Almost On Top

Photo by Michael Baz

Grosse Pointe Woods' Aaron Krickstein talks about
where his tennis career went, and where it could have gone.

LONNY GOLDSMITH
StaffWriter

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fter the U.S. Open tennis
tournament ended on Sept.
7, one could only wonder
about Aaron Krickstein.
For two weeks each year — the end
of August and the beginning of
September — Krickstein made
Flushing, N.Y., his home away from his
Michigan home. He excelled at the U.S.
Open, the final — and only U.S.-host-
ed — grand slam tennis event of the
year.
As a teen-age prodigy, he stunned
Stefan Edberg, the world's top-ranked
junior, and Vitas Gerulaitis, the No. 12
professional at the time, in his first
Open in 1983.
But for the last two years, the
National Tennis Center courts have
been missing Krickstein's presence. After
nagging injuries plagued his career,
Krickstein put tennis on hold at the age
of 28.
It didn't turn out the way he expect-
ed.
Krickstein started playing tennis at
age 6, and quickly knew he had found
his calling. "I thought when I was 12 or
13 years old that I could make a career
out of tennis," Krickstein said. "I was
beating juniors who were 17 and 18
years old, and won my first tournament
at 13."
Krickstein was highly ranked as he
travelled up the ladder of junior tennis.
He was No. 1 in the 14-year-old age
group when he was 12, the No. 1 16
year old at age 14, and No. 1 at 18
when he was 15.
Points out his father, Dr. Herb
Krickstein, "He won the USTA (United
States Tennis Association) Nationals for
the under-16 group (at age 15) and
under-18 (at 16 and one week).
Winning the under-18 got him a wild
card invitation to the (U.S.) Open in
1983."
Aaron Krickstein wasn't at all sur-
prised. "I was used to winning, so I
wasn't shocked by the success," he said.
"I expected to win, and I knew that I
had the talent.

"By the time I was 14, I had
The first jump landed
Aa ron
no aspiration to go to college."
Krickst ein lines Krickstein in Bradenton full-
As a junior in 1983, he had
up a ba ckhand. time, living at the academy in a
an undefeated 35-0 record. He
dorm-style room with another
won the National' Indoors, National
player.
Clay Courts and the USTA Nationals.
His run to the fourth round of the
At age 14 and 15, he made bi-
1983 U.S. Open as an amateur made
monthly trips to the Nick Bollettieri
Krickstein a household name in tennis,
Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Ha.
and landed him in Ireland as a practice
"I had read about Nick and what a
player on the U.S. Davis Cup team cap-
tough clinic he put on," Krickstein said.
tained by Arthur Ashe.
"I had to get out of Detroit if I wanted
The second jump: After the Davis
to make the jump" from amateur to
Cup, Krickstein turned professional. A
professional.
week later, he won his first pro tourna-

ment, in Tel Aviv. It made him the
youngest person to win an ATP
(Association of Tennis Professionals)
tournament. He was 16 years and two
months old.
"That could be a record that may
never be broken," he said. "The men's
game is much more powerful now"
Krickstein returned home to make
the official public announcement that
he had turned pro.
"Aaron had accomplished all that he
could in juniors," Dr. Krickstein said.
"He was ready."
When Krickstein was almost 19, he
left Bollettieri and searched for another
coach.
"After four years with Nick I moved
back to Detroit," Krickstein said: "I
thought that I got the best from him
that I could at the time."
After bouncing between coaches for
a few years, Krickstein wound up under
the wing of Tim Gullickson from 1988-
91. Gullickson died of cancer in 1996.
"I was with Tim for the best years of
my career," Krickstein said. "That's
when I was ranked as high as No. 6 in
the world."
The 1990 Japan Open in Tokyo was
one of Krickstein's most impressive
runs. "In the quarterfinals, I beat
Michael Chang (then ranked fifth), and
Ivan Lendl (then No. 1) in the semifi-
nals," he said. "I lost to Edberg in the
finals."
The rivalry between Krickstein and
Edberg had started with their opening-
round match at Flushing in 1983, and
lasted throughout their careers. "I was
4-6 against him," Krickstein said. "But
three of the four that I won came in
Grand Slam events (Australian Open,
French Open, Wimbledon, and the
U.S. Open).
"If there was one guy on tour he'd
like to have some matches back against,
he'd probably say me."
Also in 1990, Krickstein defeated
Petr Korda to clinch the Davis Cup for
the U.S. over Czechoslovakia.
In 1991, Krickstein played one of
the most memorable matches in the
history of the U.S. Open against Jimmy
Connors.

10/3
1997