Angela Haynes Cheering Thread
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Good Luck Angela!! 
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Angela lost to Pisnik 6-4 6-2, but, she looked very good.
She has a good game: slice backhand, two handed backhand, big first serve, and loves the venture to net.
I think she'll do well in the future.
Good Luck Angela!!
She has a good game: slice backhand, two handed backhand, big first serve, and loves the venture to net.
I think she'll do well in the future.
Good Luck Angela!!
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6,350 Posts
I agree! GO ANGELA!VeNuS FoReVeR said:Angela lost to Pisnik 6-4 6-2, but, she looked very good.
She has a good game: slice backhand, two handed backhand, big first serve, and loves the venture to net.
I think she'll do well in the future.
Good Luck Angela!!
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283 Posts
Oh WOW a cheering thread for Angie. groovey :lol:
GO Angie Improve that ranking.
GO Angie Improve that ranking.
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5,891 Posts
C'mon Angela! 
She's committed to playing a lot of challengers this fall. Hopefully she'll get her ranking up and she can get into more big-league tournaments!!
She won her first round at the Columbus qualifying, she has a tough match next against the up and coming Polish player Domachowska, then possibly Ally Baker.
She won her first round at the Columbus qualifying, she has a tough match next against the up and coming Polish player Domachowska, then possibly Ally Baker.
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67,911 Posts
Ok,guys.Here are some articles I found about her (in case you hadn't read it earlier)
Haynes aims to follow in footsteps of Williams sisters
By WAYNE COFFEY
New York Daily News
NEW YORK - She has a taut, athletic physique, a potent forehand and
a tennis address that she shares with the biggest stars in her sport.
Angela Haynes, 18, is a 5-8 lefthander whose rank has climbed to 221
from 857 this year. She wants to follow the lead of Venus and Serena
Williams and become the next world-class player to emerge from the
cracked courts of Compton, Calif.
Her coach and father, Fred Haynes, has the same goal - and isn't shy
about saying how little Richard Williams, the sisters' dad, has done
to help it happen.
"Venus and Serena were like my kids, and my kids were like Richard's
son and daughter," Haynes said after Angela lost her U.S. Open debut
on Tuesday, 6-4, 6-2, on Court 11 to 50th-ranked Tina Pisnik of
Slovenia. "It kind of broke my heart (when the Williamses moved to
Florida) because I never saw them again.
"If you're in the hole and you get out of the hole, you stick a pole
back in the hole," Haynes said. "It just didn't happen."
He said Richard never responded to his E-mails, changed his phone
number and never followed through on a vow he made at a tournament
last spring to help Haynes' daughter.
Asked how much Williams has helped Angela's career, Haynes
said, "Zero."
Efforts to reach Richard Williams through the WTA and his daughters'
agency, IMG, were unsuccessful.
With or without Williams' assistance, Angela Haynes seems on the
cusp of a breakthrough, and carries a compelling story with her. Her
grandparents, Joe and Lucy Haynes, came out of retirement for five
years and did custodial work at the FBI Building in Westwood,
Calif., to help support her tennis career.
"That blew me away. They are so behind me in my career, and that
really meant a lot to me," Angela said.
Joe Haynes was a ***** League ballplayer, but the pain of being
excluded from the major leagues made baseball all but a forbidden
game and subject in the household, said Fred Haynes.
"My dad played catch with me one time, and that's when my mom wasn't
looking," said Haynes, who quit his contracting career to coach his
daughter full-time 11 years ago.
Angela turned pro 21 months ago and has had a solid year on the USTA
Pro Circuit, tennis' minor leagues. She won a $10,000 tournament in
Houston and made two other finals. After qualifying for her first
WTA event - in Stanford, Calif., last month - she defeated Rita
Grande, ranked No. 58, before losing to Lisa Raymond in the second
round.
"I think she can be very good," said Lynne Rolley, director of
women's tennis for the USTA. "Anyone who makes that quick of a move
in the rankings you have to keep your eye on."
With an appealing smile and a graceful tenacity, Angela Haynes
believes she can make the top 30 this year. She does not have to
look far for proof that it is possible, no matter that the
comparisons with the Williams sisters are already getting a bit old.
"It was pretty inspiring to see them," Angela said. "It really opens
up the gate for people like me and people in those kind of
neighborhoods. Keeps the dream alive."
Haynes aims to follow in footsteps of Williams sisters
By WAYNE COFFEY
New York Daily News
NEW YORK - She has a taut, athletic physique, a potent forehand and
a tennis address that she shares with the biggest stars in her sport.
