has to get ready for the Eddie Herr tournament, which begins today with qualifying rounds.Though 16th birthdays are big no matter where you grow up, Elias knows that tennis is now a business. He knows it every time he steps onto the court. And he knows it now that he has signed to be represented exclusively by IMG, the world's leading sports, entertainment and media company."This year, I think I have a good chance of doing well," Elias said about the Eddie Herr tournament.
In an event that brings together many of the top juniors from around the world, Elias is one of the youngest players in the boys 18-under draw, and certainly the highest ranked player to turn 16 on the opening day of the tournament.While it is not uncommon for young players to make an impact in the girls 18-under division, it is much rarer for a younger player to compete against 18-year old opponents.But Elias is not your normal teen. He came into this week as the highest ranked 15-year old in the world, with an ITF ranking of 53.
He also plays professional tournaments and already has an ATP ranking 940.Recently, Elias reached the semifinals of a Futures event in his native Portugal, where he beat the No. 2 ranked player in the world. This past weekend, he won a qualifying round in a Futures event in Naples (Fla.) before losing a three-set match to Brendan Evans, 20, who was one of the top American juniors and is now ranked No. 348 professionally.Elias easily won the first set against Evans before losing control of the match."I don't know why but I started to play more defensively and he started to come in to the net," Elias explained. "He is so big. Once he got to the net there was nothing I could do."It's all part of a learning process.
For now, it is not as much about winning as it is learning."It is different when you play juniors and professionally," Elias said. "(Professional players) are much stronger and they play faster. Mentally, they are better. Every point is an important point."When you play with the pros you obviously get better."Elias has a chance to get better daily, now that he has the services of the IMG Academies. He plans to use the facilities when he has tournaments in the United States or South America, or during breaks from tournaments.Spending much of the year on the road can be exciting, but also a bit lonely for Elias, who admits he misses his friends and home in Portugal."Sometimes in the bed," Elias says about thoughts of home being difficult.
Elias got started in tennis at age 4 when he tagged along with his father to a tennis club in a small town about 45 minutes from Lisbon. Soon, he was working with Luis Miguel Nascimento, who is still his personal coach today.He began participating in several sports, including swimming, soccer and karate. But after winning his first international event in France at the age of 10, Elias knew tennis would be his sport.This next year he plans to play the four Grand Slam junior events and a couple ITF tournaments. The rest of his time will be spent playing professional tournaments.While surfing and skateboarding are his passions, tennis figures to be his path to success. As long as he keeps his eye on both the tennis ball and his goal.
Tournament tidbits
There must be something in the water in Portugal. Not only is Elias one of the youngest players in the boys 18-under draw, but Michelle Larcher de Brito, at age 13, is one of the youngest players in the girls 18-under division.Larcher de Brito, who lives in Bradenton and trains at IMG Academies, was given a wild card into the 18s by tournament officials. She won the 16-under title a year ago and also won the tournament's "Rising Star" award. The award has only been given three times in the 20-year history of the tournament. Past winners were Maria Sharapova and Alissa Kleybanova.
Bernard Tomic of Australia is one of the youngest ever to compete in the 18-under division. Tomic, who won the boys 12s title two years ago, is now 14 and asked for a wild card into the 18s division. His ITF ranking alone (161) almost qualified him for a spot in the main draw.Past winners of the Eddie Herr tournament include: Andy Roddick, Ivan Ljubicic, David Nalbandian and Marcelo Rios on the boys side and Sharapova, Anna Kounikova, Tatiana Panova, Jelena Jankovic and Virginie Razzano on the girls side.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061124/COLUMNIST28/611240322
Portugal's Elias brings his ample potential to IMG Academies' courts
Pepe was so nervous he could hardly walk, let alone run. All he thought about was making certain he didn't swing and miss the tennis ball.It was Wimbledon and Rafael Nadel wanted to warm up and needed a hitting partner. Gastao "Pepe" Elias got the call. It was just a brief hitting session but people were crammed along the court at the world's most famous tennis site, watching one of the game's top players warming up with a 15-year old from Portugal."I was so nervous," Elias said this week at the IMG Academies where he is preparing for the Eddie Herr International Junior Tennis Championships. "It was grass and the ball is so fast."I think I did not do too bad."Pepe usually does really well, regardless of the surface or who is on the other side of the net.
