站在人生十字路口的華裔網(wǎng)球姑娘

LOS ANGELES — During a recent practice, Claire Liu sent an easy forehand sailing to the fence beyond the baseline and pressed a palm to her forehead.

洛杉磯——在前不久的一次練習(xí)中，劉婧文(Claire Liu)把一記輕松的正手球打出了底線以外的圍欄，不禁用手捂住了前額。

“Smile, you’re having fun,” said Chris Tontz, Liu’s coach.

“笑一笑，你玩得正開心呢，”她的教練克里斯·托茨(Chris Tontz)說。

“Am I?” she said with a laugh.

“是嗎?”她笑著說。

She should be. Liu, 17, is currently the top-ranked junior in the world and the No. 292 player in WTA rankings. In the last three months, Liu has won two titles on the Pro Circuit, a level below the WTA Tour, and become the first American to win the Wimbledon girls’ title since Chanda Rubin in 1992. She made her main-draw debut in a WTA tournament this month at the Bank of the West Classic, where she led Nicole Gibbs, 5-2, in the third set before fading and losing in a tiebreaker in the first round.

她應(yīng)該開心。17歲的劉婧文是目前世界排名第一的青少年選手，WTA排名第292。在過去三個月中，她在比WTA巡回賽低一級別的職業(yè)巡回賽(Pro Circuit)中獲得兩項冠軍，并成為繼1992年錢達(dá)·魯賓(Chanda Rubin)奪冠后第一位獲得溫布爾登女單青少年組冠軍的美國人。本月的美國西部銀行經(jīng)典賽(Bank of the West Classic)是她在WTA巡回賽正式賽事上的首次亮相，比賽中她在第三盤以5-2領(lǐng)先尼古拉·吉布斯(Nicole Gibbs)，之后表現(xiàn)下滑，在首輪輸?shù)袅藳Q勝局。

Liu first garnered attention in 2015 when she won a Pro Circuit title in Orlando, Fla., at 14, becoming the youngest woman to win a pro tournament since Anna Kournikova in 1996. Three months later, after turning 15, she reached the final round of qualifying at the United States Open.

劉婧文于2015年首次獲得關(guān)注，當(dāng)時14歲的她在佛羅里達(dá)州奧蘭多贏得一項職業(yè)巡回賽冠軍，成為自1996年安娜·庫爾尼科娃(Anna Kournikova)以來最年輕的職業(yè)賽事女子冠軍。三個月后，年滿15歲的她的打入美國公開賽資格賽的最后一輪。

Despite the pressure that comes with such results, Liu is pushing back against the typical narrative of a rising teenage tennis player. Now, she has reached a crucial point in her development, choosing between going to college and turning pro.

這樣的成績勢必帶來壓力，然而劉婧文還是在抵制對一個少年網(wǎng)球新星的典型敘事。如今她已經(jīng)來到個人發(fā)展的一個關(guān)鍵時刻，要在上大學(xué)和成為職業(yè)球員之間做出抉擇。

Liu is part of a large group of promising American women, most of whom have already turned pro. CiCi Bellis, 18, is in the top 40. Kayla Day, 17, is in the top 150. Amanda Anisimova, 15, played her first main-draw match of a Grand Slam event at this year’s French Open.

如今美國有一大批前途無量的女球手，劉婧文是其中之一，然而她們大多已經(jīng)轉(zhuǎn)向職業(yè)。18歲的茜茜·貝麗斯(CiCi Bellis)排在前40。15歲的凱拉·戴(Kayla Day)排在前150。15歲的阿曼達(dá)·阿尼西莫娃(Amanda Anisimova)在今年的法國公開賽上打了平生第一場大滿貫正賽。

Liu has never lost to Anisimova, and she beat Day en route to a title in Naples, Fla., three months ago. But unlike her teenage counterparts, Liu, with a year of school left, has kept college in her sights.

劉婧文對阿尼西莫娃保持全勝，三個月前在佛羅里達(dá)州那不勒斯的一項賽事中戰(zhàn)勝過戴，并拿到冠軍。不過和這些少年對手不同的是，離高中畢業(yè)還有一年的劉婧文一直在考慮上大學(xué)。

Liu’s story differs in many ways from her peers’.

