Article by Gerhard Grundhummer

Lisa Raymond started playing tennis at the age of seven. She had a coach by the name of Charlie Oliver. The greatest gift or lesson that he tought Lisa was to just enjoy life and be a normal kid. She lived with her family in Wayne, Pennsylvania and opted to stay in High school instead of joining the WTA tour. She wanted to enjoy her senior year of high school and all the benefits it had to offer such as her class trip to Cancun and the senior prom. Once she is done with her pro career on the WTA she wants to return to
the University of Florida to complete her credits to get her crimmology degree. Lisa`s ultimate job in criminology would be to work for the FBI. The branch she likes and wants to work in most, is the bahavioral science. Yes, in fact, she wants to become the next Agent Scully.

 The USA Fed Cup team winning team member 2000, is perhaps still most widely acknowledged as doubles player, being part of one of the most consistent teams on the women`s tour, but she also has achieved some notable scalps in the singles, where she currently reached position 25. Lisa`s roots are deeply athletic, she is an excellent football player and enjoys a number of sports, including volleyball. Her other interests include music and she enjoys listening to Sister Hazel and Sarah McLaughan. She enjoys eating
Indian and burger and fries, shopping and watching television. The rather small girl (1.65 meters / 5`5``) turned pro in 1993 at the age of 20.

 Lisa has won one of her 3 carreer-singles titles this year at Memphis, but her doubles-highlights in 2002 are just fantastic. She won Sydney, Tokyo, Scottsdale, Indian Wells, the Nasdaq 100 and Hilton Head, all with her partner Rennae Stubbs.

 Fortunately Jelena playes Lisa at the singles competition and so I continue with her singles results of 2002. The 28 year old girl from Pennsylvania reached the Quarters at Strasbourg and Indian Wells, third round at Key Biscane and at the Australian Open and round two at Sydney. The French Open, as well as the tournys at Charleston, Amelia Island, Scottsdale and the Pan Pacific, where rather disappointing for the right-handed player, because she lost at all of that tournaments in round 1.

 Grasscourts seem to be the favourite surface for Lisa. In 2001 she reached the semis at Birmingham, Quarters at Eastbourne and round 3 at Wimbledon where she only lost to Justine Henin after a tough fight 6-4 and 7-6. To proceed to the quarters of Birmingham, Raymond had an easy win in round two over Tatarkova after an first round bye. Next she beat Elina Bovina in straight sets and won 4-2 (ret.) vs the surprise semi-finalist of the French Open last week, Clarissa Fernandez.

 Jelena met Lisa Raymond only once before. That was on August 20, 2001 at New Haven, where Dokic won that second round match quite easyly 6-3 and 6-0 only to loose the next round to Capriati in straight sets....

 "One of the things I`ve learned about Lisa from watching her play is that she`s a fighter. She has a lot of heart and always gives 110%. Lisa is always gracious to her fans stopping and signing autographs". Rennae Stubbs