Elias turns 16 today. He hopes to go out to dinner but that will come only after a day of practice at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy courts. He has to get ready for the Eddie Herr tournament, which begins today with qualifying rounds.Though 16th birthdays are big no matter where you grow up, Elias knows that tennis is now a business. He knows it every time he steps onto the court. And he knows it now that he has signed to be represented exclusively by IMG, the world's leading sports, entertainment and media company."This year, I think I have a good chance of doing well," Elias said about the Eddie Herr tournament.
In an event that brings together many of the top juniors from around the world, Elias is one of the youngest players in the boys 18-under draw, and certainly the highest ranked player to turn 16 on the opening day of the tournament.While it is not uncommon for young players to make an impact in the girls 18-under division, it is much rarer for a younger player to compete against 18-year old opponents.But Elias is not your normal teen. He came into this week as the highest ranked 15-year old in the world, with an ITF ranking of 53.
He also plays professional tournaments and already has an ATP ranking 940.Recently, Elias reached the semifinals of a Futures event in his native Portugal, where he beat the No. 2 ranked player in the world. This past weekend, he won a qualifying round in a Futures event in Naples (Fla.) before losing a three-set match to Brendan Evans, 20, who was one of the top American juniors and is now ranked No. 348 professionally.Elias easily won the first set against Evans before losing control of the match."I don't know why but I started to play more defensively and he started to come in to the net," Elias explained. "He is so big. Once he got to the net there was nothing I could do."It's all part of a learning process.
For now, it is not as much about winning as it is learning."It is different when you play juniors and professionally," Elias said. "(Professional players) are much stronger and they play faster. Mentally, they are better. Every point is an important point."When you play with the pros you obviously get better."Elias has a chance to get better daily, now that he has the services of the IMG Academies. He plans to use the facilities when he has tournaments in the United States or South America, or during breaks from tournaments.Spending much of the year on the road can be exciting, but also a bit lonely for Elias, who admits he misses his friends and home in Portugal."Sometimes in the bed," Elias says about thoughts of home being difficult.
Elias got started in tennis at age 4 when he tagged along with his father to a tennis club in a small town about 45 minutes from Lisbon. Soon, he was working with Luis Miguel Nascimento, who is still his personal coach today.He began participating in several sports, including swimming, soccer and karate. But after winning his first international event in France at the age of 10, Elias knew tennis would be his sport.This next year he plans to play the four Grand Slam junior events and a couple ITF tournaments. The rest of his time will be spent playing professional tournaments.While surfing and skateboarding are his passions, tennis figures to be his path to success. As long as he keeps his eye on both the tennis ball and his goal.
Tournament tidbits
There must be something in the water in Portugal. Not only is Elias one of the youngest players in the boys 18-under draw, but Michelle Larcher de Brito, at age 13, is one of the youngest players in the girls 18-under division.Larcher de Brito, who lives in Bradenton and trains at IMG Academies, was given a wild card into the 18s by tournament officials. She won the 16-under title a year ago and also won the tournament's "Rising Star" award. The award has only been given three times in the 20-year history of the tournament. Past winners were Maria Sharapova and Alissa Kleybanova.
Bernard Tomic of Australia is one of the youngest ever to compete in the 18-under division. Tomic, who won the boys 12s title two years ago, is now 14 and asked for a wild card into the 18s division. His ITF ranking alone (161) almost qualified him for a spot in the main draw.Past winners of the Eddie Herr tournament include: Andy Roddick, Ivan Ljubicic, David Nalbandian and Marcelo Rios on the boys side and Sharapova, Anna Kounikova, Tatiana Panova, Jelena Jankovic and Virginie Razzano on the girls side.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061124/COLUMNIST28/611240322
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