劉婧文的故事在很多方面是和同齡人不一樣的。

Unlike a majority of top juniors, Liu has never attended a tennis academy and did not leave home to pursue the sport. She grew up in Thousand Oaks, Calif., and spent the last eight years training at the United States Tennis Association site in Carson, 51 miles away. Liu’s mother, Wen, drives her to and from practice every day.

不同于多數(shù)頂尖的青少年選手，她從沒上過網(wǎng)球?qū)W校，也沒有為了打球而離家。她在加州千橡市(Thousand Oaks)長大，到51英里開外卡森的美國網(wǎng)球協(xié)會(United States Tennis Association)所在地受訓(xùn)。劉婧文的媽媽周雯每天開車接送她訓(xùn)練。

She has no parent-coach and does not come from a tennis background. Her parents, both Chinese immigrants, are chemists. She has no agent, but plenty of offers. And she has no entourage at tournaments; only Tontz, who is on the U.S.T.A.’s coaching staff, accompanies her.

她的父母不是教練，不是網(wǎng)球家庭出身。她的父母都是化學(xué)家，是來自中國的移民。她沒有經(jīng)紀(jì)人，但有不少邀約。她出門比賽沒有一大群跟班;只有供職于網(wǎng)協(xié)的教練托茨陪著她。

“I try to keep everything light right now, and Chris really helps with that.” Liu said.

“目前我希望盡可能簡便一些，這方面克里斯真是幫了大忙，”劉婧文說。

Her parents took an interest in tennis after attending a tournament at U.C.L.A. and the joint ATP-WTA event in Indian Wells, Calif.

她的父母當(dāng)年在加州大學(xué)看了一場巡回賽，還有在加州印第安維爾斯的一項ATP-WTA合并賽事，從此對網(wǎng)球產(chǎn)生了興趣。

“We had never seen tennis courts before coming to the States,” Wen Liu said.

“我們在來美國之前沒見過網(wǎng)球場，”周雯說。

She and her husband, Longbin, joined a recreational league and took lessons. Their daughter would use their rackets and knock balls around the living room.

她和丈夫龍斌(音)參加了一個消遣性的聯(lián)賽，開始上網(wǎng)球課。他們的女兒會在客廳里玩他們的球拍，把球打得到處都是。

Mike Gennette gave Liu her first lessons when she was 5. “You could kind of just tell she was special,” he said.

在她五歲那年，邁克·詹內(nèi)特(Mike Gennette)給她上了第一堂網(wǎng)球課。“基本上一看就知道她與眾不同，”他說。

Gennette, the coach of California Lutheran University’s men’s tennis program, immediately noticed that Liu could put topspin on the ball. When Liu was 8, he said, she had great footwork and court awareness.

詹內(nèi)特是加州路德大學(xué)(California Lutheran University)男子網(wǎng)球班的教練，他很快注意到，劉婧文可以打出上旋球。他說到了八歲的時候，她已經(jīng)有了極佳的步法和球場意識。

“She was able to hit an on-the-rise drive, on the run, with a change of direction,” Gennette said. “And she could do it consistently. She was just better than the rest, with more skills to fall back on.”

“她能在變向跑動中打上升球，”詹內(nèi)特說。“而且是有持續(xù)性的。她明顯比其他人強，掌握著更多應(yīng)對不利局面的技巧。”

In her earliest tournaments, Liu went deep into regional and national draws. Around this time, many young hopefuls would have moved to South Florida, where many Grand Slam champions have started their journeys. But Liu stayed home.

在最初的巡回賽中，劉婧文已經(jīng)可以在地區(qū)和國家級比賽里走到很遠(yuǎn)。許多有抱負(fù)的年輕人這時候會選擇搬到南佛羅里達(dá)去，有許多大滿貫賽事冠軍是在那里起步的。但是劉婧文一直待在家中。

“I never felt pressure to follow everyone else,” Liu said. “My coaches and parents were really supportive in letting me make my own decisions, and not pressuring anything.”

“我從來不覺得自己有跟隨其他人的必要，”劉婧文說。“我的教練和父母很支持我，讓我自己做決定，沒有施加任何壓力。”

Breaking the mold motivated Liu to practice seven days a week.

打破常規(guī)的意愿促使她選擇了一周七天的訓(xùn)練方式。

“I told her she had to take a day off, but she just wouldn’t do it,” Gennette said.

