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Nicole
Arendt, who hails from Florida, told us that she has been on the Tour
since 1991 and is now in her final year.
She said that a still relatively young age she now had the chance
to embark on a new career and was looking forward to returning to
University to take a degree in Public Relations.
Nicole’s enthusiasm and sheer enjoyment of the lifestyle on the
Tour was very evident throughout the session.
It had given her a wonderful opportunity not only to travel to
amazing places but also to develop personally.
She
took up tennis because her parents were keen that she and her siblings
take part in lots of activities. Nicole realised that she was a “hitter” and liked
baseball, which did not offer many opportunities so she took up tennis
with no intention then of turning pro.
She described how she had spent hour after hour hitting a ball on
the wall and driving her parents mad by hitting a ball on the garage
doors at her home. She continued at school turning pro at the relatively
late age of 21.
Nicole
described her delight at reaching the final of the Wimbledon ladies
doubles (with Manon Bollegraf) in 1997, going out on court getting the
steps right before making her curtsey to the Duke of Kent.
Her best win was in the French Open in 1997 when she beat Jana
Novotna who was seeded fourth. The match finished so late in the evening
that the only food she could get was a Macdonalds!
Her
career was interrupted at the end of 1997 when she had to take a year
out following an operation for an injured rotator cuff.
She did not waste the year as she returned to the University of
Florida to study.
Nicole described how she enjoys the opportunity that being on the Tour
has given her to travel. She
tries to find time to take in some site seeing and she likes to study
the history of places she visits. She
said how proud of herself she was that she had managed on her first
visit to Tokyo to spend a day touring round the city on her own with no
knowledge of the language. She
is an avid reader and apparently there is a group of players who are
keen to “swap” books, so they are never short of something to read
in their spare time.
She
was asked to tell us about her training routine.
She starts her day with a run and works in the gym, biking etc.
During a strenuous competitive week, e.g. after reaching the
semi-final of the French Open doubles as she had done the week before,
she had taken off a couple days to recuperate.
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One
of our members asked her about her diet.
Nicole said that whilst she is not fanatical about diet, she
usually eats fruit and vegetables, avoiding fatty and sugary foods.
She stressed the need to drink a lot of water, especially if she
was feeling low. She said that she ate particularly well (except as described
above!) when in France, and she felt that this contributed greatly to
her achieving better results in France.
She confessed to having eaten a rare nutty choc bar since her
arrival in Birmingham!
She
has served on the Board of Directors of the WTA and as co-chairperson of
the Player Committee. She
was asked what did she think is the most important task for the future
of women’s tennis. She
replied that she would like to see better promotion for more players,
going beyond the top stars like the Williams sisters and Martina Hingis,
etc.
Nicole
was asked about the financial side of the professional game.
She said that probably the top twenty were making a very good
income. Nicole said that,
of course, each player is different but much depends on expenses and
endorsements. In 1991, her
first year on the Tour, Nicole’s expenses on the circuit were $30,000
- this was a “no frills” figure, i.e. no travelling coach.
She said that she received rackets and shoes from a sponsor, but
generally clothing sponsorships have been cut back.
Since her operation Nicole had become a doubles only specialist
and was currently ranked 17. She
said that she thought that women players in the top 100 in singles and
top 20 in doubles would be making a reasonable living – she herself
was pleased that she had made enough to buy her own home and provide
sufficient funds to see her through University after she leaves the Tour
and this would enable her to start a new career.
She added that men with equivalent rankings - top 100 singles top
20 doubles - would probably be set up for life.
Nicole
stated that she felt very lucky she now had the opportunity to take on
a second career and it was evident that she was looking forward to the
next stage in her life – we certainly wish her well.
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