Raul Ranzinger knows how Richard Williams feels. As the coach of both Janetta Husarova from Slovakia and Austrian Barbara Schett, Ranzinger has found himself in a painfully unique no-win, no-lose situation. The tennis gods have dealt these two players with a tough draw, as they have to play each other in the first round of the 2003 US Open, creating a coaching quagmire for Ranzinger.

Ranzinger is a large, strapping, gentle giant of a man, whose child-like giggle is infectious. He is truly a multicultural citizen of the world, and has not been home in over three years. Raul’s Mother is Italian, his Father is Austrian, and he grew up in Brazil. His eclectic personality is highlighted by a rich blend of diverse and colorful cultures that has made him one of the more interesting characters on the WTA tour. He speaks five languages - German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and English. But don’t be fooled, this laid back, easy going cat, can crack the whip when his players need it (which I’m told is often.) Above all the quality that endears him most to his players is his fatherly compassion and understanding of the circus life that is better known as the WTA tour.

“I’m trying to keep them relaxed, so that they don’t think so much about the situation. I did something really unusual in one way, I don’t know if it’s going to work, but were going to try it,” said Ranzinger. “I took Andre Sa’s coach, who’s a friend of mine, and he’s going to be the coach for Husarova in this match. Another friend of mine, the coach of Alex Corretja, he’s going to coach Schett, so I’m out of the coaching situation.”

Schett is pleased with Ranzinger tactical ploy adding “I actually spoke to Corretja’s coach today, I know him very well, and he’s going come and watch the match,” Said Schett. “I need somebody to look out to during the match for support.”

To make things even more interesting, Ranzinger has made a deal between his two players. The winner must buy the loser dinner at the restaurant of her choosing, which in this town could be costly. The same arrangement goes for the coaches as well.

“This is just one match. I know that it’s an unusual situation, so that’s why I take an unusual approach.” Ranzinger added with a hearty chuckle.

On the WTA tour news travels faster than a Serena Williams first serve. Before Ranzinger had time to check the official draw sheet of the tournament he and Schett were greeted on their way from the practice court to the players lounges by a small heard of fellow coaches and players bearing tidings of not so good cheer.

“We didn’t even see the draw because people didn’t give us the time. When we came out from the practice court, everybody was telling us before we saw the draw. Most people thought it was funny, but a few of the coaches felt bad for me,” said Ranzinger.

Schett and Husarova have managed to kept things light between themselves. The pair has a standing joke. On the way to their respective practice sessions they offer one another encouraging advice that goes something like “Hey you better practice extra hard because you have a really tough first round opponent.”

Always one to see the bright side of life, the optimistic Ranzinger refuses to let the luck of the draw get him down.

“There are two positive things that I see in this situation. The first is that this is better than playing against Clijsters or Henin in the first round,” he emphasized. “The other positive is that one of my players is for sure in the second round.”

Schett has been with Ranzinger since February, Husarova for over a year. The two have become friends since Schett joined team Ranzinger. They practice together frequently but generally limit this time to drilling; rarely do they play points against each other.

“This is the first time that I’m on the road with a coach and another player, like a team. And this is the first time that I’m playing against somebody that I’m also practicing with, so it should be interesting,” Schett said. “When I go on the court I want to win. We haven’t really played any practice matches at all. So this match is going to have a new feeling. I guess you could say that it’s kind of strange feeling.”

Upon hearing the news of the draw, Schett had trouble focusing during practice and Husarova decided to take a few days off.

“They are not really relaxed. Schett’s practice after finding out the news was a disaster. After ten minutes she was throwing her racquet and balls were flying everywhere. Husarova asked me for two days off,” lamented Ranzinger. “If this was a tier III tournament or even a tier I or II things would be different but this is a Grand Slam. How many US Opens does a player get to play in their lives? Ten maybe, if you’re lucky.”

This years US Open is not the first time Ranzinger has been down this bumpy road. In 2002 while he was working with Tathiana Garbin and Henrieta Nagyova, the pair met up in the semifinals of Sopot, a tier III clay court event, not exactly the first round of a Grand Slam.

On paper, 69th ranked Schett is the favourite. Schett was once a former top ten player peaking at the number seven spot in 1999. 78th ranked Husarova has been plagued with injuries (knee) throughout the 2003 season.

Not only do Schett and Husarova share the same coach they have also been sharing the same room for the past week. This will change once the tournament begins, which was the original plan before the draw was announced.