Angela Haynes, 18, is a 5-8 lefthander whose rank has climbed to 221
from 857 this year. She wants to follow the lead of Venus and Serena
Williams and become the next world-class player to emerge from the
cracked courts of Compton, Calif.
Her coach and father, Fred Haynes, has the same goal - and isn't shy
about saying how little Richard Williams, the sisters' dad, has done
to help it happen.
"Venus and Serena were like my kids, and my kids were like Richard's
son and daughter," Haynes said after Angela lost her U.S. Open debut
on Tuesday, 6-4, 6-2, on Court 11 to 50th-ranked Tina Pisnik of
Slovenia. "It kind of broke my heart (when the Williamses moved to
Florida) because I never saw them again.
"If you're in the hole and you get out of the hole, you stick a pole
back in the hole," Haynes said. "It just didn't happen."
He said Richard never responded to his E-mails, changed his phone
number and never followed through on a vow he made at a tournament
last spring to help Haynes' daughter.
Asked how much Williams has helped Angela's career, Haynes
said, "Zero."
Efforts to reach Richard Williams through the WTA and his daughters'
agency, IMG, were unsuccessful.
With or without Williams' assistance, Angela Haynes seems on the
cusp of a breakthrough, and carries a compelling story with her. Her
grandparents, Joe and Lucy Haynes, came out of retirement for five
years and did custodial work at the FBI Building in Westwood,
Calif., to help support her tennis career.
"That blew me away. They are so behind me in my career, and that
really meant a lot to me," Angela said.
Joe Haynes was a ***** League ballplayer, but the pain of being
excluded from the major leagues made baseball all but a forbidden
game and subject in the household, said Fred Haynes.
"My dad played catch with me one time, and that's when my mom wasn't
looking," said Haynes, who quit his contracting career to coach his
daughter full-time 11 years ago.
Angela turned pro 21 months ago and has had a solid year on the USTA
Pro Circuit, tennis' minor leagues. She won a $10,000 tournament in
Houston and made two other finals. After qualifying for her first
WTA event - in Stanford, Calif., last month - she defeated Rita
Grande, ranked No. 58, before losing to Lisa Raymond in the second
round.
"I think she can be very good," said Lynne Rolley, director of
women's tennis for the USTA. "Anyone who makes that quick of a move
in the rankings you have to keep your eye on."
With an appealing smile and a graceful tenacity, Angela Haynes
believes she can make the top 30 this year. She does not have to
look far for proof that it is possible, no matter that the
comparisons with the Williams sisters are already getting a bit old.
"It was pretty inspiring to see them," Angela said. "It really opens
up the gate for people like me and people in those kind of
neighborhoods. Keeps the dream alive."
Joined
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67,911 Posts
Future looks bright for upcoming black female tennis pros
By Arthur Staple
STAFF WRITER
August 27, 2003
Angela Haynes, Carly Gullickson and Shenay Perry are not household
names. They're not ready to be so, either. But they are the hoped-
for future of American women's tennis, a thought that rarely had to
be broached with the dominance of Venus and Serena Williams the last
four years.
But neither Williams sister is here at the U.S. Open, so the
attention turns to the younger generation; to teenagers such as
Haynes, an African- American who grew up learning the game on the
same public courts in Compton, Calif., where Venus and Serena so
famously honed their skills.
Haynes, 18, made her Open debut yesterday as a wild-card entry,
losing to Tina Pisnik, 6-4, 6-2. With representatives of Nike and
Fila, as well as Octagon, the athlete management company, watching
her match, Haynes can hope that this is just the beginning.
"People always ask, 'Are you going to be the next Venus and
Serena?'" said Haynes, who is only 5-7 and plays lefthanded. "I'm
not Serena. I'm not built like her. And I'm not as tall as Venus. I
may not have the power they have. I can only play my game and do my
best. Sometimes [being compared to the Williams sisters] puts a lot
of pressure on me. But no, that's not me."
Haynes also does not have the sponsorships or the prize winnings
that the Williams sisters have. Her father, Fred, is her coach and
lone traveling companion, as the two have paid their own way to get
to the various USTA Pro Circuit and Challenger events - the Double-A
and Triple-A of the tennis world - in this, her first pro year.
Fred's parents, Joe and Lucy Haynes, went back to work while Angela
was a junior to help support her career. "It was painful, but
definitely a family effort," said Fred Haynes, who gave up working
as a contractor when Angela was 7 to coach her and her older
brother, Dante, full time. Even with a win in an event in Houston
and a rise in the world rankings from No. 850 in January to a
current 221, they are having trouble making ends meet.
