Woodies hope to set the record straight in China ... as coaches

China hasn't always been a happy hunting ground for the Woodies, the most successful men's doubles team in tennis history. None of the Australians' record 61 ATP titles came on Chinese soil and they were twice beaten finalists in Shanghai. In Hong Kong, Todd Woodbridge lost all his three singles matches against three-time champion Michael Chang, at the old Salem Open. 'Every time I seemed to play Chang it was in Hong Kong, which was probably the hardest place in the world to face him,' Woodbridge said. On the one occasion he won the Hong Kong doubles - in 1993 - his partner Mark Woodforde was missing - and Woodbridge formed a makeshift partnership with American David Wheaton. Even so, the Woodies see China as an exciting, new frontier in their post-tournament life. They visit Hong Kong and Shanghai next week with an eye on starting a regular coaching programme - or possibly a tennis academy - on the mainland. 'Tennis has grown hugely in China over the past few years and we're always looking at opportunities,' Woodbridge said. 'Both of us are pretty settled with our families, but it would be the perfect scenario to come into China two or three times a year and do some training camps.' Woodbridge's former coach, Des Tyson, is already working with emerging players on the mainland. Almost nine years since they ended their partnership after winning a silver medal at the Sydney Olympics (they won gold in Atlanta in 1996), the Woodies' name lives on. The Woodies' brand has been a registered trademark in Australia since the early 1990s, when they won the first of their 11 grand slam titles. Woodbridge, 38, lives in Melbourne and 43-year-old Woodforde is based at Rancho Mirage in California, but they regularly play seniors' tournaments together and meet up at grand slam events where they work as commentators, sometimes for rival broadcasters. The Woodies are best known in Australia - where their victory in the pivotal doubles' rubber helped secure the 1999 Davis Cup title against France in Nice - and in the UK, where they won a stunning six Wimbledon titles in 10 appearances. They never planned on concentrating on doubles - both had respectable singles careers - but found greater success when they shared the spotlight. 'Quite often we'd be introduced as doubles specialists, which would really bristle because singles was always the priority,' Woodforde said. 'But rather than work against it, we just decided to make the most of it.' Interestingly, both players had quite similar singles records, reaching a career-high ranking of 19th and each making one semi-final in grand slams. Left-hander Woodforde won four career singles titles compared to two by right-handed Woodbridge, who held a 5-2 career edge head-to-head against his partner. Even today, they're mistaken as brothers even though red-headed and freckled Woodforde looks nothing like the shorter and brown-haired Woodbridge. At a Fed Cup tie last month, one fan reminisced to Woodbridge about the time he watched 'the brothers' playing together in the Davis Cup a decade earlier in the same Australian town of Mildura. Woodforde said: 'I still have to smile when people stop me in the street and call me Todd. We just evolved as the Woodies and I've simply tried to embrace the fact our names are in the record books because we were part of something special.' Woodforde signalled his arrival on the international scene in 1998 with an epic Wimbledon battle against world number one Ivan Lendl. Then a little-known 22-year-old, he ended up losing 10-8 in the fifth set after four hours and 47 minutes. 'I remember on the changeovers, I deliberately waited until Lendl had got out before me so I could walk out alone and experience all the applause that he'd just got, which was just the same for me,' he said. 'I thought, 'This is what I want in my life and my career and I hope I can play many more times in this scenario'.' Woodforde ended his career with US$8,571,605 in prize money, while his long-term sidekick pocketed US$10,095,245. After Woodforde's retirement, Woodbridge continued his playing career for another five years, joining forces with Swedish veteran Jonas Bjorkman. They won five grand slam titles, including three on the grass courts of the All England Club. Since the Woodies' retirement, the Bryan twins - Bob and Mike - have taken over as the world's dominant men's doubles team. With 53 ATP titles, the 31-year-old Americans are now only eight short of the Woodies' world record. But the veteran Aussies still have some pulling power, even a long way from home and in a brutal economic climate. In Hong Kong next week, they will be keeping busy as they entertain clients from Credit Suisse and National Australia Bank while hitting with junior players at the Ladies Recreation Club. Next Saturday, they'll be doing more of the same at the Shanghai Racquet Club. The going rate? HK$8,000 per hour for both or HK$4,500 for one of them. They've been brought in by Kratzmann Sports Asia, fronted by Hong Kong-based Mark Kratzmann, their former Australian Davis Cup teammate. 'We call it the Mastercard experience - priceless,' Woodbridge said. 'You get to play with or against us, pick our brains and learn anything you want about how we won Wimbledon or anything else.' The Woodies won't be visiting Mission Hills in Shenzhen on this trip, but admit that future involvement in the resort's tennis programme - lacking a big name after Michael Chang's abrupt departure last year - is something that interests them. Korean coach Choi Hee-june, former mentor of ATP top-50 player Lee Hyung-taik, has taken over as Mission Hills' tennis director. Both Woodbridge and Woodforde watched the breakthrough women's doubles victory at the 2006 Australian Open of China's Zheng Jie and Yan Zi. Yan now uses the Shenzhen resort as her training base. 'The discipline and strength of mind of the Chinese girls is fantastic,' Woodbridge said. Mission Hills has done a great job with golf and attracting people. I'd be open to it - we'd definitely be interested in working at Mission Hills with their tennis.' Shared fortune ATP doubles titles won by Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge: 61