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Healthy and happy Norman reaches first Grand Slam semifinal
Posted: Wednesday January 26, 2000 11:18 AM
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- A little more than two years ago, Magnus Norman was recuperating from a five-hour heart operation -- his prospects as a tennis pro seemingly limited. But after reaching his first Grand Slam semifinal with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-1, 7-6 (7-4) quarterfinal triumph Wednesday over No. 4 seeded Nicolas Kiefer, the Swede said he was feeling on top of the world. "Everything is fine with my heart now, I just want to look forward," said the 23-year-old No. 12 seed. "I think I'm the happiest man on earth right now. Those were the hard times but right now I want to look forward to my next match." "I'm just very fortunate to actually play tennis because there was a time when things were not that good with my heart -- I was off for a while but I don't think it stopped my career." As an individual, he says reaching the semis at the Australian Open is his greatest achievement. "It's something that I never believed I could make in my career when I started playing tennis that I was actually going to be in a semifinal in a Grand Slam," he said. "It's huge ... I've no words for it." Norman meets defending titlist Yevgeny Kafelnikov in the semis on Friday and says he'll get some ideas on how to counter the Russian from some notes he made after his quarterfinal win in Long Island last August. "I had it written down in my personal diary, so I'm going to check it ... what I did wrong and what I didn't do wrong," he said. "He's a good player, he's also in great shape, so it's going to be a good match-up." Norman declined to reveal what he'd write about the Kiefer match, but after fighting back to save five break points in his opening service game in the second set, it's bound to be positive. Add that to his straight sets fourth-round win over Lleyton Hewitt, which ended the Australian's 13-match unbeaten stretch, and Norman is suddenly a contender. "I'm playing Kafelnikov now and on the other half [of the draw] it's [Pete] Sampras and [Andre] Agassi," Norman said. "So I mean, it's great names. The competition is tough, but I'm also pretty tough, so I'm going to try to hang in there for a few more days." His heart condition became public knowledge when he had to take a half-hour medical break during his Wimbledon debut in 1997 after suffering from heart pains. He consulted his doctor in Sweden by telephone and was advised to play on, and, after returning to court, beat Goran Ivanisevic. Although he was ousted in the third round there and decided to have surgery that December. Norman recovered in time to guide Sweden to Davis Cup triumph in 1998, which he says helped set him on a winning course. For his part, his five-hour, five-set win over Andrea Guadenza in the opening singles rubber still rates as "the greatest feeling I ever had." "If I wouldn't have played Davis Cup I think I wouldn't manage to handle the pressure out here as well as I did against Hewitt and also today -- it's taught me a lot," he said. That experience, he says, will be vital against the No. 2 seeded Kafelnikov.
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