Indonesian tennis hopeful Ayu Fani Damayanti hopes to continue her winning form and win a gold medal at the upcoming Southeast Asian Games in Laos.
She admitted feeling nervous about being burdened with the medal hopes but said she relished the challenge. "I feel nervous carrying the high expectation for the SEA Games gold medal, but it also makes me enjoy playing tennis even more. I love challenges," Ayu told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
The Indonesian Tennis Association (PELTI) will be looking for three gold medals at the Games. Apart from the singles, Ayu is also expected to win the women's doubles. Christopher Rungkat and Nesa Arta are expected to win the men's doubles as well.
The women on the squad include Lavinia Tananta, Jessy Rompies, Sandy Gumulya, and the men include Sunu Wahyu Trijati and captain Surya Widjaja.
Jessy, the women's doubles winner and singles runner up at a US$10,000 tournament in Malaysia in November, is also eager to end the year with a medal.
"I want to perform my best in the SEA Games," said Jessy, who is said to have a killer service volley.
Jessy was a reserve in the squad for the 2007 SEA Games, in which Indonesia won a gold through Sandy Gumulya, two silvers from the women's and men's teams, and a bronze from the men's doubles.
"I am very confident with the performance of our female tennis players," Kresno Merdiko, PELTI's head of athlete development, said.
The players will have final warm ups at the ongoing Xpro Tennis Open and the Garuda Indonesia Master Series, which will run from Nov. 25 to 29.
The Laos Games will be Ayu's second appearance in the biennial sporting showcase for Southeast Asian nations.
During her debut in the 2005 Games in the Phillipines, Ayu, then 16 years old, helped the team win a gold medal as well as a silver medal in her pairing with Septi Mende.
Currently ranking 278th on the WTA Tour, Ayu is the most successful Indonesian player, winning nine out of 12 tournaments, including a US$25,000 tournament in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, and four $10,000 tournaments in Thailand, New Zealand and Jakarta.
"Hopefully, we will be able to show our peak performances at the Games next month," she said.
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