Champion Barker is back on a mission

INTERVIEW BY ALAN THATCHER

Reigning Chicago champion Peter Barker has fond memories of his first visit to the Windy City last year - both as a player and a tourist.

Beating David Palmer in the final provided the springboard for a successful season and he returns this year at his career-best position of number seven on the PSA ranking list.

Barker, a 25-year-old left-hander from London, said: "It was a great tournament last year and it was fantastic to be part of it. The organisers did a great job with their first glass court tournament and were prepared to listen to ideas from the senior players.

"Therefore it's no coincidence that it has gone from a Three Star to Five Star status this year. The venue was unbelievable. Chicago has all the right ingredients for a successful tournament, despite the weather last year which disrupted proceedings.

"That particular crisis also showed the organisers in a good light because they were very firm in their wishes that the tournament continue to its conclusion in the open-air and they offered to pay any extra expenses that players might have incurred by staying on longer.

"Players can sometimes be a little selfish but we were all happy to help out because we had been so well looked after, and that made it an easy decision to support their wishes and stay on until the weather calmed down. And it was proved the right thing to do because staging the tournament at the tail-end of a hurricane produced some great media coverage."

Barker maybe had an extra reason for enjoying his stay so much. "As the top two seeds, David and I were upgraded to suites at the Fairmont Hotel, which was just another nice touch from the organisers. However, I'm not expecting it this year as the draw looks very tough and I'm only seeded number four."

Barker's victory in Chicago came after a summer of hard training, which he has repeated this year under the experienced eyes of coaches Paul Carter and Peter Nicol, a fellow left-hander and four-time US Open champion.

Barker added: "Peter has moved back to sunny Scotland and so it's a long trek up there for training so I tend to stay for a few days at a time and try to work on the hundreds of things he tells me to do.

"Quality of shot and improved movement are just two of the things we have worked on. It is an ongoing process and I know I still have a lot of improving to do.

"I know that guys like James Willstrop and Thierry Lincou are now behind me in the rankings and I will keep a careful eye on them as well as trying to improve my own position.

"I set myself some pretty tough targets at the start each season and this year I would like to break into the top four. I know how difficult that will be because of the quality of the players in front of me. But I always tend to start the season well coming in off the back of some hard training, so I will be looking for another good run in Chicago."

Barker has beaten all three players (Ramy Ashour, Amr Shabana and Palmer) who are seeded above him for this year's Aon U.S. Open, and so the scene is set for some seriously brutal combat at the business end of the tournament.

As well as enjoying the experience of playing on the glass court last year in such a spectacular location, Barker was also impressed by his first taste of Chicago.

He added: "It's a wonderful city, with all of the good things that New York has but without the hassle. I am really looking forward to going back, to enjoy the city again and support the tournament as much as I can."