He waited until the Stadium Court crowd quieted, just as the match between Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario and Nathalie Dechy was about to begin. Rising to his feet from his seat in the grandstands, Pedro Martin doffed his yellow cap and shakily began to sing.
The gentle strains of Rosa de Abril sung in her native Catalan tongue reached Sanchez-Vicario's ears. Turning to him, Sanchez-Vicario responded with a smile and a thumbs-up, graciously acknowledging the spontaneous serenade.
Unusual, yes -- but that's the kind of love affair Amelia Island has had with Sanchez-Vicario during the last 15 years. The feeling is mutual.
"This is one of the nicest tournaments," Sanchez-Vicario said. "It's very warm and you feel very close with the public. The crowd was supporting me and that's something nice when you are so far away from home. It's nice to be back and to be welcomed the way that I am."
Nothing could help Sanchez-Vicario avoid a 6-2, 6-2 defeat to Dechy in her first match of the Bausch & Lomb Championships yesterday.
Without realizing it, Marti -- a native of Barcelona who drove up from his home in Daytona Beach just to see her play -- may have been singing Sanchez-Vicario's Amelia Island swan song.
Earlier this year, Sanchez-Vicario announced this season might be her last. At 30 years old, Sanchez-Vicario -- ranked No.14 in the world -- has faced the inescapable.
"It's still a long way to go until the end of the year," she said. "I'm just taking it tournament by tournament and I'm trying to do my best and concentrate on the Grand Slams, because those are the big ones. We'll see what happens."
Few venues will be as disappointed to see her departure from the Tour as Amelia Island. With more tournament appearances (13) to her credit than any other player in the event's 23-year-history, Sanchez-Vicario has been an enduring -- and endearing -- part of this local event.
In 1993 and '94, Sanchez-Vicario -- ranked No.2 and rising -- claimed back-to-back event championships against Gabriela Sabatini. In addition, Sanchez-Vicario played in another final, five semifinals and two quarterfinals. Last year, Sanchez-Vicario lost in straight sets to Amelie Mauresmo, the eventual tournament winner, in the semifinals after upsetting top-seeded Martina Hingis.
For now, Sanchez-Vicario is content to continue. "I still enjoy myself on the court," Sanchez-Vicario said. "I can still give the crowd some good tennis and they still enjoy watching me play. As long as I'm at my best , I'll be playing. When I don't feel that, I will stop."
When that time comes, Sanchez-Vicario will have no regrets. "I have achieved all my goals," Sanchez-Vicario said. "I [have] nothing to prove any more. I became the No.1 player in the world, in singles and doubles, and only 10 players in the world have done that. For me, it has become much more enjoyable. The pressure is on the younger ones because I have already done it once."
