NEW YORK -- Just when Anne Miller decided she didn't have enough fun, she did, of course, start enjoying herself. That left her second-guessing her decision to attend the University of Michigan this fall.
Since she turned pro 3 1/2 years ago, Miller's love for tennis often has been hampered by her inability to enjoy matches. She'd succumb to the pressure and then criticize herself for not doing better.
Lately, though, Miller has seen the lighter side of sports. After she lost to Monica Seles, 6-3, 6-3, Friday in their third-round match at the U.S. Open, the two stopped for a friendly exchange by the umpire's chair.
"She asked me about my necklace. She said she thought it was beautiful," said Miller, 21, from Midland. "I had noticed hers, and asked her where she got it."
Miller won that contest.
"She guessed where I got mine and I didn't guess where she got hers," Seles said. "Mine was Barneys, hers was Tiffany's."
"It was a gift, though," Miller said.
The chat lasted only a couple of minutes, but signifies the immense improvement Miller has made in her approach to the game, even compared to earlier this year.
"I was happy with how I did," Miller said. "I went out there and had fun."
Last fall, Miller, who had been ranked 54th at the end of 1996, dropped to 118th, prompting her to think that college might be a better option. With no product endorsements, Miller said she felt the money left over after she paid for a coach wasn't enough to justify staying with tennis. This year, she had earned $81,577 entering the Open, and picked up $30,000 for making it to round three. Coaches, on average, cost $1,000 per week plus traveling expenses.
"Maybe I spend too much," Miller said, laughing. "But I felt that, especially if I get a master's degree, I could probably make better money in something else."
Miller originally deferred enrollment for a year, but decided after Wimbledon to begin classes this fall. She plans to be in Ann Arbor when classes start Tuesday. With a 12-credit load consisting of Spanish, geography and statistics, she hopes to squeeze in two tournaments.
"I still love tennis," Miller said. "But I think going to school will help put some perspective in my life. I'll see if tennis is really something I want to put my whole heart into.
"I've had good results in the past, and beaten top-10 players, but my results are so up and down. I've never cracked that burning desire the top players have to do it all year round. I think school will help me figure things out."