Amanda Articles...

The Little Giant-killer: Amanda © Tennis Magazine
Amanda earned her 1997 world recognition © Business Day Online
Game, set and a match for anyone these days © Business Day Online
Upset loss won't ruin Coetzer's year © CNN/SI
Giant-killer Coetzer hopes to close season in style © CBS Sportsline
Small Wonder © New York Daily News
Amanda moves up to third spot in world tennis © Business Day Online
Coetzer climbing up the tennis ladder © San Francisco Chronicle
Amanda's Clifton Playground © Independent Newspaper Online
Tiny First Lady of Tennis Walks Tall © Independent Newspaper Online
Amanda puts up cash to help developement © Business Day Online

Mandela thanks players for supporting anti-apartheid struggle

CAPE TOWN (Dec 11, 1997 - 16:54 EST) - President Nelson Mandela Thursday night thanked international tennis stars for refusing to play in South Africa during the apartheid era, despite being offered large sums of money to do so.

Mandela was speaking at a banquet in Somerset West near here honoring 10 players taking part in the Nelson Mandela Tribute tennis tournament starting on Friday.

The players, Boris Becker, Andre Agassi, Richard Krajicek, Todd Martin, Leander Paes, MaliVai Washington, Wayne Ferreira, Marcos Ondruska, Amanda Coetzer and Iva Majoli, have all declined appearance money and agreed that proceeds should go to Mandela's children's fund.

The South African president, according to the SAPA news agency, praised men and women from around the world who "got up to be counted" in the fight against "one of the most evil systems of racial oppression the world has ever seen."

"These men and women who stand here are part of that army," Mandela said, gesturing to the tennis players.

"If it were not for the struggle of our people here, being supported by the international community, I would not be here today," he said. "I would still be serving the life sentence that was imposed on me.

"Tennis stars refused to come to South Africa to play here, in spite of huge offers of money which could have helped them retire for life," he added. "They refused in solidarity with the oppressed people in the country."

The president added that prison walls could not suppress the spirit of sportsmanship on Robben Island, the prison island offshore here where he spent 18 of his 27 years in apartheid jails.

Many games were played at the prison, Mandela said, including tennis.

"None of us became international stars, but nevertheless in our locality we were Boris Beckers, Amanda Coetzers and Yannick Noahs."

Courtesy Nando News 12/12/97

Amanda wins three awards at the Chase!

Amanda capped off an outstanding year by winning all three of the awards that she was nominated for, at the Chase WTA Awards.

'The only multiple winner was Amanda Coetzer. The South African was selected by the media as the year's Most Improved Player, by the players for the Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award and the tournaments for the Diamond ACES Award, which goes to the player who gives selflessly of herself to help promote the game of tennis worldwide. It is the first time since the year-end awards were instituted in 1977 that a player has been selected to win three awards.'

Extracted from Corel Press Release 11/17/97

What'll It Be...

Amanda Coetzer was the star of the CNBC show "Great Stuff" on Tuesday evening at the Television City restaurant. She concocted two new cocktails during the show, the " Amanda's Thanksgiving Special" and the "Giant Assassin". Amanda really enjoyed preparing the Giant Assassin a potent mix of vodka, gin, light rum, triple sec, tequila, sweet cranberry juice and cola. The "Little Assassin" put ice into the tumbler and then poured all the ingredients, gave it a good shake and served it to the show host.

" It was fun. I always enjoy bartending but I really want to get better at it. Right now I'm kind of a rookie. When I'm really prepared I'll do my best to do it often enough. That way maybe I'll get tips and I'll give them to charity." - Amanda Coetzer

Courtesy of WTA Match Notes 11/19/97

Finalists For Annual COREL WTA TOUR Awards Selected

*Coetzer, Hingis, finalists in three categories. Winners to be announced the week of November 17 at the Chase Championships of the COREL WTA TOUR*

(Stamford, Conn., November 4, 1997) - The COREL WTA TOUR today announced the finalists for their 1997 awards, which will be unveiled at The CHASE CHAMPIONSHIPS of the COREL WTA TOUR the week of November 17 at New York's Madison Square Garden.

Balloting was conducted among players, worldwide media, and tournaments from September 22 through October 31. Balloting for the Most Exciting Player was conducted by fans on the Tour's website at http://corelwtatour.com and on-site at several events, including the U.S. Open.

The top three vote-getters in each category were selected as the finalists (in the "Most Impressive Newcomer" category, Mirjana Lucic and Venus Williams were the only two players who received votes) All tolled, players representing 13 different nations are represented among the finalists. The winners will receive custom-designed Waterford Crystal trophies.

Two players, Amanda Coetzer of South Africa and Martina Hingis of Switzerland, are finalists in three different categories. Coetzer was one of the top three vote getters for Most Improved (selected by the media), Diamond ACES (selected by the worldwide tournaments) and Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship (selected by the players), while Hingis is a finalist for Player of the Year, Diamond ACES and Most Exciting Player (voted by fans). It is the second straight year that the 17-year old "Swiss Miss" is a finalist in three categories.