Fred Haynes has no kind words for Richard Williams, whom Haynes
considered a friend when their children would hit together on the
Compton courts. Haynes was hoping for some financial assistance from
the Williams family, but there has been no contact since Angela
Haynes turned pro.
"He did my kids' first video," Fred Haynes said. "I don't know what
happened ... These $1,200 plane tickets are killing me."
Lynne Rolley, the USTA's director of women's tennis, said this
year's wild-card entries into the Open - Haynes, Gullickson, the 16-
year-old daughter of former big-league righthander Bill Gullickson,
Perry and Valley Stream's Bea Bielik among them - are perhaps a
brighter young crop than in years past.
"They've all distinguished themselves at some level," Rolley
said. "The one thing that's missing is experience."
Which this group got yesterday, all of them having lost (Bielik, who
reached the third round last year, lost Monday). Gullickson, who
made her major tournament debut on Center Court at Wimbledon in
July, lost to Dinara Safina, younger sister of former Open champ
Marat Safin, 7-5, 6-3. Perry, another African-American on the rise,
lost to Amy Frazier, 6-3, 6-1.
"These girls all have good things going for them," said Lori McNeil,
a former Wimbledon semifinalist and one of the first African-
American women on tour. "They just need to learn how to play out
here, and that's what the wild cards are for."
By Arthur Staple
STAFF WRITER
August 27, 2003
Angela Haynes, Carly Gullickson and Shenay Perry are not household
names. They're not ready to be so, either. But they are the hoped-
for future of American women's tennis, a thought that rarely had to
be broached with the dominance of Venus and Serena Williams the last
four years.
But neither Williams sister is here at the U.S. Open, so the
attention turns to the younger generation; to teenagers such as
Haynes, an African- American who grew up learning the game on the
same public courts in Compton, Calif., where Venus and Serena so
famously honed their skills.
Haynes, 18, made her Open debut yesterday as a wild-card entry,
losing to Tina Pisnik, 6-4, 6-2. With representatives of Nike and
Fila, as well as Octagon, the athlete management company, watching
her match, Haynes can hope that this is just the beginning.
"People always ask, 'Are you going to be the next Venus and
Serena?'" said Haynes, who is only 5-7 and plays lefthanded. "I'm
not Serena. I'm not built like her. And I'm not as tall as Venus. I
may not have the power they have. I can only play my game and do my
best. Sometimes [being compared to the Williams sisters] puts a lot
of pressure on me. But no, that's not me."
Haynes also does not have the sponsorships or the prize winnings
that the Williams sisters have. Her father, Fred, is her coach and
lone traveling companion, as the two have paid their own way to get
to the various USTA Pro Circuit and Challenger events - the Double-A
and Triple-A of the tennis world - in this, her first pro year.
Fred's parents, Joe and Lucy Haynes, went back to work while Angela
was a junior to help support her career. "It was painful, but
definitely a family effort," said Fred Haynes, who gave up working
as a contractor when Angela was 7 to coach her and her older
brother, Dante, full time. Even with a win in an event in Houston
and a rise in the world rankings from No. 850 in January to a
current 221, they are having trouble making ends meet.
Fred Haynes has no kind words for Richard Williams, whom Haynes
considered a friend when their children would hit together on the
Compton courts. Haynes was hoping for some financial assistance from
the Williams family, but there has been no contact since Angela
Haynes turned pro.
"He did my kids' first video," Fred Haynes said. "I don't know what
happened ... These $1,200 plane tickets are killing me."
Lynne Rolley, the USTA's director of women's tennis, said this
year's wild-card entries into the Open - Haynes, Gullickson, the 16-
year-old daughter of former big-league righthander Bill Gullickson,
Perry and Valley Stream's Bea Bielik among them - are perhaps a
brighter young crop than in years past.
"They've all distinguished themselves at some level," Rolley
said. "The one thing that's missing is experience."
Which this group got yesterday, all of them having lost (Bielik, who
reached the third round last year, lost Monday). Gullickson, who
made her major tournament debut on Center Court at Wimbledon in
July, lost to Dinara Safina, younger sister of former Open champ
Marat Safin, 7-5, 6-3. Perry, another African-American on the rise,
lost to Amy Frazier, 6-3, 6-1.
"These girls all have good things going for them," said Lori McNeil,
a former Wimbledon semifinalist and one of the first African-
American women on tour. "They just need to learn how to play out
here, and that's what the wild cards are for."