“我跟她說一定要休一天的，但她就是不聽，”詹內(nèi)特說。

She also read “A Champion’s Mind” by Pete Sampras; “Open” by Andre Agassi; “Beyond Center Court” by Tracy Austin; “Holding Serve” by Michael Chang; and “Rafa” by Rafael Nadal. Perhaps that was why Martin Blackman, general manager of player development for the U.S.T.A., said Liu “has one of the highest tennis I.Q.s of any young player on court right now.”

她還讀了皮特·桑普拉斯(Pete Sampras)的《冠軍頭腦》(A Champion’s Mind)、安德烈·阿加西(Andre Agassi)的《開放》(Open)、特蕾西·奧斯汀(Tracy Austin)的《中央球場之外》(Beyond Center Court)、張德培(Michael Chang)的《掌握人生發(fā)球權(quán)》(Holding Serve)和拉菲爾·納達(dá)爾(Rafael Nadal)的《拉法》(Rafa)。或許正因如此，美國網(wǎng)聯(lián)負(fù)責(zé)球員發(fā)展的總經(jīng)理馬丁·布萊克曼(Martin Blackman)說，劉婧文是“現(xiàn)役年輕球員中球商最高的選手之一。”

The Liu family home is far from a shrine to tennis. There are hardly any trophies in sight, and the only noticeable tennis balls are used by the family dog, a German shepherd named Buddy.

劉家遠(yuǎn)非什么網(wǎng)球殿堂。家里幾乎看不到任何獎杯，唯一看得到的網(wǎng)球是給家里一只名叫“巴迪”的德國牧羊犬用的。

“My house is like an escape, where I don’t have to think about tennis,” Liu said. “We don’t talk about tennis.”

“我的家就像是避風(fēng)港，在這里我用不著考慮網(wǎng)球，”劉婧文說。“我們之間不談網(wǎng)球。”

They don’t need to. They know Liu’s ultimate goals: to win Grand Slam titles and be No. 1.

他們不需要談。他們都知道劉婧文的終極目標(biāo)：贏得大滿貫冠軍，成為世界第一。

“She’s fearless,” Tontz said. “She has a big serve despite being slightly shorter than the rest. She wants to come forward. She wants to take balls out of the air, and she’s got great touch.”

“她無所畏懼，”托茨說。“她的發(fā)球雖然比別人短一點，但是力量很大。她想向前。她想扣殺，她球感很好。”

Despite being only 5 feet 6 inches, Liu hits a heavy ball supplemented by quick movement and a versatile two-handed backhand.

盡管劉婧文身高只有5英尺6英寸(約合168厘米)，但她擊球很重，此外動作很快，雙手都能靈活地反手擊球。

“Over all, she knows how to play the percentages, and knows how to manage the court and score,” Blackman said. “It’s not often we see a player her age with that complete of a game.”

“總而言之，她知道怎么掌握百分比，知道如何控制球場和得分，”布萊克曼說。“這在她這個年齡的參賽選手當(dāng)中是不多見的。”

For Liu, the decision whether to turn pro hangs on how she feels about her level of play on the Pro Circuit and what she wants of her life in the long run.

對于劉婧文來說，是否成為職業(yè)選手，取決于她對自己在職業(yè)巡回賽上的表現(xiàn)感覺如何，以及她對自己生活的長遠(yuǎn)規(guī)劃。

“My family, we value education, and I think I’d get a lot from college,” she said. “But now that I’m doing better again, going pro is a bigger option.”

“我們一家人很重視教育，我想我能從大學(xué)里學(xué)到很多，”她說，“但是現(xiàn)在，我又打得更好了，成為職業(yè)球員是一個更大的選擇。”

Liu could have turned pro at 15 after her successful 2015, but she fell into a slump last year.

2015年，15歲的劉婧文成績很好，本可以轉(zhuǎn)為職業(yè)球員，但在去年，她進入低谷。

“I was playing terrible,” Liu said. “I thought for sure I was going to college.”

“當(dāng)時，我打得很糟，”劉婧文說，“當(dāng)時我以為自己肯定要去上大學(xué)了。”

But in 2017, Liu has risen to the top 300 from 674th. She is the fourth youngest player in the top 300, and going pro is suddenly relevant again.

