1997 HIGHLIGHTS Prize money: $75,039 Matches won-lost: Tour: 6-5 (singles), 0-0 (doubles) Challenger: 6-4 (singles), 0-1 (doubles) Singles Quarterfinalist: Bournemouth.

1997 IN REVIEW

Enjoyed best year of career...Finished No. 138 despite a severe knee injury that kept him off the Tour in 1996 and beginning the year without an ATP Tour Ranking...In Antwerp in February, returned to tennis for first time since September 1995 and, after qualifying, reached 2nd RD...Played in April in Prague and again reached 2nd RD...Qualified at Wimbledon and reached 3rd RD (l. to Rafter in four sets) in first Grand Slam...In July, won his second career Challenger title in Portschach (d. Perlant)...Defeated Squillari and Santoro to reach first Tour QF in Bournemouth (l. to Mantilla) in September...In first Davis Cup appearance since 1994, won decisive match in five sets vs. Roux to clinch Belgium's return to World Group play in 1998...Earned a career-high $75,039.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

1992 - Advanced to SF at Liege Challenger...1993 - Finished runner-up at Belgium Satellite (34 points) and sixth at Caribbean #1 Satellite (21 points)...Reached QF at Scheveningen Challenger...1994 - Won first Challenger title in Nagoya (d. Paes) and as a qualifer, advanced to SF in first ATP Tour event in San Marino, defeating No. 27 Larsson en route...Also a QF at Garmisch, Ostend and Tampere Challengers... Made Davis Cup in World Group playoff tie and lost both matches to Israel's Mansdorf and Bloom...1995 - Played entirely on Challenger level, reaching SF in Ostende and QF in Hamburg and Malta...Played last event in September before missing entire next season with knee injury. GRAND SLAM RECORD CAREER97 WIMBLEDON2-1 3RD

PERSONAL

Won the European Junior Championships in 1992 and the Belgian National Championships in 1994...Enjoys soccer, fishing and going to concerts... Childhood hero was Sylvester Stallone...Made Davis Cup debut in 1994 and has 1-2 career record in two ties...Missed the final three months of 1995 and the entire 1996 season because of a left knee injury (underwent surgery on Feb. 10, 1996)...Doctors removed 40 percent of bad tendon in his knee and doubted he would ever be able to play competively again...Won the Belgian national championship in July 1997 (d. Fontaine)...Coached by Steve Cornellessen since October 1997.