Joined
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67,911 Posts
Friend Lashes Out At Williams
28/08/2003 11:33 AM Ossian Shine
Venus and Serena Williams are nowhere to be seen at the U.S. Open
but their father Richard was again in the headlines following a
verbal volley fired at him by the father of another player.
Angela Haynes's father Fred launched an attack on Richard, who
coaches Venus and Serena, claiming his old friend had reneged on a
promise to help his 18-year-old daughter.
"Venus and Serena were like my kids, and my kids were like Richard's
son and daughter," Haynes said after Angela lost her U.S. Open debut
to 50th-ranked Tina Pisnik of Slovenia on Tuesday.
"It kind of broke my heart (when the Williamses moved to Florida)
because I never saw them again.
"If you're in the hole and you get out of the hole, you stick a pole
back in the hole," Haynes told the New York Daily News. "It just
didn't happen."
Haynes said Richard never responded to his e-mails, changed his
phone number and never followed through on a vow he made at a
tournament last spring to help Haynes's daughter.
Asked how much Williams has helped Angela's career, Haynes told the
tabloid newspaper: "Zero."
The fairytale story of Angela Haynes has been a compelling one at
this year's Open.
The lefthander, whose ranking has climbed from 857 to 221 this year,
comes from the same Los Angeles suburb as Venus and Serena and wants
to follow them from Compton to the top of the tennis world.
"It was pretty inspiring to see them," Angela said. "It really opens
up the gate for people like me and people in those kind of
neighbourhoods. Keeps the dream alive."
But she would never have had the chance to emulate the Williams
sisters had it not been for a remarkable sacrifice by her
grandparents.
Joe, a former ***** League baseball player, and Lucy Haynes came out
of retirement for five years and did custodial work at the FBI
Building in Westwood, California, to help fund her tennis career.
"That blew me away. They are so behind me in my career, and that
really meant a lot to me," Angela said after her first round defeat.
The youngster turned professional 21 months ago and has had a solid
year on the USTA Pro Circuit, tennis' minor league.
She won a $10,000 tournament in Houston and made two other finals.
After qualifying for her first WTA event - in Stanford, California,
last month - she defeated Italy's Rita Grande before losing to Lisa
Raymond in the second round.
28/08/2003 11:33 AM Ossian Shine
Venus and Serena Williams are nowhere to be seen at the U.S. Open
but their father Richard was again in the headlines following a
verbal volley fired at him by the father of another player.
Angela Haynes's father Fred launched an attack on Richard, who
coaches Venus and Serena, claiming his old friend had reneged on a
promise to help his 18-year-old daughter.
"Venus and Serena were like my kids, and my kids were like Richard's
son and daughter," Haynes said after Angela lost her U.S. Open debut
to 50th-ranked Tina Pisnik of Slovenia on Tuesday.
"It kind of broke my heart (when the Williamses moved to Florida)
because I never saw them again.
"If you're in the hole and you get out of the hole, you stick a pole
back in the hole," Haynes told the New York Daily News. "It just
didn't happen."
Haynes said Richard never responded to his e-mails, changed his
phone number and never followed through on a vow he made at a
tournament last spring to help Haynes's daughter.
Asked how much Williams has helped Angela's career, Haynes told the
tabloid newspaper: "Zero."
The fairytale story of Angela Haynes has been a compelling one at
this year's Open.
The lefthander, whose ranking has climbed from 857 to 221 this year,
comes from the same Los Angeles suburb as Venus and Serena and wants
to follow them from Compton to the top of the tennis world.
"It was pretty inspiring to see them," Angela said. "It really opens
up the gate for people like me and people in those kind of
neighbourhoods. Keeps the dream alive."
But she would never have had the chance to emulate the Williams
sisters had it not been for a remarkable sacrifice by her
grandparents.
Joe, a former ***** League baseball player, and Lucy Haynes came out
of retirement for five years and did custodial work at the FBI
Building in Westwood, California, to help fund her tennis career.
"That blew me away. They are so behind me in my career, and that
really meant a lot to me," Angela said after her first round defeat.
The youngster turned professional 21 months ago and has had a solid
year on the USTA Pro Circuit, tennis' minor league.
She won a $10,000 tournament in Houston and made two other finals.
After qualifying for her first WTA event - in Stanford, California,
last month - she defeated Italy's Rita Grande before losing to Lisa
Raymond in the second round.
