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Making quite a racket Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Medford's Nate Schnugg takes a few practice swings at the Southern Oregon Tennis Club. More refined Schnugg races up the junior tennis charts By DON HUNT Nate Schnugg looks about as intimidating as a Chihuahua in a room full of Dobermans as he steps onto a tennis court for the beginning of a match. The 5-foot-3, 105-pound Schnugg often gives up nearly a foot in height and more than 50 pounds in weight to his opponents. But like the old adage says: It's not the size of the dog in the fight that counts, it's the size of the fight in the dog. And not many tennis players can match Schnugg's tenacity. The Hedrick Middle School incoming seventh grader recently ascended to No. 1 in the national 12-year-old rankings, a distinction no player in Medford has held since Jonathan Stark was ranked No. 1 as a 16-year-old in 1986. Stark attended Stanford on a tennis scholarship and has played on the ATP Tour for the past 11 years. "I wouldn't want to compare the two, but Nate is creating his own path," says Frank Inn, an instructor at the Southern Oregon Tennis Club who taught Stark and is now tutoring Schnugg. "It's still too early to predict how far Nate might progress, but he definitely has a knack for the game and an eagerness to play it." Schnugg punched his ticket to the top of the 12-year-old ladder when he won the Easter Bowl tournament in April at Mobile, Ala. The tournament is one of four USTA Super National tournaments for junior players. Schnugg is set to enter another one - the National Hardcourt Championships - this weekend at San Antonio, Texas. This time, however, he'll play in the 14-year-old division in order to encounter stiffer competition. "I'd like to win three or four matches and maybe get into the round of 16," says Schnugg, noting that the bracket will feature 256 players. "I think that's realistic. I'm pretty confident right now." The youngest of three boys, Nate Schnugg has had a racket in his hand since the age of 2 and he had his first lesson at 3. But before anyone conjures up images of a spoiled tennis brat, they should get to know Cathy Schnugg, Nate's mother. While introducing the sport to all three of her sons and encouraging them to do their best, Cathy Schnugg cares far more about their behavior on the court and their respect for the game than she does about them winning a tournament or a trophy. She can be spotted high in the grandstands, her pride and vigilance concealed by a book in her hands. But throw your racket or a tantrum and Mrs. Schnugg will pay you a visit. She once removed Nate from a big sectional tournament when he was 8 or 9 following an outburst, and then made him hang up his racket for a week. "A couple of parents came up to me and said, 'How can you take your kid off the court, you're going to ruin his ranking!' Cathy Schnugg says. "And I said, 'How can I not?' "My husband is the oldest of 13 kids. My boys have 38 cousins. It's not just their own (Schnugg) name they're representing." The youngest Schnugg has had a problem with his temper on several occasions, but it has gotten better since he began working under Inn four months ago. "If you throw a racket around Frank then everyone in the class has to run four laps," Schnugg says. "And they get really mad. I did it once, but that was it." Inn has generated other improvements as well. He has gotten Schnugg to put more power into his serve and groundstrokes, and has talked him into working out in the gym to strengthen his slender body. "He has incredibly good hands for someone his age - what we're doing now is trying to get him to use his feet and his body more," Inn says. "When he gets a good foundation under him he hits the ball a lot harder." Schnugg will probably never hit the ball as hard as Stark, but his quickness and athleticism might enable him to become a better all-around player. Most of today's best players are adept at playing from the baseline or attacking the net, Inn says. "The serve-and-volley player is a rare breed these days," Inn says. "Having a good all-around game is a lot more important." Schnugg describes himself as a "baseline scrapper" with a knack of returning an opponent's hardest shots. "I never give up on a shot," he says, "and when I'm playing well I can really get on people's nerves. "I'm trying to charge the net a little more but right now I'm more comfortable staying back." Schnugg has benefited from his older brothers Steve, 22, and Scott, 19. Both are attending Georgia Tech University, although Steve is no longer playing tennis competitively. "Steve has mostly helped me with the mental aspect of the game while Scott is the one who whips me into shape," Nate Schnugg says. "Scott's back in Georgia now, but last summer we worked out two to three hours a day." Nate Schnugg's idol on the ATP Tour is Andre Agassi, another baseline scrapper who was once cut from a national youth team for a bad attitude. The two met at a tournament in San Jose, Calif., in February. "I pattern my game after his," the younger Schnugg says. Unlike Agassi, however, Nate Schnugg is likely to get bigger. His father Steve stands 6-4 and both brothers are 6-2. Another telltale sign that growth is imminent: Nate wears size 11 shoes. As everyone knows, even the biggest dog was once a pup. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.