An All-American talent on rise Tennis world starting to take note of Gambill BY MICHAEL PERRY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Here is the lowdown on the future of American tennis du jour:
Jan-Michael Gambill, one of the United States' rising tennis stars, is expected to get a wild-card entry into the ATP Championship's main draw.
(Michael Keating photo)
| ZOOM |Jan-Michael Gambill is 21 years old, has blonde hair and blue eyes, lives at home in Spokane, Wash., with his parents and 16-year-old brother, loves to watch cartoons, Xena: Warrior Princess, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Star Trek, is named after a 1970s actor and loves the music of Reba McEntire.
Got the picture?
Good.
There are but a handful of Americans in the 25-and-under category causing a stir on the ATP Tour, and Gambill is among the youngest on the list.
When the 1997 season ended, he was ranked 176th in the world. Just eight months later, he stands at No. 65 after hitting a high of No. 60 in June. He is expected to receive a wild-card entry into next week's Great American Insurance ATP Championship main draw.
In his third year as a pro, Gambill already has a victory over one of his heroes, Andre Agassi.
"You can never replace Andre and Pete (Sampras) and Michael (Chang) and Todd (Martin) and all of the big players that we have right now, but we always need guys that are coming up from America and doing well," Gambill says. "I'd like to be one of the people that are doing it, the new guard or whatever. I don't think it's a problem for me."
He is personable off the court, at ease with fans and media alike.
He accepts that he is being cast as the latest great American tennis hope and welcomes the pressure, responsibility and visibility.
"It's been a weird transition," Gambill says. "Some people knew me but not many. Now a lot people recognize me. . . . It kind of happened really fast. But I'm getting used to it and it's fun."
GAMBILL FILE • Born: June 3, 1977
• Resides: Spokane, Wash.
• Turned pro: 1996
• Coach: Chuck Gambill, his father
• 1997 year-end ranking: 176
• Current ranking: 65
• 1997 ATP Tour singles record: 3-5
• 1998 ATP Tour singles record: 19-15
• Fun fact: Named after movie star Jan-Michael VincentChris Woodruff (25), Vince Spadea (24) and Justin Gimelstob (21) join Gambill and the 20-year-old Bryan brothers, Mike and Bob, who turned pro in the spring after successful careers at Stanford, as young Americans on the rise.
Gimelstob defeated Gambill for the 1995 U.S. National Junior Hardcourt championship.
"I've always thought he was a really good player," Gimelstob, ranked No. 98, says of Gambill. "He was struggling for a while, but he works hard and he's got a pretty clear vision about the way he is going.
"We both possess some qualities beside our games. We're both pretty charismatic, and people like watching us play. We're both big guys who serve hard and hit the ball hard. I think we definitely have potential to lead the next group (of American stars)."
Gambill lost twice to Agassi (5-7, 6-7 at San Jose in February and 3-6, 6-7 Scottsdale, Ariz., in March) but even in defeat found himself competing.
His breakthrough victory came at Indian Wells, Calif., the week after the Scottsdale loss. After beating Mark Philippoussis, Francisco Clavet and Jim Courier, Gambill got past Agassi 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, before losing to Marcelo Rios in the semifinals.
Marat Safin, ranked 75th, of Russia got in the spotlight at the French Open.
(File photo)
| ZOOM |"It was fun," Gambill says. "I definitely was more confident after that match. It was close, and he had some good things to say about me, which even felt better."
The victory brought mixed emotions.
"It was such a hard-fought battle," Gambill says. "I was just trying to play point by point. It was a little bit of a surprise, but obviously I was elated. It was a huge accomplishment for me. It was probably the biggest win of my life and one I'll always remember."
Gambill came into this year hoping to break into the top 100. He had that goal accomplished by March 16. Top 10, of course, has always been a goal, and now it's one Gambill might reach ahead of schedule.
He was selected by Davis Cup captain Tom Gullikson to be a practice partner for the U.S. team in Atlanta this past spring and in Indianapolis in July.
"I've been working hard on my game, and it's coming together where I feel like I can do what I want to do on the court," Gambill says. "I can hit the shots that I need to hit. All my shots have gotten better, and my serve is big and I can win a lot of free points with it.
"My game has obviously gotten a lot better. I'm tons more confident. I feel I can stay on the court with anybody."
