Rehe’s 16, but With a Difference No Chris or Tracy Comparisons for : Stephanie, Please

Stephanie Rehe doesn’t look 16. Or act 16. Or play like most of her teen-age counterparts who compete on the women’s tennis tour.

Rehe is different. And proud of it.

She did not want to tailor her game or personality to become another Chris Evert Lloyd. Or Tracy Austin. Or Martina Navratilova.

“I try and always be myself,” said Rehe, who was wearing a colorful and stylish art-deco T-shirt. “On the court, I don’t try and copy anyone’s game. I want to be my own player.”

That means attempting shots and hitting winners on shots that many players would not dream of attempting.

“I always try and go for it,” said Rehe, who is ranked No. 16 in the world and will face Kate Gompert in one of today’s semifinal matches at the $75,000 Virginia Slims of San Diego at the Hilton. “I’ll try anything. A drop shot. Topspin lobs. Angles. I try not to worry about anything. I always try and keep calm and think positive.”

In her quarterfinal victory against Debbie Spence Thursday, Rehe took a short ball inside the service line and whaled a backhand winner down the line.

Her winners have exclamation points.

Wrong-footing opponents is commonplace for Rehe.

“She is very good in the mind for 16,” said Olaf Merkel of West Germany, a former professional who coaches Rehe and Claudia Kohde-Kilsch. “That gives her a little advantage. She is not scared of playing special points. And that’s the difference between good players and medium players.”

Her physical appearance is as different as her daring style of play.

Rehe looks older than 16. More sophisticated. And more cosmopolitan.

Perhaps it’s her 5-foot 11-inch lanky build. Or her new punk-style haircut.

“Do you like it?” asked Rehe’s mother, Barbel, who accompanied her daughter to San Diego this week. “I think it’s nice. I liked her ponytail, but it was time. She had to get liberated. It’s all part of growing up.”

Rehe’s external change fits perfectly with her adult court demeanor.

“Sometimes people thought she was aloof on the court,” Barbel said. “Actually, it was just that she always had great court presence.”

Rehe’s stone face and almost bored look can be as intimidating as her sharply angled backhands.

“I like how she (Stephanie) acts on the court,” Merkel said. “Her (Stephanie) poker face is perfect. It disturbs me when a player jokes around.”

The irony is that Rehe is having a blast out there. And that doesn’t just mean blasting forehands.

“I always try to have fun at everything,” Rehe said. “Otherwise, it’s too serious. I’m serious about tennis, but I also always have fun with it. . . . Sometimes I crack a smile.”

Sometimes she behaves like a 16-year-old.

“Once in a while, I get a little hysterical in practice,” Rehe said. “You know, when I miss a bad shot or something.”

Sometimes she is even clumsy on the court.

To improve her coordination and conditioning, Merkel and Rehe sprint around trees.

“She moves funny during some of the conditioning exercises,” Merkel said. “She’ll say, ‘Don’t make fun of me. How will I look?’ ”

They both start laughing.

Rehe can be animated off the court, but when the subject of tennis is broached, she turns serious.

“If you don’t take tennis seriously,” Rehe said, “you won’t get anywhere.”

Rehe has gotten somewhere quickly.

She was ranked No. 1 in the United States in the 12-, 14-, 16- and 18-year-old age groups before turning professional last summer.

Last year, Rehe was No. 18 in the world and earned $68,539. She won the Virginia Slims of Utah and defeated Carling Bassett and Gabriela Sabatini to win the Florida Federal Open.

Her goal is to crack the Top 10 by next summer.

“I think I have to improve on everything,” said Rehe, who this fall will be a senior at San Gorgonio High in Highland, Calif. “Conditioning, quickness and everything mentally.”

Said Merkel: “She has to gain more physical strength and be more flexible. The first four players in the world are so strong. She also has to feel more comfortable everywhere on the court. She has practiced her whole life playing baseline tennis.”

They are working on a hard, flat serve that will take advantage of Rehe’s height and power. She now uses a spin serve that is more tricky than dominating.

“I like being tall because the height helps when I reach for the serve,” Rehe said.

In addition to her serve and volley, Merkel is concentrating on Rehe’s lack of concentration.

He is trying to eliminate the type of walkabouts that Australia’s Evonne Goolagong Cawley was famous for.

“She has to be more concentrated,” Merkel said. “Three or four months ago, there were periods in a match when she couldn’t concentrate. I was waiting for that to happen today (Thursday). But it didn’t come.”

What did come was a surprise on match point.

Leading 5-1, 40-15, Rehe--who had relied primarily on her spin serve--blasted a rocket first serve for a winner.

It could be an omen of her potential.

Said Merkel: “By next summer, she will definitely reach the Top 10.”