Joined
·
67,911 Posts
Angela Haynes: another star out of Compton
Susan Mullane/
Camerawork USA,
Inc.
Compton's Angela Haynes road to her first WTA main draw win has been
a long and arduous one. She remembers watching her older brother,
Dante, hit with Venus and Serena Williams on public courts when she
was five. Nine years later, her and her father and coach, Fred,
spent a year in Europe sharpening her game. At age 16, she finished
with the No. 3 ranked in the SoCal 18s, playing an arduous, Jelena
Dokic-type schedule when she logged 70-plus matches.
Her idol was Martina Hingis, not Serena and Venus. While she was
semifinalist at the National Clay Courts, she didn't dominate in the
juniors, which is why her rise from No. 857 at the outset of this
year to No. 316 before she qualified here even more surprising.
A true grinder, she's playing her 17th tournament of the year,
winning the $10,000 Pro Circuit event in Houston and reaching the
final of the $10,000 Pro Circuit in Dallas.
How she went from there to qualifying for the Bank of the West to
upsetting a Rita Grande 6-3, 6-4 is anybody's guess, but the 18-year-
old moves very well, has decent power and is very sure of herself.
"I'm playing with a lot of confidence and think I can win the
title," said Haynes, who will face ninth seed Lisa Raymond in the
next round, "My biggest obstacle will be Capriati. She'll try to
embarrass me and I don't like to be embarrassed."
Haynes is bubbly, full of life and is very driven. She was home
schooled, by just got her GED. She says that's it's her improved
mental game that's keyed her run.
"In the juniors, every one is timid and they just give way points,"
Haynes said. "In the pros, everyone's mentally tougher . I was
letting up subconsciously for awhile and I'm not doing that anymore."
An interesting note: Jennifer Capriati says that Lindsay Davenport
has given her the roughest time of the number ones she's faced over
the years. She called her the most consistent hard hitter she's
faced. Here that Serena?
Susan Mullane/
Camerawork USA,
Inc.
Compton's Angela Haynes road to her first WTA main draw win has been
a long and arduous one. She remembers watching her older brother,
Dante, hit with Venus and Serena Williams on public courts when she
was five. Nine years later, her and her father and coach, Fred,
spent a year in Europe sharpening her game. At age 16, she finished
with the No. 3 ranked in the SoCal 18s, playing an arduous, Jelena
Dokic-type schedule when she logged 70-plus matches.
Her idol was Martina Hingis, not Serena and Venus. While she was
semifinalist at the National Clay Courts, she didn't dominate in the
juniors, which is why her rise from No. 857 at the outset of this
year to No. 316 before she qualified here even more surprising.
A true grinder, she's playing her 17th tournament of the year,
winning the $10,000 Pro Circuit event in Houston and reaching the
final of the $10,000 Pro Circuit in Dallas.
How she went from there to qualifying for the Bank of the West to
upsetting a Rita Grande 6-3, 6-4 is anybody's guess, but the 18-year-
old moves very well, has decent power and is very sure of herself.
"I'm playing with a lot of confidence and think I can win the
title," said Haynes, who will face ninth seed Lisa Raymond in the
next round, "My biggest obstacle will be Capriati. She'll try to
embarrass me and I don't like to be embarrassed."
Haynes is bubbly, full of life and is very driven. She was home
schooled, by just got her GED. She says that's it's her improved
mental game that's keyed her run.
"In the juniors, every one is timid and they just give way points,"
Haynes said. "In the pros, everyone's mentally tougher . I was
letting up subconsciously for awhile and I'm not doing that anymore."
An interesting note: Jennifer Capriati says that Lindsay Davenport
has given her the roughest time of the number ones she's faced over
the years. She called her the most consistent hard hitter she's
faced. Here that Serena?
Joined
·
67,911 Posts
Crouse: Next Williams only wants to be herself
By Karen Crouse, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 27, 2003
NEW YORK -- An actor running for governor of California no longer
has the dynamism to break new ground. Arnold Schwarzenegger can't
really be a novelty because before Schwarzenegger there was Ronald
Reagan.
Angela Haynes can relate.
Haynes is the Schwarzenegger of the WTA Tour. Her story would have
everybody's lips flapping at the U.S. Open if the Williams sisters
hadn't preceded her out of Compton, Calif., and onto tennis' grand
stage.
It's a shame in a way because Haynes, 18, has the star power to
carry the ghetto Cinderella story line. Not to mention the financial
exigency to trade on it.
She was on Court 11 at Flushing Meadows opposing Tina Pisnik in a
first-round match Tuesday because of the beneficence of the USTA,
which gave her a free pass in the form of a wild card, but also
because a few years back her grandparents came out of retirement to
take janitorial jobs to subsidize her dream.
When Haynes talks about two people who helped her get to the U.S.
National Tennis Center, she speaks of her father's parents Joe and
Lucy Haynes, not her former neighbors, Venus and Serena.
The Williamses, who were a fixture in Haynes' life in her childhood,
now are as faraway as two stars in the night sky. They light Haynes'
way but that is about the extent of the sisters' guidance.
"I talked to Venus (in March) during the Nasdaq-100," said Haynes,
who has risen from No. 851 in the world to No. 226 since the
beginning of the year. "Not very long, though. Some pointers...
wouldn't hurt me at all. That would be nice."
Haynes smiled. "But you know, as long as I stay on this level, I'm
sure I'll get a chance to talk to them."
Fred Haynes, a tennis player in his youth, used to work with Venus
on one court at Lynwood Park in Compton while Angela's older
brother, Dante, who now plays tennis at UC Irvine, hit with Serena.
The two families' lives and fortunes would diverge when the
Williamses moved to Palm Beach Gardens and the Hayneses moved to
Bellflower, a suburb of L.A.
Haynes' father is disappointed that Richard Williams has been such a
stranger these past few years. "It kind of breaks my heart," was how
he put it. "Venus and Serena were like my kids," he explained. "If
I'm in the hole and you get out of the hole, put the pole back in
the hole."
Richard Williams did summon Angela to Palm Beach Gardens in March,
around the time of the Nasdaq-100 Open, to work with her on her
game. He gave her some pointers on her footwork and sent her on her
way.
"Every blue moon Richard calls my dad," Angela Haynes said. "But,
no, we really don't talk."
She didn't sound the least bit bitter. By simply being themselves,
the Williams sisters have made Haynes better. Their success has sent
Haynes a powerful message.
"It really opens up the gate for people like me and people in those
kind of neighborhoods (to) keep the dream alive," Haynes said. "It's
pretty inspiring. It (shows it) is possible."
A date in the second round looked eminently attainable when Haynes
jumped out to a 3-1 lead against Pisnik in the first set. Alas, then
Haynes remembered where she was. The enormity of the occasion left
her with a delayed case of stage fright. She started missing her
shots and Pisnik, showing the patience and cunning of someone who
has been on the tour five years, roared back to defeat Haynes 6-4, 6-
2.
"When I had a shot, I'd blow it," Haynes said. "I could never really
get comfortable out there. A couple more years, a little more
experience and I'll be loose as a goose."
Haynes has personality -- and power -- to spare. If she can start
stringing together victories, the yellow brick road will be rolled
out for her.
The sky-blue outfit she wore Tuesday, her father bought off the
rack. Those days appear over. Earlier this month Haynes signed an
endorsement deal with adidas.
It's a start.
"People always ask, 'Are you going to be the next Venus and
Serena?'" Haynes said. "You know what, I only want to be me. I'm not
built like Serena. I'm not as tall as Venus. I can only play my game
and do my best."
Being from Compton isn't easy. Not after the manner in which the
Williamses escaped its mean streets -- as if on a magic carpet.
"Sometimes it puts a lot of pressure on me," Haynes admitted. "I'm
just gonna go out there and give the best I have."
Between many of the points Tuesday, Haynes would sneak a peek at her
dad in the stands. She was looking for approval, validation,
consolation.
She would get it. She always has. "My dad is really all I have,"
Haynes said. "We got here by ourselves really."
They won't leave alone. A bandwagon is forming. The guess is it'll
carry Haynes a long way from Compton.
[email protected]
By Karen Crouse, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 27, 2003
NEW YORK -- An actor running for governor of California no longer
has the dynamism to break new ground. Arnold Schwarzenegger can't
really be a novelty because before Schwarzenegger there was Ronald
Reagan.
Angela Haynes can relate.
Haynes is the Schwarzenegger of the WTA Tour. Her story would have
everybody's lips flapping at the U.S. Open if the Williams sisters
hadn't preceded her out of Compton, Calif., and onto tennis' grand
stage.
It's a shame in a way because Haynes, 18, has the star power to
carry the ghetto Cinderella story line. Not to mention the financial
exigency to trade on it.
She was on Court 11 at Flushing Meadows opposing Tina Pisnik in a
first-round match Tuesday because of the beneficence of the USTA,
which gave her a free pass in the form of a wild card, but also
because a few years back her grandparents came out of retirement to
take janitorial jobs to subsidize her dream.
