Schnyder Tired of Questions

The public address system intruded during second-set action of 10th-seeded Patty Schnyder’s match against Tamarine Tanasugarn, making something of an unforced error Friday at the Evert Cup.

“Hello, hello. This is a live shot.”

Schnyder even chuckled at the miscue.

It wasn’t surprising something strange happened during one of her matches, in what has been a series of strange moments in 1999 for Schnyder.

Friday, she won her first match since abandoning her family, her former coach and her boyfriend to form an alliance with controversial German guru Rainer Harnecker, an alternative medicine practitioner who claims to be able to cure cancer and AIDS, according to a former protege.

The 20-year-old Swiss star defeated Tanasugarn of Thailand, 6-3, 6-4, in the first round at Grand Champions Resort. It was her first win since the opening round of the Australian Open.

And for the first time--at least in the United States--she spoke about her recent travails, a story that has held the attention of the Swiss public for the last four weeks. For the Swiss, her actions have been wildly out of character, almost like Heidi running off and joining a street gang.

But Schnyder says she has not left her family.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she said. “I talk one month [to Swiss media] now. All I can say is that the family, they left me, I didn’t leave them.”

The controversy has taken its toll. Schnyder dropped out of the top 10 and is No. 12 in the world. Her father is said to be heartbroken and is consulting a Swiss expert on cults.

“I mean, it has to stop now,” she said. “Everyone has to let me play tennis and my game. And I want to work.”

The Swiss media had another story to pursue, however. One other member of the entourage was bounced this week, trainer Vito Gugolz, who had a long working relationship with Schnyder.

During Schnyder’s match, Swiss television filmed Gugolz sitting with Eric van Harpen, who had been her coach for three years before being dismissed after the Australian Open.

Schnyder said that she had been thinking of making a coaching switch before meeting Harnecker.

“Uh, for half a year, we had a good relationship on the court,” she said of Van Harpen. “We couldn’t really talk off the court. It was too much. I thought about quitting [with him] before. I just did it now. I need new tips.”

Just what those tips are from Harnecker are unclear. She said they were working on her serve and then said they were just concentrating on the mental part of the game.

She did not rule out trying to contact her parents again, saying, “Yes, for sure.”

But relations were strained when her parents refused to send her passport to her via Harnecker’s clinic in Germany, so the two could travel to this tournament. Schnyder turned to the Swiss consulate in Munich to obtain a second passport last Friday and left for the United States a day later.

Schnyder, who won five tournaments in 1998 and was named the tour’s most improved player, is trying to look ahead, not behind.

“I had some problems the last two months, but I think I will find my game back and even play more successfully than I played last year,” she said. “I’m trying to concentrate on my tennis. I’m really happy if you could talk about my tennis now and not about my problems.”

Tennis Notes

There was one upset in first-round action, as wild-card entry Lilia Osterloh defeated 16th-seeded Barbara Schett of Austria, 6-4, 6-4. Serena Williams beat qualifier Jessica Steck of South Africa, 6-1, 7-5, and will play second-seeded Lindsay Davenport in the second round.

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Today’s Featured Matches

Stadium Court, starting at 10 a.m.

* Mary Joe Fernandez vs. Elena Tatarkova, Ukraine.

* Anna Kournikova, Russia, vs. Silvia Farina, Italy.

* Monica Seles vs. Elena Likhovtseva, Russia.

* Martina Hingis, Switzerland, vs. Alexandra Stevenson.