Tracy Austin

With flying pigtails and pinafore, Tracy Austin burst into tennis prominence a decade ago. At 15 and still an amateur, she was ranked among the top eight players in the world; at 16 she became the youngest player to win the U.S. Open; at 17 she was rated No. 1; at 18 she again won the Open. Then a series of major injuries overtook her and, a year and a half ago, she found herself playing in such pain that she decided she needed a rest. A long one. Austin is now 22 and lives in Rolling Hills Estates.

Q: Some critics of women’s tennis suggest that you are a prime example of burnout--of a player who started young, made it big, then flamed out. Any truth to that? A: No. Burnout did not happen to me. I had injuries. And because I love to play tennis so much, I went back too quickly after the injuries. When you get injured, you have to take time off, and you lose a little bit of your fitness. I would go straightaway back into it without regaining that fitness, and then get injured again. It was a vicious cycle.

My way of getting back on the circuit is taking time off. . . . I still have that total burning desire to play again. Q: You really do? A: It’s been very tough on me having to come off the circuit because tennis is my career. . . . I was very physically active and traveling around and having a great life, and all of a sudden it was taken away, and I got very depressed and down. But somehow, I believe that things are meant to be, and this was a time that I was supposed to grow personally. And I have. And I feel much more complete. I don’t feel like Tracy Austin, tennis player; I feel like Tracy Austin, person. Q: How close are you to being as fit as you’d want to be to play the circuit again? A: I wouldn’t say extremely, extremely close. Certainly, not by the end of the year. Sometime next year. I’ve put so many deadlines on it before. Whenever it is, it’ll be the right time. . . . It’s just a slow, slow process, getting back to fitness. Q: What are you doing ? A: I do weights three times a week at Dr. (Robert) Kerlan’s office (Kerlan is the team physician for the Rams and Lakers). I do all sorts of things. I’m playing tennis every day. . . . I’ve found swimming to be a tremendous exercise. Interviews are such a hassle right now. Q: Why? A: I mean, like I will say, “I’m training.” And people say, “Are you?” I mean it: “Yes, I am.” (Laugh.) And then they want a date (when she will return to world-class play). . . . I’m getting stronger every day. When the time comes that I can play three hours without having any problems--three hours with total fitness--then I’ll be ready. Q: You say you’ll be returning to the circuit as a complete person. How have you worked toward that end? A: I started doing some TV commentary. I’m doing a fashion show on ESPN. At the end of this month, I’m going to be doing other cable things, a sports show. And decorating my apartment. You should have seen my apartment when I moved in. It was horrendous. I felt creative--because before I had been very physical. I’ve always used my mind, reading and studying. Billie Jean (King) gave me the nickname “Why?” because I’ve always been curious about everything. I just feel more of a zest for life. I think that when I do come off the circuit in 10 years, or whenever, I will have some other interests that I enjoy. Q: Do you want to be No. 1 again? A: Oh, of course. Q: Do you think you can be? A: I have to think I can. Q: Will you return to competition in a major tournament? A: My plan is to start with exhibitions, to get some match play. Then some doubles and eventually get back on the circuit. But who knows? Maybe it’ll be that time of year when Wimbledon will be around. I’m just playing it by ear, day by day.

I won the U.S. Open in 1981 after being out with an injury for five months. . . . I’ve been off a heck of a lot longer this time. But winning the Open in ’81 was so satisfying. Because I worked so hard to come back, I really had to work on my concentration. I think that gives me confidence. I know I’ve done it before and that the desire is still there.

When you look back at how hard I worked and, I guess, the success I had when I was pretty young, I had to have that mental strength and great desire. And that desire just doesn’t fly out the window. So if it was there then, it’s there now. Q: Do you ever watch your great rivals play on TV, for instance Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert Lloyd in that great match they had during the French Open last June? A: That match had me glued to the set because of the drama and the back and the forth, the ups and the downs, the emotional highs and lows. But it’s hard for me to watch them. I want to be out there.