但是，在2017年，劉婧文的排名從674名上升至前300名。她是前300名中第四最年輕的球員，走職業(yè)路線突然之間再次成為一個選項。

The flow of young players to college and the pro tour is cyclical, Blackman said, and now more young women are choosing to turn pro, even though the average age of the top 100 women is 25.5.

布萊克曼表示，年輕球員選擇去上大學(xué)還是參加職業(yè)巡回賽是會有周期性波動的，現(xiàn)在更多的年輕女球員選擇走職業(yè)路線，盡管女子前100名的平均年齡是25.5歲。

“There’s not many job openings in the top 100 every year, so college tennis is becoming more competitive,” Blackman said. “And a lot of coaches are giving the flexibility to play professional tournaments, so it’s no longer an either-or proposition.”

“每年擠進前100名的機會并不是很多，所以大學(xué)的網(wǎng)球競爭正變得更加激烈，”布萊克曼表示。“很多教練正變得更靈活，允許學(xué)生去打職業(yè)賽事，所以不再必須是二選一。”

Liu’s mother acknowledged that she does not know much about the pro tour, so “I read and talk to people.”

劉婧文的母親承認(rèn)自己不太了解職業(yè)巡回賽，所以“我讀很多東西，跟人交流”。

She and her husband have become friends with Carl Chang, the brother and the former coach of Michael Chang. They go to him for insights on the pro lifestyle.

她和丈夫成了張君培(Carl Chang)的朋友，后者是張德培的哥哥兼前任教練。他們向他請教職業(yè)球員的生活狀況。

“He said you don’t really make a good career even if you get to the top 50,” Wen Liu said. “If you’re around 50, it’s like a journeyman, you travel and break even. It’s a tough job, and it can be lonely.”

“他說，就算你進入前50，也不一定能成就很好的事業(yè)，”周雯說。“如果你在50名左右，你就像個普通工作者，你去參加巡回賽，基本上收支相抵。那是一份很艱苦的工作，可能非常孤獨。”

The United States Open, which begins in late August, will be Liu’s moment of reckoning. Around that time, she could break into the top 200, which Blackman sees as the best indicator of whether a junior woman should turn pro.

8月底開始的美國公開賽將成為評判劉婧文的時刻。差不多在那個時候，她可能擠進前200，布萊克曼認(rèn)為那是評判一名年輕女球員是否應(yīng)該走職業(yè)路線的最佳指標(biāo)。

Liu had a chance to earn a spot in the main draw of the Open at the U.S.T.A. National Hard Court Championships in San Diego last week. In the quarterfinals, Liu lost to the No. 2 junior, Whitney Osuigwe, 15, who trains at the IMG Academy in Florida and has committed to being a professional.

上周，劉婧文有可能獲得參加美國網(wǎng)聯(lián)在圣迭戈舉行的全國硬地網(wǎng)球錦標(biāo)賽(National Hard Court Championships)主賽的機會。劉婧文在四分之一決賽中輸給了第二年輕的球員、15歲的惠特尼·奧斯維格(Whitney Osuigwe)，后者在佛羅里達(dá)州的IMG學(xué)院(IMG Academy)受訓(xùn)，立志成為一名職業(yè)球員。

Liu got a wild card into the Open qualifying draw and probably will play the junior tournament if she misses out on the main draw.

劉婧文能以外卡參賽選手的身分參加公開賽的資格賽。如果她不能參加主賽，將很可能參加青少年錦標(biāo)賽。

There is still much to juggle. With one more year of school — she has been taking online classes since ninth grade — Liu will continue training from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Carson and traveling biweekly for tournaments.

她還有很多事情要做。她還有一年才從高中畢業(yè)——她從九年級起接受網(wǎng)絡(luò)授課——她將繼續(xù)從上午8點至下午4點在卡森受訓(xùn)，每兩周去參加賽事。

“I can feel the expectation to win growing,” she said. “But I remind myself that it’s all about development. And there’s no rush. I’m just trying to keep tennis fun.”

“我能感覺到，人們對我獲勝的期望在增加，”她說。“但我提醒自己，最重要的是發(fā)展。不用著急。我盡量把打網(wǎng)球當(dāng)成一種樂趣。”