Tennis / Julie Cart : Navratilova Says Weight Training Is the Key

While the American men are bemoaning the lack of young players, the American women are looking smugly at their own youthful ranks and smiling.

Stephanie Rehe, Melissa Gurney and Mary Joe Fernandez are among those who are singled out as up-and-comers. They, along with their slightly older counterparts, Lori McNeil and Zina Garrison, are entering tournaments not merely for the experience but to win.

Don’t think Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert Lloyd aren’t aware of it, either. It seems they can’t go one round in a tournament without bumping into one of the teen-age wonders.

Of course, the leader of the youth movement internationally is 17-year-old Steffi Graf of West Germany. Graf’s brash statements at the U.S. Open, such as, “Chris (Evert Lloyd) is not as good as she was,” and, “Martina is not that far ahead of me,” may sound hard to take, but such confidence is a key element if younger players are to be competitive.

Navratilova was a little put off by Graf’s comments, but she acknowledges the teen-ager as the heiress apparent.

“She hasn’t done as much as (Andrea) Jaeger or (Tracy) Austin, who had done as much, if not more, by her age,” Navratilova said. “It seems that she’s going to be around for a while. She seems to be taking care of her body . . . except those freak injuries that obviously you can’t do anything about. But I think she’s in very good physical shape.

“And she’s probably more mature physically than either Tracy or Andrea. I don’t think she’ll have those physical problems because of that. I think she’s planning on being around for a long time. She would, right now, be the next logical successor to the number one ranking.”

Navratilova sees physical conditioning as the key element to prolonging a career. Argentina’s Gabriela Sabatini, 16, is an example of a young player in danger of physical burnout. Sabatini plays a full tournament schedule as well as exhibitions and special events.

She is not in the best condition, which was clear when she wilted in a two-set match against Navratilova at the Open. The other factor limiting Sabatini is her reliance on topspin-only strokes, which is a strain on a developing elbow and shoulder.

Navratilova wonders if Sabatini will blow out her arm if she maintains this style.

“I hope not, she does put a lot of whip on it,” Navratilova said. “If I were her, I’d really make sure that I got the body in shape because when you play the kind of physical tennis that she does, that has to take a toll on your arm and your shoulder.

“I would pump those weights, not necessarily to get stronger but to not get hurt, to prevent injuries. Chris (Evert Lloyd) was saying in the locker room, ‘God, I never see you in the training room.’ I just hardly ever need anything to do with my body. And I think it’s all because of lifting weights.

“It’s not that I get that much stronger, but my endurance is a lot better and I don’t get injured. I just simply don’t. And that is only because of the weights. There’s no other reason.”

It’s true that Navratilova has been one of the least-injured players on the women’s tour. The younger players are at a stage where they are busy working on their strokes and getting playing experience, and rarely spend time in a weight room. That may account for some of their injuries.

The young American players have been relatively healthy, but they are not playing aggressive serve-and-volley games, either. Their longevity may hinge on their ability to keep healthy, and the key to that may well be in strength training.

So, while there are several young women on the tour ready to challenge Navratilova and Lloyd, it remains to be seen if they can sustain their level of play when the going gets physical.

Tennis Notes

Jimmy Connors, who has steadfastly refused to use any racket but his steel Wilson T-2000, is down to six left. Wilson is no longer making the racket, and Connors has said he’s working with an unnamed company on a prototype for a new racket that would be somewhere in size between his present racket and a midsize. . . . The U.S. Professional Tennis Assn. is holding its annual convention in Palm Springs, beginning today. The week-long convention will include tournaments and other special events. . . . The LAPD is sponsoring the Police-Celebrity tennis tournament Oct. 18 at the L.A. Tennis Center at UCLA. . . . The ninth annual Tracy Austin Pro/Celebrity tournament is scheduled Oct. 4 at the West End Tennis and Racquet Club in Torrance, beginning at 9 a.m. Proceeds benefit the South Bay Children’s Health Center. . . . Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert Lloyd have agreed to play in the Lynda Carter/Maybelline Tennis Challenge scheduled Dec. 5-7 at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage.