Issue link: http://itf.uberflip.com/i/315708
12 ITFWORLD SPRING 2014 pHILIppE CHATRIER AWARD "There was never a moment when we were satisfied, whether it be in practice or a match... I think there has to be the determination to win and get better." - Todd Woodbridge Woodforde sought out Woodbridge, then an emergent 20-year-old Aussie righthander who, coincidentally, wanted to team with Woodforde — and also work with legendary coach Ray Ruffels. Having agreed to contest New Haven in 1990, the Woodies made a truly inauspicious impression, losing in straight sets in the first round to American Steve Devries and Australian David Macpherson. Proving once and for all that from the smallest acorns towering oaks grow, the Woodbridge-Woodforde tandem would eventually flourish. Woodforde, now 48, takes justifiable pride in what the pair would ultimately achieve — after a typically unvarnished burst of "Australian advice" from John Newcombe and Tony Roche spurred the duo to greater heights. Woodbridge vividly recalls a conversation with Charlie Hollis, the revered Queensland coach who uncovered a certain Rod Laver. Woodbridge says the chat with the elderly coach was a seminal moment. "I have have never forgotten the moment when Mr Hollis asked me as a ten-year-old where was I going?" he said. "If the answer wasn't 'Wimbledon' he wouldn't let you on the court! In my pro career, Ray Ruffels, he guided me through life like a father." Woodbridge said adaptability was the key to his success with Woodforde. "I always felt that it was the ability for either one of us to be the leader," he said. "Depending on the circumstance I could always find a way to get us fired up and Mark was great at keeping us level. The perfect scenario. I have always held Wimbledon in the highest regard so our performance there I consider our number one achievement. However winning and playing in the Olympics has a special place as it is more pressure than any other event I have played." (Already gold medallists from Atlanta, the pair won a silver medal on home soil at Sydney 2000.) Still fervently supportive of doubles, Woodbridge said the discipline helped him achieve singles success. "Singles was always my priority but doubles helped me reach my singles goals, in particular the Wimbledon semi [in 1997]," he said. "Young players and their coaches today don't realise how important doubles is to the development of their all-round game. I simply enjoyed playing every aspect of the game of tennis, and I suppose it would be fair to say that I liked winning!" So did Woodforde. More than a decade after retirement, Woodforde still bristles with pride at what he achieved in his last season with Woodbridge. "It was my final year of playing and the last jewel in the crown we had yet to win was Roland Garros," he said. "I had always believed it might have been our first Slam to win together. So you can imagine the mounting pressure, the losses we incurred in Paris, one final chance to win it, being the team of the 90s and not having won all four of the majors." pHILIppE CHATRIER AWARD Winning their fi fth successive Wimbledon crown in 1997 In 1997 en route to their second Australian Open doubles title The pair helped Australia win the 1999 Davis Cup title, beating France in the doubles in Nice