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Stark looks forward to fine season Courier becomes his doubles partner By RANDY HAMMERICKSEN The Stark reality has set in. Jonathan Stark, a Medford native and eight-year player on the ATP tour, doesn't want to stop playing professional tennis any time soon. Stark, 28, says he likes the life he has on tour too much. "I feel I'm in the best shape of my life, and I'm playing as well and hitting the ball as well as I ever have," says Stark. "I'm optimistic it's going to be a good year for me." Stark skipped the Australian Open to play in some smaller singles tournaments in Texas and California. He wants to revive his singles game, although he's made his niche -- and most of his living -- as one of the top-ranked doubles players in the world. Stark has earned $3,060,954 in his career. He finished 1999 ranked No. 48 in the world in doubles and No. 291 in singles. He compiled official earnings of $199,596. Stark completed his eighth straight season ranked in the top 50 in the world in doubles. But he still wants to be successful in singles. "I still think I have the singles game to be successful," says Stark. "I'm going back to my power game. "What it really comes down to is how much confidence I can play with," says Stark. "My dad (Dick) calls it playing like a pit bull and going after it." Stark will start the new millennium with a new doublers partner. He will be paired with former top-ranked singles player Jim Courier. He played last season with Richie Renneberg. The team finished the season ranked No. 45. Courier and Stark are scheduled to play doubles together in San Jose, Calif., in two weeks, and two tournaments after that. "We'll see how it goes from there," says Stark. "Hopefully, Jimbo and I will play well together and stay together for a while. From there, you wait, adjust and see what happens. I might have a new doubles partner later, but I'd rather stay with Jim. We're friends, and we've played well together. "I always liked playing with Jim. Playing with a former No. 1 singles player and multiple Grand Slam champion is great. He's not known as a doubles player because of all of his success in singles, but he's very good in doubles. It's a break for me to get to play with him." Stark has won 17 career doubles titles. He won singles titles early in his career in 1993 at Bolzano and in 1996 at Singapore. In Davis Cup play, he has an 0-4 record in doubles and a 1-1 record in singles. "I still think I have a lot of good tennis left in me," says Stark, who lives in Seattle with his wife, Dana, a former South Medford High classmate. The couple will travel the tour with their 3-month-old son, Charles Allen Stark, this season, Stark says. "I like having my family travel with me," he says. "It makes the grind of traveling easier. "At first, it was kind of fun traveling by myself, but now it's old, and it helps my game to have Dana and Charlie with me." Stark continues to work out when he's back in Medford with longtime teacher Frank Inn, head teaching professional at Southern Oregon Tennis Club. He trained with Inn over Christmas vacation in Medford. "I worked out with Deryk Inn (Frank Inn's son who is a college player at St. Mary's College)," says Stark. "Frank and I talked about some things I want to try to do this year, and how to be more consistent. He helped me with some things." Inn says Stark is still capable of many successes in professional tennis and that his decision to return to the power game, which made him a dominant national junior player, is a good one. "He has the shots," says Inn. "It's a matter of consistency and hard work as to how he progresses and brings his singles game up. "His strong service game has always been his strength. If he can get more consistent with his return of serve and put more pressure on his opponent with it, that will help." Stark says the difference between winning and losing on the ATP tour is winning big points and staying consistent. "There are so many good players, and you can win or lose a match by a really small margin," says Stark. "If you make the shots and win the big points, many of those matches can go your way." Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA