1998 IN REVIEW

The veteran South African compiled his best results in Challenger level play, winning Budapest-1...Finished with his lowest ATP Tour Ranking since 1990 and struggled in Tour competition, winning two of 13 matches...His two Tour victories came during North American summer hardcourt circuit, defeating Eyal Ran in Washington and Steve Campbell in Cincinnati...In doubles, went 3-3 in Challenger finals, winning in Venice, Brest and Las Vegas while finishing runner-up in Magdeburg and Edinburgh and Kosice...Finished No. 69 in doubles.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

1989-Won Durban Challenger (d. Colombini)...1990-Reached 2nd RD in three Tour stops...1991-Won Azores Challenger...In Tour play, qualified five times...Won doubles title at Salerno Challenger (w/Pereira)...1992-Reached first Tour final in Cologne...1993-Reached final in Scottsdale and followed with SF in Key Biscayne (d. Chang and Stich)...Doubles finalist in Philadelphia (w/Pearce) and Durban (w/De Beer)...1994-In Davis Cup, helped his country qualify into the World Group for first time since 1978...1995-QF in Newport and Los Angeles along with a 3rd RD performance at the U.S. Open...In doubles, QF at Australian Open (w/Stafford)...1996-Reached Tel Aviv final (l. to J. Sanchez) for third career final...Reached 4th RD of Australian Open for best Grand Slam performance, losing to Courier in five sets...Scored decisive point in South Africa's 3-2 Davis Cup win over Austria, beating Schaller in fifth rubber...Victory over Ivanisevic in 1st RD of Olympics...In doubles, won first ATP Tour title in Auckland (w/Waite) and won consecutive titles in Palermo(w/A. Kratzmann) and Tel Aviv (w/Stafford)...1997-Reached Tour singles SF in Auckland (d. No. 11 Rios) and Bournemouth and at Brest Challenger...In doubles, captured his fourth career Tour title in Long Island (w/Prinosil). CAREER FINALIST (3): 1992-Cologne; 1993-Scottsdale; 1996-Tel Aviv. CAREER DOUBLES TITLES (4). FINALIST (2). GRAND SLAM RECORD CAREER9897969594939291 AUS. OPEN6-61ST1ST4TH3RD2ND1ST- - FRENCH OPEN4-6 -2ND1ST1ST1ST2ND- 3RD WIMBLEDON 3-6 -2ND1ST1ST2ND2ND1ST- US OPEN 5-71ST 2ND1ST3RD3RD1ST- 1ST * 1993 Australian Open doubles semifinalist (w/de Jager).

PERSONAL

Parents are from the former Czechoslovakia but moved to Vienna then South Africa...Speaks four languages (Czech, German, English and Afrikaans)...Has a 13-7 career Davis Cup record (12-7 in singles) in 11 ties...Played in Atlanta Olympics and reached the second round in singles (d. Ivanisevic)...Participated in Nelson Mandela Tribute tournament in Cape Town, South Africa in December 1997.