2000 IN REVIEW
The No. 5 German improved his year-end ranking for a sixth consecutive season and broke into Top 100 following solid play on ATP circuit that saw him reach first career finals...Began year by reaching first ever ATP final in Chennai with SF win over No. 2 seed Pioline before losing to Golmard in three sets...Jumped to 5th position in ATP Champions Race as a result...At end of January reached SF at Heilbronn Challenger in native Germany...In Latin American clay court circuit, reached QF in Mexico City, losing to eventual champion Chela, and Bogota (l. to Kuerten)...Reached 2nd RD at Roland Garros for second consecutive year, beating countryman Prinosil in 1st RD before losing in five sets to Hewitt...Went 1-5 through grass court season and rest of June and July...Reached second ATP final of year in Bucharest, dropping only one set en route in QF victory over A. Martin, lost to Balcells in final set tie-break (after holding two match points)...Went 2-5 in next five ATP events...Compiled records of 13-10 on clay and 5-8 on hard...Earned career-high $215,517.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
1995-Played in four Satellites and picked up 18 points...1996-Played in seven Satellites and picked up 17 points at German #2 circuit, 14 points at Slovakia circuit...1997-Played six of nine Challengers in Germany, reaching QF in Weiden, Eisenach and Newmunster...Finished fourth at Belarus/Russia Satellite (20 points) and Switzerland #1 Satellite (13 points)...In doubles, reached final in Neumunster (w/Burgsmuller)...1998-Advanced to first Challenger final in Dresden (l. to Dier)...Also reached QF at Jerusalem, Furth and Braunschweig and Scheveningen...Compiled 24-24 record in Challenger play...Lone tour appearance was in Tashkent where he lost to countryman Braasch in 1st RD...1999-Compiled consistent Challenger results (22-18 record) and made breakthrough at ATP level...Won first career Challenger title in Magdeburg (d. Pretzsch)...Won first ATP match over Ivanisevic in 1st RD in Prague...Qualified for first career Grand Slam at Roland Garros (d. Voltchkov, l. to Gaudenzi).
PERSONAL
Full name is Markus Ferdinand Hantschk...Began playing tennis at age nine with his parents, Alfred, who is an electrical engineer, and Karin, who is a housewife...Has one older brother, Alfred...As a youngster, played table tennis but quit at age 13 and ranked as No. 3 player in Bavaria at the same time he was No. 4 in tennis...During his junior career, won Bavarian championships and reached singles and doubles finals of German championships in 1995...Enjoys Formula I racing and reading car magazines...Considers forehand as best shot and clay and slow hard courts as favorite surface...Coached by his brother Alfred.
