MIAMI, FL, USA - The Sony Ericsson Open was a very special event for Michelle Larcher de Brito. Not only was it the stage of her Sony Ericsson WTA Tour debut, she also won her first round with Meghann Shaughnessy, making her the seventh-youngest in Tour history to win a singles main draw match. The 14-year-old from Portugal sat down with sonyericssonwtatour.com in Miami.
Tell us a little bit about your family.
MLB: I have a very close family and they give me a lot of support, win or lose. I have two older brothers named Sergio and Sebastian that are 18 and they are twins. They're the reason I started to play tennis. They played tennis and won trophies and I wanted trophies too. I guess they are the ones I should thank for getting me into tennis.
Tell us about your early years in Lisbon.
MLB: I really love Lisbon, and have a lot of fond memories from growing up there. I don't remember too much, though, because I was only nine years old when me and my family left for the Bollettieri Academy in Florida. All my extended family still lives in Lisbon though, so I really love to go back and visit.
How is tennis doing in Portugal?
MLB: I don't think it is as popular as soccer but maybe it will become more popular now and more kids will start to play.
How was moving to the Bollettieri Academy when you were only nine?
MLB: It was very exciting to go and train at the Bollettieri Academy because so many good players have come out of that place. I thought it was so special to be able to train on the same courts as Seles, Agassi, Courier and more.
What are your greatest memories from the junior circuit?
MLB: I think winning the Girls 16 Eddie Herr when I was 12 was very exciting and then when I won my first junior ITF tournament it was special too. It was last year when I was 13 and it was the first time I ever played on grass. I really liked it.
How do you feel about the transition to the pro circuit from the juniors?
MLB: Even though I've only played three matches as a professional, I can tell that the women are much more serious and focused on their tennis. You feel much more pressure to not let up when you play the women because they will take advantage and suddenly you have lost four straight games.
Tell us about your first round win in Miami. What did it mean to you?
MLB: It was all very exciting and I still can't believe I won. Meghann is a very good player and when that last ball went out I just fell to the ground. I was in shock.
Describe your playing style.
MLB: I would say I am an agressive baseliner and I like to hit my groundstrokes hard and flat. My groundstrokes are definitely my strength as well as my movement. I still need to work on my serve, which was kind of obvious after I lost to Daniela Hantuchova. I think I had like 15 double faults.
What kind of training do you do off the court?
MLB: I do a lot of movement training and work with a medicine ball. My trainer at the Academy, Yutaka Nakamura, has me train with the top group of boys. They really push me because one of their steps are like two of mine when we are running. I have to work really hard to keep up!
What is your coaching situation?
MLB: I work with Nick Bollettieri and my father Antonio.
What kinds of things do you like to do for fun off the court?
MLB: I like to go to movies with my friends and go shopping. All the girly stuff. I also like to play soccer, swim and play with my dog, Armani. He is a Siberian Husky and he goes everywhere with me.
Did you or do you still have any favourite players?
MLB: I really like Hingis, because she is so smart on the court. She also has a great personality off the court and smiles a lot. On the men's tour I like to watch Rafael Nadal because he is so intense and positive on the court.
What are your goals in tennis?
MLB: I would like to be No.1 and of course win some Grand Slams. I really want to win Wimbledon. I also have a lot of short term goals that I keep to myself and work on every day.
