to keep rising
It was in 2005 that Robby Ginepri finally stood up to be seriously counted.
Ginepri, 23, whose early notoriety in the game stemmed from a fleeting romance with actress Minnie Driver, has become a hot American property after posting a stellar second half of the season last year, highlighted by his run to the U.S. Open semifinals.
''I have more respect for the game now,'' said Ginepri, the No. 3-ranked American behind Andy Roddick and Andre Agassi. ``I realize it takes a lot more work each day to be at the top and stay at the top. Getting to the top is one part, but maintaining it is another part.''
Ginepri, who suffered a surprising, five-set loss to qualifier Denis Gremelmayr of Germany at the Australian Open, is hoping to rebound quickly from that defeat at the International Tennis Championships that begin today at the Delray Beach Tennis Center.
Currently 18th in the world, the second-seeded Ginepri will play No. 112 Hyung-Taik Lee of Korea on Tuesday.
Top seed Agassi, an eight-time Grand Slam champion, is scheduled to play Ricardo Mello of Brazil tonight.
At the U.S. Open, Ginepri toiled through three consecutive five-set battles -- beating Tommy Haas, Richard Gasquet and Guillermo Coria -- to reach his first career Grand Slam semifinal before falling to Agassi in five sets.
''[The Open] was a pretty remarkable run, and I was ecstatic about my results,'' Ginepri said. ``But it was really disappointing for me to be up two sets and a break in the third in Australia -- I was really devastated about that loss, but I learned from it to never let up.''
Ginepri was born in Fort Lauderdale but has little memory of life in South Florida, having moved to Georgia when he was 3.
Nevertheless, he maintains strong ties to the local community.
His grandmother, Erma Ginepri, who accompanied him to the Delray Beach Tennis Center on Sunday, lives in Fort Lauderdale.
And his coach, former player Francisco Montana, lives in Miami, where Ginepri often trains.
Ginepri arrived on the tennis scene simultaneously with Roddick, but although Roddick's rise to fame was meteoric, Ginepri has taken a few years to settle into his playing career.
Ginepri's fortune seems to have turned when he reeled in his second career title at the RCA Championships in Indianapolis last July.
Indianapolis turned into a landmark event for Ginepri, who earned a first career victory over Roddick, saving three match points in their quarterfinal meeting.
In the past 11 tournaments he played in 2005, he reached at least the quarterfinals in seven, finishing the season in the top 20 for the first time in his career.
Now, Ginepri could be nudging close to joining the top 10 if he can put together a few strong showings in the coming weeks.
''Yeah, it's in the back of my mind,'' Ginepri said. ``It's a matter of winning matches for me and getting my confidence up, and it will be there.''
Montana, who has coached Ginepri since November 2004, believes Ginepri is definitely on the verge of taking the next step up in the game.
''I hate to put a number out there, but he can be top 10,'' Montana said. `There's no reason why not.''