Issue link: http://itf.uberflip.com/i/315708
ITFWORLD SPRING 2014 11 www.itftennis.com Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde will be presented with the ITF's highest honour, the Philippe Chatrier Award, in June. Leo Schlink profiles one of tennis's most formidable doubles combinations. I n virtually every respect, Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde are polar opposites. A righthander from Sydney, Woodbridge is a policeman's son. passionate and opinionated, Woodbridge was the product of Tennis Australia and Australian Institute of Sport programmes. A lefthander from Adelaide, Woodforde is a tennis coach's son. Clinical and systematic, Woodforde took a contrasting path to professionalism as a privateer, unable to attract scholarships from the ruling administration. Separated by a four-year age gap, Woodbridge and Woodforde represented fire and ice on court. Woodbridge was the aggressor, the talisman who repeatedly lit the touch paper. Woodforde was the steadying anchor, undemonstrative but no less lethal than his younger ally. And for the best part of a decade, the collective known as 'The Woodies' bestrode international tennis as the greatest doubles team the sport had seen. Much more than the sum of their parts, the Woodies captured every Grand Slam doubles title at least once — 11 majors in total — while amassing what was then a world record 61 doubles crowns, including the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Atlanta. Underlining the pair's jaw-dropping versatility is their standing as Grand Slam singles semifinalists, Davis Cup winners, Grand Slam mixed doubles champions and ATp singles champions. Remarkably, a tennis journey once shared now continues separately as the Woodies extend lifelong commitment to tennis in a variety of roles as coaches, commentators, administrators and mentors. For all their apparent differences, Woodbridge and Woodforde shared a common ambition. According to Woodbridge, there was never a time when either man was completely satisfied, not even after six Wimbledon trophies, two Australian Open and US Open triumphs and the career-sealing French championship in 2000. "There was never a moment when we were satisfied, like 'That will do', whether it be in practice or a match," Woodbridge reflected. "I think there has to be the determination to continue to win and get better." Woodforde agreed. "The desire to win was there from the very first match we played together and there right at the end of the final match we played," he said. "We were one of the last teams that competed in singles and doubles and mixed at the Slams with great success in each discipline. Our partnership lasted ten years. It just doesn't happen nowadays. The Bryans (Bob and Mike) are the exception. We could adapt. We had variety. There were levels to our game. Being strong singles players really helped tremendously in tight situations as we both had been involved in many big singles matches [so] that we actually coveted the pressure moments in doubles, we knew we had the shot-making ability." It was not always that way, externally at least. As openings go, Woodforde could not have envisioned a more deflating start to what would become a glittering partnership. In the midst of a short, but successful, liaison with John McEnroe, Woodforde took the feisty New Yorker's advice to combine with a younger, righthanded and like-minded fellow Australian to chase Davis Cup and Grand Slam success.