Corel WTA Tour Press Release 11/14/97

They Said It...

"It was so nice coming up to New York for a couple of days and not playing in a tournament. It was nice to have time to enjoy New York. I'm going to do this more often!" - Amanda Coetzer (RSA) last week in New York to promote the CHASE CHAMPIONSHIPS

"I am really looking forward to the CHASE CHAMPIONSHIPS to end my year. With the Top 16 players in the world in New York, it will be interesting to see what happens. I think that I can beat anyone on any given day and I can be beaten by anyone on any given day. You will definitely see some competitve tennis throughout the week." - Amanda Coetzer (RSA) on her chances of winning at this year's CHASE CHAMPIONSHIPS of the COREL WTA TOUR..

Extracted from Corel WTA Tour Notes and Netcords for 11/3/97

Coetzer Hits Manhattan

Amanda Coetzer (RSA) spent two days in New York City last week to promote the upcoming CHASE Championships of the COREL WTA TOUR, to be held at Madison Square Garden the week of November 17. After holding a press conference at the All-Star Cafe in Times Square she bartended for an hour for patrons. In the spirit of Halloween, the "Little Assassin" came up with a holiday special called "The Frisky Witch," which if you can stomach it, is sambuca and vodka on ice, with a licorice stick as a broom! Amanda's tips went towards her South African grassroots tennis program, "Play Tennis, Love Tennis." She then had time for some New York window shopping at Saks Fifth Avenue and Henri Bendel before having dinner at The Palm with the New York Daily News. Of course, the "Little Assassin's" day would not be complete without a little competition...She therefore, ended her day at "Hackers, Hitters and Hoops" where she challenged a journalist from TIME OUT New York in ping-pong...of course, she won. The next day left more time for shoe shopping and and an autograph session where she signed copies of this month's Tennis Magazine - where she is on the cover- for her fans at J&R Computer World.

Amanda has qualified for the year-end Chase Championships every year since 1993 though never advancing beyond the second round. She is currently at a career-high No.3 ranking as of Monday, November 3, 1997 and ranked second in Chase Championships points behind world No.1 Martina Hingis.

Extracted from Corel WTA Tour Notes and Netcords for 11/3/97

Party at Martina's

After last night's quarterfinal loss to American Lisa Raymond, Martina did not change her plans. The day before, she had invited COREL WTA TOUR players, coaches and staff to come to her new home after the quarterfinal match and so they did. Amanda Coetzer, Brenda Schultz-McCarthy, Sandra Kleinova, Larisa Neiland, former doubles partner Helena Sukova, Manon Bollegraf and Katrina Adams came after their doubles match. The world number one even made sure that Lisa Raymond received a personal invitation to the party, but unfortunately Lisa had to rest for her semifinal match against Nathalie Tauziat.

Extracted from WTA Match Notes for 18/10/97

Tennis Foes could Chill Grill

There could be a food fight - or worse - at Lucky's Grill next month during the Chase women's tennis championships. The leading players just faxed the Garden with their restaurant-reservation request for the Nov. 17-23 tournament.

Teen stars Venus Williams and Irina Spirlea both nominated Lucky's Grill. Given their bumping incident at the U.S. Open and the harsh words afterwards, MSG officials won't book them on the same night at the eatery.

Swiss star Martina Hingis opted for Trattoria Dell Arte, as did German ace Anke Huber and Croatia's Iva Majoli. High-carbo intakers Lindsay Davenport, of the United States, and Amanda Coetzer, of South Africa, put Palm Too at the top of their lists.

Courtesy of New York Post 10/7/97

1997 Corel WTA Tour Awards Nominees Announced

Winners to be Honored During the CHASE CHAMPIONSHIPS of the COREL WTA TOUR

Thirty-one players, led by world No. 1 Martina Hingis of Switzerland, have been nominated for the 1997 COREL WTA TOUR season-ending awards, it was announced today. Hingis, winner of three of the four Grand Slam events and 10 overall singles titles in 1997, is on the ballot for three awards, including Player of the Year and Doubles Team of the Year (with Arantxa Sanchez Vicario). She has also been nominated for the Diamond ACES Award, which is given to the player who selflessly gave of her time and energy toward the success and promotion of women's tennis around the world. The only other player nominated for three awards is South Africa's Amanda Coetzer, who is a candidate for Most Improved Player, Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship and the Diamond Aces Award.

Extracted from the Corel WTA Tour Notes & Netcords 10/6/97

Two Americans 'Little Assassin' Join Hingis in the Field for the Season-Ending Title in New York

Three players, South African Amanda Coetzer, and Americans Monica Seles and Lindsay Davenport, have become the next three qualifiers for the CHASE CHAMPIONSHIPS of the COREL WTA TOUR, it was announced today. The three join top-ranked Martina Hingis (SUI) who became the fastest-ever qualifier for the season-ending event following Roland Garros. The CHASE CHAMPIONSHIPS features the top 16 singles players and top eight doubles teams competing for over two million dollars in prize money at New York's Madison Square Garden from November 17-23.

