SHE´S SEARCHING FOR A SPONSOR

"I set the bar ever higher. The Olympics is a long-term goal for me. My next goal now is to make it into the top 15 players in the world. What I want is that God keeps me healthy for the big challenge of 2004."

"By the end of 2003, I think it is feasible that I am in the top ten of the world rankings." said the 20-year old Lena Daniilidou during a conference for Greek press held at the sporting club that helped her come to the fore.

In that same club, her father, Vassilis, who is a doctor, continues to play 2-3 hours of tennis on a daily basis. Lena reached, for the first time in her career, #16 in the world rankings.

"I have seen players whose personality has change with fame. It is truly difficult to stay the same. I try very hard not to change, and for that my family plays a crucial role. I want to believe that I can do it."

"With the constant tournaments, what I miss the most is my family and Greece. But this lifestyle is a choice I have made, and I can truly say I enjoy every minute of my tennis career. I want to say a big thank you to all my fans for all their support, especially to all Greeks who live abroad."

"The past two months I have enjoyed very significant experiences playing against some really great players. Serena Williams, and her sister, Venus, are a class above the rest. It requires an extremely large effort to defeat one of them. I think all other players respect me as an athlete and as a person. And I feel great honor that I represent Greece."

Daniilidou returned to Greece two days ago, after a 2.5 month tour of Oceania and Europe. In Auckland, last month, she won her second professional tournament (after the Ordina Open last year). And during the week, she climbed from 18 to 16 in the world, surpassing Elena Bovina and Silvia Farina Elia, with her latest performances.

Lena, who was born in Chania (in Crete) on September 19, 1982, is now very close to breaking into the top 15, having played professional tennis of only two years and suffering a major injury before the Sydney Olympics that set her back considerably (she lost six months) at a crucial age.

Lena is looking for a sponsor. "Such a partnership would solve a lot of problems. The National Tennis Association and the Sporting Club of Thessaloniki support me but I need further support that only a sponsor can provide".

At the same time, Daniilidou is seeking to correct certain aspects of her game in order to make it into the top ten of the world rankings. Besides, in the Gaz de France tournament, experts were claiming that because of her body type (1.82 cm, 72 kg), she is one of the few players who will be able to challenge the Williams sisters in the future.

Next week, Daniilidou will play in the Dubai Tournament (she will arrive there on Thursday or Friday), where she will be seeded #8. Then she will travel to the United States where she will play in the Scottsdale ($585,000) , Indian Wells ($2,100,000) and Miami ($2,960,000) tournaments. Meanwhile, Lena has also made it into the top 100 of the doubles rankings.

Translated by Alex Lykidis 
Article from Eleftherotypia Newspaper Online (www.enet.gr)
11/02/2003