Fitness forward

Shaughnessy has transformed herself into a stronger player

Serena Williams can go a month without setting foot in a gym and look no worse for it on the court. But, kids, you're not advised to try that at home. A better role model in this respect is Meghann Shaughnessy, the 23-year-old American who has made fitness and conditioning the cornerstones of her game. Adding 15 pounds of muscle to her frame and playing with the confidence of knowing that no one has outworked her, Shaughnessy is among the most upwardly mobile players in the WTA Tour rankings. After finishing last year a disappointing No. 30, she has already improved 11 spots in 2003, earning her a spot on the U.S. Fed Cup that will compete the last weekend in April. Her ascent includes a win over Venus Williams last week at Key Biscayne.

Jon Wertheim: Good little groove you're in now. How surprised are you by this?

Meghann Shaughnessy : It's nice. I felt good about the work I did in the offseason and pretty good about the mental side of things. I've been hitting the ball well and playing smarter. I don't know how surprised I am but I'm generally happy with how things are going.

Wertheim: Especially considering that last year was not up to your standards?

Shaughnessy: Yeah, 2001 was a good year for me; I finished at No. 12. Then last year I started off by injuring my back, and from there I lost my confidence and really didn't play throughout the whole clay-court season. I picked it up a little but it was a tough year. I wasn't in a very good mental state. I put in a lot of work in the offseason and came out much stronger.

Wertheim: You mentioned your emotional state. The book on you is: tough competitor, big forehand, can tend to get down on herself. You seem much more relaxed this year. Is this conscious change or just a maturing process?

Shaughnessy: Yeah, it's getting more comfortable and believing in yourself more on the court. I'm enjoying myself more and learning to relax a little more. I think I might have been a little too uptight in the past.

Wertheim: You're also known for your work ethic. Is that who you are at the core? Or is this more: If I want to make it out here, I'm going to have to be more fit than everyone else?

Shaughnessy: Oh, it's who I am. From when I was little I put 100 percent into whatever it was I wanted to do. That's also how my coach Rafael [ Font de Mora ] is. He's the hardest worker I know. I've been working with him since I was 13 so he's instilled that in me as well.

Wertheim: I think you'd agree that there are players on tour with more natural talent than you have, but your fitness has more than compensated. Are you surprised more players don't train harder?

Shaughnessy: I don't really think of it that way. You have to do what's right for you. For me, both physically and mentally I need it. It's good for me when I go to Athletes Performance [a Tempe, Ariz.-based fitness center that services elite athletes in a variety of sports] and put in a good workout. I wouldn't be happy sitting around. But that's just me.

Wertheim: The muscle mass you've put on is pretty obvious. Are you where you want to be physically?

Shaughnessy: Getting there. I still think I can do better maximizing what I have, get faster, and do more with endurance. I don't want to put on a lot more muscle. But it's made a huge difference. Women's tennis has gotten so physical, I knew that I needed to change my body and I did it. I have gotten stronger, more durable and faster at the same time, and I'm really happy about that.

Wertheim: I understand you've been doing hypnosis, too.

Shaughnessy: It's not a big deal. Just CDs I listen to, sometimes before I go to bed, that put me in the right frame of mind.

Wertheim: When you score a big win over a player like Venus, how much of it is a question of simply playing well and how much of it is building on what you've learned in the past and adjusting your game plan accordingly?

Shaughnessy: I've played her well in the past and had beaten her once before [Stanford, 2001], but I try to learn things from every match, especially the ones I lose. But, yeah, against these top players you really need to follow a game plan. You also need to play aggressively and not wait to see what they're going to do. It helps to come out with the mentality I'm going to for it and try be in control. That's something I've definitely learned. Something else I've learned is that if you don't truly think you can win, that's something your opponent can pick up on.

Wertheim: Would you agree that there is a sense that Serena has distanced herself from Venus?

Shaughnessy: I wouldn't say that. Serena has been getting the better results. They both have their strengths and weaknesses and they're both different players. I wouldn't say one is at a different level.

Wertheim: Are you a goal-oriented person?

Shaughnessy: Yeah, I have goals for this year, but they're really focused on myself. I figure if I do that, things like rankings will take care of themselves. It's what I want to accomplish technically, tactically, mentally. My main goal is that when I finish playing, I want to feel like I reached my potential.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Jon Wertheim covers tennis for the magazine and is a regular contributor to SI.com. Click here to send a question to his Mailbag.

 

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