Coetzer clinched her spot by becoming the third and latest player to defeat Martina Hingis with a three set win in the semifinals of the Sparkessen Cup in Leipzig, Germany this past Saturday. She is also enjoying the best year of her career, including reaching a career-high ranking of No. 5. She advanced to the semifinal of nine different events in 1997 (including both the Australian Open and Roland Garros) and captured the Budapest Lotto Ladies Open in Budapest, Hungary in April, which vaulted her into the Top 10 for the first time in her nine-year career. Her win over Hingis made her just the 16th player in the Open Era to defeat multiple number one players (she also has three wins over Steffi Graf, including wins at both the Australian Open and Roland Garros this year). Coetzer, dubbed "The Little Assassin" for her ability to defeat top players, will be making her 5th appearance at the CHASE CHAMPIONSHIPS.

Extracted from Corel WTA Tour Notes & Netcords 9/29/97

No Surprise Here...

Amanda Coetzer's semifinal victory over Martina Hingis at the Leipzig Open shouldn't be a big surprise. The South African dynamo is trained by circuit Superman Gavin Hopper, who thinks most of the women players, including Hingis, are seriously out of shape.
Coezter, who lost to Jana Novotna in the Leipzig final, will enjoy her biggest thrill in December when she plays in an exhibition in Cape Town to raise money for The Nelson Mandela Children's Fund. The event, organized by touring pro Gary Muller, is a tribute to Mandela, who will be present for the festivities Dec. 12-14.
Muller, a white South African, was inspired to host the event after reading Mandela's autobiography, Long Walk To Freedom, which, he said, "blew me away. After reading that, I knew we had to do something to honor this man."
Mandela had a tennis court built on Robben Island while he was imprisoned there.

Courtesy of CBS Sporstline

Stars for MaliVai...

The MaliVai Washington Foundation raised nearly $50,000 earlier this month to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida. The event -- golf, tennis, auction and dinner -- was held in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
Among those participating were tennis stars Andre Agassi, Bryan Shelton, Patrick McEnroe, Chris Evert, Zina Garrison Jackson, Amanda Coetzer, Katrina Adams; Olympians Dan Jansen and Eric Wunderlich; NBA stars Doc Rivers, Joe Dumars and Tommy Hammonds; Jacksonville Jaguars (NFL) Tony Boselli, Brian Barker, Keenan McCardell, John Jurkovic and Kevin Hardy; and actor David Charvet of the TV show "Baywatch."

courtesy of Nando News

Why doesn't this happen more often?

Late-stayers Saturday afternoon were treated to a dream doubles matchup on the old Grandstand. Martina Hingis and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario met Mutt and Jeff blonde bombshells Amanda Coetzer(5-foot-2) and Mary Pierce (5-11). The Nos. 1, 5, 9 and 10 seeds in the singles draw entertained the crowd before Hingis and Sanchez Vicario prevailed. If this happened on the men's side -- say Sampras and Chang vs. Ivanisevic and Muster -- people would actually pay more attention to doubles, and it might even be on television

courtesy of The Sporting News

Amanda to play in a tribute to Nelson Mandela...

Amanda will play in Nelson Mandela Tribute in December to raise money for the Nelson Mandela's Children Fund. Click here to see an article from The New York Times about the Tribute.

Amanda also spoke to Business Day Online, a South African publication about her excitement at taking part in the event. Click here to read the article.

Kids Day at the US Open...

Saturday, two days before the scheduled start of the U.S Open, was Arthur Ashe Kids' Day at the complex. And anyone who knew Ashe -- or knew what he stood for -- knows that this day would have meant far more to him than the building. There were kids on the grounds who have never been inside a country club, never seen an indoor court, perhaps never even owned a tennis racket. There was a diversity of faces -- and ages -- unlike any this facility will see during the upcoming U.S. Open. This was tennis for the people, not the corporations that paid $85,000 to $100,000 for the new luxury boxes that sold out in two short months.
For a few hours, kids could hit tennis balls with Amanda Coetzer and John McEnroe, they could watch big-name players such as Pete Sampras practice, they could participate in mini-clinics and test the speed of their serves. On the main court, inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, they could watch Venus and Serena Williams, hair beaded red, white and blue, play exhibition tennis with the Jensen brothers, Murphy and Luke, who wore Rangers jerseys bearing the names and numbers of Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier. They could, for one afternoon, discover all that is fun and exciting about this sport...

Extract from an article in The Washington Post

Quotes from the French Open...

" It was a terrible match. Again, I was really nervous starting off the match, making a lot of mistakes, feeling very uncomfortable, unsure of my shots. I didn't seem to find the reach or the patience at all. "
- Steffi Graf, after loss to Coetzer

and a bit more from Steffi...
" It's just the state I'm in at the moment. I don't seem to have any self-confidence when I go out there. I need to have that playing against her [Coetzer]. I know she's not going to make mistakes. I know it's me who has to do the points, either win or lose. "

" If you want to call me that, I'll go with that. I'll be the boogey woman. "
- Amanda Coetzer, asked whether she is now the 'Boogey woman' (like the boogey man, always scaring you,) for Graf.