1998 IN REVIEW
Won Challenger title in Heilbronn (d. Pozzi) followed by SF at Split Tour event (l. to eventual winner Ivanisevic), his best result of season...Two-week effort improved his ranking from No. 118 to a season-high No. 81 on Feb. 9...It was his first Top 100 ranking since April 7, 1996...In early March, advanced to QF at Lubeck Challenger...Did not win consecutive matches again for remainder of year, going 3-11 in Tour play and 1-6 in Challengers...Best result over stretch was a 2nd RD in Toulouse, where he lost to Clement in a third-set tibreaker...Compiled 5-3 record indoors while 3-11 outdoors.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
1988-Doubles winner at Furth and New Ulm Challengers and finalist at Munich Challenger (all w/Stich)...1989-Won German Satellite #2 (30 points)...Won doubles title (w/Stich) at German Satellite #1 and at Heilbronn and Salzburg Challengers...1990-Reached first career Tour SF in Berlin...Won Challenger titles in Pretoria (d. W. Ferreira) and Hanko (d. Olhovskiy)...1991-Reached final at Salzburg Challenger (l. to Rikl)...1992-Runner-up at Oberstaufen Challenger (l. to Valeri)...1993-Because of injuries, limited to eight Challengers...1994-Won Sofia (d. Aramburu) and Montauban (d. Gauthier) Challengers...In doubles, won titles at Bombay (w/Zumpft) and Montauban (w/Winnink) Challengers...1995-Won two ATP Tour singles titles (Copenhagen, Johannesburg) to move to a career-high No. 42 in May...In doubles, won Wolfsburg (w/Winnink) and Hamburg (w/Prinosil) Challengers...1996-Reached QF in Copenhagen (d. Roux, Siemerink) and SF at Heilbronn Challenger...Injured right patella tendon in Copenhagen and missed the next three months, undergoing arthroscopic surgery...Returned to form in ATP Tour event in Singapore, beating Carlsen and Woodforde before losing to eventual winner Stark in QF...1997-Best ATP Tour result of season was QF in Munich (l. to Corretja)...Played on Germany's Peugeot ATP Tour World Team Championship squad and beat Magnus Larsson in singles (went 0-3 in doubles).
CAREER TITLES (2): 1995-Copenhagen, Johannesburg.
CAREER DOUBLES FINALIST (1).
GRAND SLAM RECORD
CAREER9897969591
AUS. OPEN1-2 --2ND- 1ST
FRENCH OPEN0-21ST --1ST-
WIMBLEDON0-31ST 1ST-1ST-
US OPEN0-1 ---1ST-
PERSONAL
Likes playing on fast surfaces...Enjoys hard rock and reggae music and likes going on holidays to Caribbean...Tore ligaments in left ankle while playing soccer in October 1989 and underwent surgery...Had ankle pain in 1990-91 before undergoing another operation in October 1991...Didn't play for nine months before returning in June 1992...Still bothered by injury and went to 15 doctors before finally undergoing another operation in March 1993 to repair ligament...Returned to play in five Challengers that year but did not regain full strength until 1994. After retiring from the international circuit in 2000, worked with German juniors in Stuttgart including Michael Berrer. Still competes on the German national circuit with a very successful (four titles) year in 2005. Wife, Monika. Technical Director of the Venice Tennis Academy at the Green Garden Sporting Club in Mestre (Venice), Italy, as well as the assistant coach of the Kazakhstan Davis Cup Team.