When Haynes talks about two people who helped her get to the U.S.
National Tennis Center, she speaks of her father's parents Joe and
Lucy Haynes, not her former neighbors, Venus and Serena.
The Williamses, who were a fixture in Haynes' life in her childhood,
now are as faraway as two stars in the night sky. They light Haynes'
way but that is about the extent of the sisters' guidance.
"I talked to Venus (in March) during the Nasdaq-100," said Haynes,
who has risen from No. 851 in the world to No. 226 since the
beginning of the year. "Not very long, though. Some pointers...
wouldn't hurt me at all. That would be nice."
Haynes smiled. "But you know, as long as I stay on this level, I'm
sure I'll get a chance to talk to them."
Fred Haynes, a tennis player in his youth, used to work with Venus
on one court at Lynwood Park in Compton while Angela's older
brother, Dante, who now plays tennis at UC Irvine, hit with Serena.
The two families' lives and fortunes would diverge when the
Williamses moved to Palm Beach Gardens and the Hayneses moved to
Bellflower, a suburb of L.A.
Haynes' father is disappointed that Richard Williams has been such a
stranger these past few years. "It kind of breaks my heart," was how
he put it. "Venus and Serena were like my kids," he explained. "If
I'm in the hole and you get out of the hole, put the pole back in
the hole."
Richard Williams did summon Angela to Palm Beach Gardens in March,
around the time of the Nasdaq-100 Open, to work with her on her
game. He gave her some pointers on her footwork and sent her on her
way.
"Every blue moon Richard calls my dad," Angela Haynes said. "But,
no, we really don't talk."
She didn't sound the least bit bitter. By simply being themselves,
the Williams sisters have made Haynes better. Their success has sent
Haynes a powerful message.
"It really opens up the gate for people like me and people in those
kind of neighborhoods (to) keep the dream alive," Haynes said. "It's
pretty inspiring. It (shows it) is possible."
A date in the second round looked eminently attainable when Haynes
jumped out to a 3-1 lead against Pisnik in the first set. Alas, then
Haynes remembered where she was. The enormity of the occasion left
her with a delayed case of stage fright. She started missing her
shots and Pisnik, showing the patience and cunning of someone who
has been on the tour five years, roared back to defeat Haynes 6-4, 6-
2.
"When I had a shot, I'd blow it," Haynes said. "I could never really
get comfortable out there. A couple more years, a little more
experience and I'll be loose as a goose."
Haynes has personality -- and power -- to spare. If she can start
stringing together victories, the yellow brick road will be rolled
out for her.
The sky-blue outfit she wore Tuesday, her father bought off the
rack. Those days appear over. Earlier this month Haynes signed an
endorsement deal with adidas.
It's a start.
"People always ask, 'Are you going to be the next Venus and
Serena?'" Haynes said. "You know what, I only want to be me. I'm not
built like Serena. I'm not as tall as Venus. I can only play my game
and do my best."
Being from Compton isn't easy. Not after the manner in which the
Williamses escaped its mean streets -- as if on a magic carpet.
"Sometimes it puts a lot of pressure on me," Haynes admitted. "I'm
just gonna go out there and give the best I have."
Between many of the points Tuesday, Haynes would sneak a peek at her
dad in the stands. She was looking for approval, validation,
consolation.
She would get it. She always has. "My dad is really all I have,"
Haynes said. "We got here by ourselves really."
They won't leave alone. A bandwagon is forming. The guess is it'll
carry Haynes a long way from Compton.
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Money is tight for prospect Haynes
Some of the best stories at the U.S. Open are not on Center Court,
or even the Grandstand. They are on the fringe courts, away from
network cameras, where fans can sit anywhere. Court 11 was the
perfect example on Tuesday.
There, in a blue dress and a bandanna wrapping her braids, was 18-
year-old tournament rookie Angela Haynes of Compton, Calif., who
grew up on the same courts with Serena and Venus Williams and knew
the sisters when they were children.
Haynes, a powerful lefty, broke onto the WTA scene this summer and
earned a wild card to the U.S. Open.
She jumped from No. 1,000 to No. 220 in the past year.
She lost 6-4, 6-2 on Tuesday to Tina Pisnik, but judging by her
powerful serve, nice slices, good movement and intensity, Haynes is
someone fans will probably be hearing more about. That is, if she
can afford to keep her tennis career going.
