A year ago, a talented youngster from Michigan named Anne Miller earned an entire crop of new fans after a well played, refreshingly friendly third round US Open match against Monica Seles. And just like that, she vanished from the tennis scene, starting a new life as a college student at the University of Michigan. While stopping short of ruling out a comeback at some point in the future, Miller was adamant in the belief that she was not "going through a phase" and would not come quickly crawling back to the WTA Tour. She made good on her word for nearly 12 months, playing zero matches and completely losing her computer ranking in the process. However, she was granted a protected injury ranking and popped up in the '99 US Open draw, facing fellow Michigan resident Amy Frazier.
Miller fans will probably be glad to hear that she did not gain the infamous "Freshman 15" during her year at Ann Arbor. She came into the Open as fit and trim as ever and was striking her groundstrokes very well in a mid-afternoon practice session. However, a lack of match toughness apparently cost her at the start of her first round match. When I arrived (making the short walk over from Sanchez Lorenzo's win on Court 6), Frazier already had a 6-2, 2-1 lead. Miller hit a great drop shot in the set's fourth game and smiled broadly. She won the next point to take the game and was still smiling! Miller used to be one of the most self-critical players in the world, always badgering herself with sarcastic comments in the heat of battle. Annie has turned over a new leaf, however, and has finally learned to enjoy herself on the court.
Miller had a small but vocal group of guys rooting her on from a few rows behind her chair. When one of them excitedly pumped his fist after Miller won a point in Game 5, she looked over and shot him a sheepish grin. The wind had died down a bit by now, but it was still strong enough to play havoc with Frazier's unusually high ball toss. She double fauled a couple times in that game and lost it on a backhand error. Miller gave the break right back for 3-3, but Frazier double faulted to end Game 7. Miller held for 5-3 and got another big round of applause from her fans (let's call them "The Annie Miller Testosterone Brigade"). She looked over to them again, smiled, and shook her head, almost seeming to indicate that they were taking all of this more seriously than she was.
Frazier simply could not get her serve under control. Two more double faults in the ninth game helped cost her the set. Miller was now all even at 2-6, 6-3 and would be playing a third set in her comeback match. The Testosterone Brigade gave her a standing ovation as she strode to her chair, hiding her mouth with her shirt before unveiling another gleaming smile. The final set got underway with two holds, followed by two breaks. At 30-40 in Game 5, Frazier leaned into a backhand winner down the line, good for a 3-2 lead. Amy solidified the break, holding at love for 4-2. Miller scored a shutout hold of her own for 3-4, but Frazier pulled out a close game to extend her lead to 5-3.
Miller won the first point of Game 9, but a double fault and two errors put her behind 15-40. Frazier squandered the first match point, hitting a lob just barely long. Miller sent a backhand just wide on match point #2, though, and Frazier finally had a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 win under her belt. Amy's been one of the better American players of the past decade, but her conservative game and low-key personality have garnered her relatively little attention. That was the case again here, as the autograph seekers and well-wishers all gathered around Anne Miller instead. Frazier moves on to a second round match against fellow veteran Natasha Zvereva. Where does Miller go? Read on.
"I don't know if it was an official retirement or an official comeback," Miller cryptically stated after the match. But seriously, where does she go from here? "I haven't fully made that decision -- the options are open." Specifically, she is still enrolled at the University of Michigan, where classes resume on September 8th. One idea Miller's considering is spending the fall semester there, then returning to the WTA Tour in early 2000. She does sound genuinely torn between college ("I had a great time...I love learning") and tennis ("There's only one chance in my life to do this, so why not?")
Even if she's still about as decisive as Hamlet, Miller is at least a happier person now than she was in '98. "The year off helped me grow up a lot, gave me perspective about what's important in life." For instance, the "negative attitude" which used to dog her is a thing of the past. Speaking of the Frazier match, she said "I had fun and that makes me happy. I came off the court feeling like a better person than I used to feel after matches." She was realistic about her first round effort: "It basically came down to not playing matches...My return was off." She admits that she won't be back in top form until she starts playing full-time again.
The fact that Miller is speaking about a full-fledged return to the circuit (whether it's now or in the next millennium) should be a relief to her fans. But there's still one matter left to tackle -- what's the deal with her first name? "Most of my friends call me Annie, but I started seeing Annie in the draws and I wasn't comfortable with that either," since her given name is Anne. Basically, she's sick of talking about it. "Either way is fine." Call her Anne, call her Annie, but don't call her retired. "I don't think that ever came out of my mouth, the word `retire.'"