Off court, Peter Clarke can talk a big programme, exude the poise of a veteran and articulate an awareness of the perilous path towards joining the feted top group of tennis players in the world. Whether he can walk that path will be decided over the next few years. His explosive nature could be a factor.
Currently the highest-ranked Irish player, the 20-year-old represents this country's best chance of seeing a player breaking into the elite top 100, the mark that almost guarantees entry into the most important tournaments on the international tennis circuit. At the beginning of last year, only 350 ATP-ranked players stood between him and his goal. No other Irish player comes close.
Clarke has strengths and weaknesses. A volatile temper, but a big game. Impetuous yet gifted, he is engaging off court and occasionally tempestuous on it. A game played largely from the back of the court, relying on heavy ground strokes, the number one seed this week made his first mark following an alleged spitting incident after he lost to number eight seed David Mullins in the quarter-finals of the Irish Indoor Championships at Riverview.
Mullins has accused the new kid in town of spitting at him rather than shaking hands after the acrimonious three-set match. Des Allen, chief executive of Tennis Ireland, subsequently confirmed that the incident is a disciplinary matter. If sanctioned, it will be an inauspicious start for Clarke, but hardly one that will determine the success of a player who will probably compete in the Davis Cup for Ireland as early as next April in Luxembourg.
"Yeah, I get fiery on court," he said in a conversation before the match against Mullins. "Sometimes my temper does cause problems. But it's good for me because it fires me up. I just gotta make sure it doesn't get out of control."
Clarke, however, denies spitting and feels that the episode has become inflated. "He played very well in the match and deserved to win," Clarke said yesterday. "I just want to say I didn't spit at all. I was wrong not to shake hands afterwards. It was unprofessional, but, as I say, he played well enough to win."
When he was 10, Clarke knew he wanted to become a professional tennis player. He got himself into a programme, went through the Australian state system and came out the other side. At 16 he quit school and at 17 turned pro.
The net trawls wide in Australia for talent, takes in large numbers, filters out the weaklings and every year a Grand Slam hopeful wriggles free to participate in the ATP World Tour. Recently, it has been Patrick Rafter's torso-looks-tennis combination that has stolen a march on the rest of the Aussies, while the younger Leyton Hewitt has also been rattling cages.
Clarke came through the grind, has hit with Rafter, Hewitt and 28-year-old Wayne Arthur, who worked his way through last year's Wimbledon qualifiers to advance to the final 16. Clarke, unlike the other three however, is Irish. Not Australian Irish or an Australian who qualifies to be Irish, but a returned emigrant. That's important for him.
"All of my relatives live in Ireland. This is a long-term stay. It is where my parents are living, where I am living," he says.
Having left Dublin at the age of seven, Clarke and his family have returned to live in Monkstown, where he will continue on the road with his ambitious plans - play Davis Cup for Ireland and steer his way into the world's top 10.
Despite the early exit from Riverview, Clarke has proven his pedigree in beating three players ranked below 100, including Belgian Fiilip de Wulf at the Sydney International last year.
"I feel that when I play those guys I'm just as good. I just have to get there. The top 500 guys in the world are pretty even. The difference is mental. I fight very hard but the biggest thing I've got to work on is staying calm on the court, keeping my arousal levels down.
"I've played with or against most of the guys in Australia like Leyton Hewitt. I've practiced with Pat Rafter and this year hit with Richard Kreijeck at the New South Wales Open. You feel like you belong with those guys when you are hitting with them. It gives you confidence. After the NSW Open, I won a satellite and then got injured. I think I was ready to make the breakthrough just when that happened," says Clarke.
Ranked 19 in Australia before leaving, Clarke's optimism is not wholly misplaced. The spitting allegation may polarise opinion and initially overshadow his talent and he may have to tread gently, but he was carrying a wrist injury which almost forced his withdrawal on Wednesday. His father Peter advised him to pull out, but the player's feeling was that as number one seed and the new face, he had a responsibility to play. People can debate the rest, but Clarke's ambition is visceral.
"I want to get right up there to the top 10 in the world. That's where I want to be. I believe it's possible because I'm still young. I still have to play a full injury-free 12 months. My goal for this year is to get into the top 100 and I think that is realistic."
Next week he will leave Ireland for three tournaments in Florida before taking part in a higher level Challenger event. Above that again is the ATP circuit and ultimately the Grand Slam events. The grind tests more than tennis ability and regardless of his performance last week at Riverview, Irish hopes are already resting on Clarke's young shoulders.
