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POWER IN CRISIS

Alan ThatcherAlan Thatcher reports on how World Champion and World No.1 Jonathon Power
has fallen off the tight-rope in his delicate balancing act between promotion and training.

June 1999

The expectations of greatness finally caught up with Jonathon Power in London last week. The demands of flying all over the globe to maximise the opportunities earned by his world champion status led to a thumping defeat by the man he had just replaced at the top of the PSA rankings, Scotland's Peter Nicol.

The scoreline told an unflattering story, 15-13, 15-2, 15-4 to Nicol in the semi-finals of the World Super Series event staged in a stylish open-air arena at the Broadgate Centre office complex in the heart of the city.

The fact that those last six points won by Power were flamboyant, stunning kill shots demonstrated an ability to produce the unexpected, but not the appetite to slug it out in long, gruelling rallies. Not when there are no ranking points at stake.

Nicol was hungry. He had a point to prove. He wants that number one slot back in a hurry. But Power was tired. Mentally jetlagged after a punishing schedule since winning the World Open in Qatar in December. He was nursing a back injury. And he was obviously not too bothered about letting London-based Nicol grab the glory before a packed audience of adoring fans.

Nicol went on to outclass Egyptian Ahmed Barada in the final after Power had lost to England No.1 Paul Johnson in the third place play-off, another occasion when entertainment rather than attrition was top of his agenda. Johnson also beat Power in a dead rubber in the qualifying round robin. Power's losses cost him nothing in terms of professional status. For there were no points at stake in this end-of-season jamboree for the world's top eight players.

But it delivered a sharp reminder that he needs to strike a balance between maintaining peak fitness and making the most of his position at the pinnacle of the game.

And therein lies the problem. Power, a supremely gifted master magician of this most physically demanding of all sports, absolutely hates training. Power reveals: "When I go on court and practise, I like to spend more time on hitting balls and perfecting shots rather than running up and down." Dig a little deeper into Power's background and you unearth a genuine maverick figure who lists John McEnroe as his sporting hero.

There are plenty of similarities when you see Power in action. From the red bandana to the vociferous discussions with referees, to the dazzling array of shots in his repertoire. Power's got the lot.

Stories abound of his likeness for recreational drugs, but he insists that's all in the past. However, the fact that he chooses to make Amsterdam his European base for most of the year fuels a teady flood of stories that he likes to live life to the full.

That's something he doesn't deny. "I live life my way," he says. "It may not suit every squash player but I like to set my own agenda. I prefer to win matches playing shots. That's why I spend more time practising ball skills instead of running. I am always looking at new ways to play this game, new ways to hit the ball.

"If you can control the ball then you don't have to run so much. That's my secret. That's my philosophy."

Nicol back on top ??? He likes to keep in shape playing tournaments. But a decrease in the number of major events means that he has to travel the world fulfilling his self-styled role as the game's leading ambassador by playing exhibitions.

Last week, fresh from winning the Canadian Championship, he flew into Italy for a challenge series against three top European players, Dutch champion Tommy Berner, Swedish No.1 Daniel Forslund, and top Italian Davide Bianchetti.

Power took them on one after the other and despatched them all with plenty to spare despite a nightmare itinerary.

He arrived in Milan at two in the morning. His luggage arrived several hours later. After a few hours sleep he was ready to go on court and do the business. Later in the evening he partied with some friends before catching a flight to London the following morning.

Being a showman comes naturally to him, and that is why he relished the chance to take part in the three-man showdown arranged by his racket sponsors, Dunlop, who also look after his three challengers.

Dunlop know they have a marketable personality on their hands. And the 24-year-old from Toronto gleefully relishes helping them to hype up the publicity machine.

The event was screened by Eurosport and Power made a spectacular entrance, crashing through a screen of giant posters bearing the legend Legal Performance Enhancement (referring to his new Dunlop racket) and featuring a manipulated image of the world champion with a beam of light shining from each eye.

After the event Italian fans were ripping the Dunlop posters from the walls and Power spent an hour patiently autographing them.

He knew he had arrived on the big stage when the respected Italian daily, Gazetta Dello Sport, devoted a whole page to a questionnaire concerning his lifestyle. Normally that kind of treatment is reserved for soccer superstars like Ronaldo.

One of the questions asked who his ideal dinner companions would be. Power chose Anna Kournikova and Bill Clinton.

No doubt he could talk to one of them about the subtlety of movement and grip, the tactics involved in getting your opponent on to their knees, and producing shots from impossible angles.

Then he would love to talk to Miss Kournikova …