Unlike many of the top young American players, Haynes is far from
wealthy. Her father and coach, Fred, is unemployed and makes ends
meet by ''hustling,'' doing odd jobs and coaching neighborhood kids.
Things got so tight a few years ago that Haynes' grandparents, Joe
and Lucy, came out of retirement and did janitorial work in the wee
hours to help fund their granddaughter's dream.
Fred Haynes, who raised Angela after he and his wife split 10 years
ago, has been disappointed in what he views as a lack of aid for his
daughter from the USTA and from Richard Williams, father of Serena
and Venus, whom Fred said used to be one of his best friends.
''If you get out of the hole, stick the pole back in the hole and
help pull me out,'' Fred Haynes said of Williams, who left Compton
for Florida when Venus Williams was 12.
''Angie is getting help from nobody. We're doing this alone, and
it's hard, traveling to 19 cities, paying for hotels and food and
air fare. She's talented, and beautiful, and not a snob. I don't
know what we have to do. Maybe we should dye her hair blonde.''
Lynne Rolley, the U.S. Tennis Association Director of Women's
Tennis, says Haynes has been ''on the radar screen'' for some time,
and that she has received grants and opportunities, such as the U.S.
Open wild card. But the best way for her to advance, Rolley said, is
to earn ranking points, confidence and money in minor tournaments.
Haynes said she is constantly asked if she's going to be ''the next
Serena or Venus,'' and she answers, ''I'm not built like Serena, I'm
not as tall as Venus, and I may not have the power they have. I can
only play my game.''
She said she'd like to spend more time with the Williams sisters,
but isn't counting on it.
''I knew I wasn't going to get any help,'' she said. ''Last year, I
was laid back, looking for a handout. When I realized that wasn't
going to happen, I really had to step it up. Help would be nice, but
it always helps to win.''
Some of the best stories at the U.S. Open are not on Center Court,
or even the Grandstand. They are on the fringe courts, away from
network cameras, where fans can sit anywhere. Court 11 was the
perfect example on Tuesday.
There, in a blue dress and a bandanna wrapping her braids, was 18-
year-old tournament rookie Angela Haynes of Compton, Calif., who
grew up on the same courts with Serena and Venus Williams and knew
the sisters when they were children.
Haynes, a powerful lefty, broke onto the WTA scene this summer and
earned a wild card to the U.S. Open.
She jumped from No. 1,000 to No. 220 in the past year.
She lost 6-4, 6-2 on Tuesday to Tina Pisnik, but judging by her
powerful serve, nice slices, good movement and intensity, Haynes is
someone fans will probably be hearing more about. That is, if she
can afford to keep her tennis career going.
Unlike many of the top young American players, Haynes is far from
wealthy. Her father and coach, Fred, is unemployed and makes ends
meet by ''hustling,'' doing odd jobs and coaching neighborhood kids.
Things got so tight a few years ago that Haynes' grandparents, Joe
and Lucy, came out of retirement and did janitorial work in the wee
hours to help fund their granddaughter's dream.
Fred Haynes, who raised Angela after he and his wife split 10 years
ago, has been disappointed in what he views as a lack of aid for his
daughter from the USTA and from Richard Williams, father of Serena
and Venus, whom Fred said used to be one of his best friends.
''If you get out of the hole, stick the pole back in the hole and
help pull me out,'' Fred Haynes said of Williams, who left Compton
for Florida when Venus Williams was 12.
''Angie is getting help from nobody. We're doing this alone, and
it's hard, traveling to 19 cities, paying for hotels and food and
air fare. She's talented, and beautiful, and not a snob. I don't
know what we have to do. Maybe we should dye her hair blonde.''
Lynne Rolley, the U.S. Tennis Association Director of Women's
Tennis, says Haynes has been ''on the radar screen'' for some time,
and that she has received grants and opportunities, such as the U.S.
Open wild card. But the best way for her to advance, Rolley said, is
to earn ranking points, confidence and money in minor tournaments.
Haynes said she is constantly asked if she's going to be ''the next
Serena or Venus,'' and she answers, ''I'm not built like Serena, I'm
not as tall as Venus, and I may not have the power they have. I can
only play my game.''
She said she'd like to spend more time with the Williams sisters,
but isn't counting on it.
''I knew I wasn't going to get any help,'' she said. ''Last year, I
was laid back, looking for a handout. When I realized that wasn't
going to happen, I really had to step it up. Help would be nice, but
it always helps to win.''
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Best wishes for Angela Haynes in 2004. Hopes she breaks into top 100 this year. and keep moving forward.
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