Power of Caring
  presented by Cigna

Posted: Tue January 20, 1998 at 3:25 PM ET

No. 1. Pete Sampras, United States

Age: 27 
Height: 6-foot-1 
Weight: 170 
Plays: Right-handed 
Career Titles: 52

Two-time Australian Open champion (1994, '97) finished season as the top-ranked player in the world for a record-tying fifth straight season, joining Jimmy Connors (1974-78) as the only players to accomplish the feat; can match idol Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg with 11 Grand Slam titles and move within one of Roy Emerson's record of 12; has compiled a 30-5 lifetime record in Melbourne, also reaching the final in 1995; went 8-0 in finals in 1997, including Wimbledon and the season-ending ATP World Championship; pulled left calf muscle in the Davis Cup final as the United States was swept by Sweden; owns 30 career hardcourt titles

No. 2. Patrick Rafter, Australia

Age: 25 
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 175 
Plays: Right-handed 
Career Titles: 2

Won his first Grand Slam title last August at the U.S. Open; also reached the semifinals of the French Open; has split 12 matches lifetime at the Australian Open, losing in the opening round last year; won first six matches this season before losing in the semifinals of the Sydney International; won a career-high 65 matches in 1997 and advanced to seven finals; finished last season ranked No. 2 in the world, the first Australian to finish in the top five in the rankings since John Newcombe was ranked second in 1974.

No. 3. Michael Chang, United States

Age: 25 
Height: 5-foot-9
Weight: 150 
Plays: Right-handed 
Career Titles: 31

Has reached at least the semifinal round of the Australian Open the last three years, advancing to the final in 1996; has compiled a 19-5 record at Melbourne; ended 1997 mired in a slump, losing seven of his last eight matches, including two losses in the Davis Cup final sweep by Sweden; won five titles in 1997, but did not win a title after July; compiled a 57-21 record last season, including a 44-10 record on hard courts, his favorite surface; has 18 career hardcourt titles.

No. 4. Jonas Bjorkman, Sweden

Age: 25 
Height: 6-foot 
Weight: 166 
Plays: Right-handed 
Career Titles: 3

Had a breakout year in 1997, winning an ATP Tour-high 69 matches and finishing a career-high fourth; also led his country to the Davis Cup title, sweeping the United States in the final; captured his first three career singles titles last season, prevailing in Auckland, New Zealand, Indianapolis and Stockholm, Sweden; advanced to his first career Grand Slam semifinal at the U.S. Open; has started off slow this season, winning just one of three matches, including a first-round loss in Sydney; has won nine of 13 matches at Melbourne, reaching the fourth round the last two years.

No. 5. Greg Rusedski, Great Britain

Age: 24 
Height: 6-foot-4 
Weight: 190 
Plays: Left-handed 
Career Titles: 5

Hard-serving Brit reached his first career Grand Slam final at the U.S. Open, losing to Patrick Rafter; appeared in six finals in 1997, winning in Nottingham, England, and Basel, Switzerland; also reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and became the first British player to qualify for the season-ending ATP World Championship; fired the fastest serve ever recorded -- 143 mph -- at the U.S. Open; finished last season ranked sixth in the world; has not fared well at the Australian Open, suffering three first-round losses in the last four years; improved backhand and return now complement booming serve.

No. 6. Petr Korda, Czech Republic

Age: 29
Height: 6-foot
Weight: 160 
Plays: Left-handed 
Career Titles: 9

Plagued by injuries throughout his career, picked up his lone singles title of 1997 in Stuttgart, Germany, in October and appeared in four finals overall; stopped Pete Sampras in his quest for a fifth U.S. Open title with a fourth-round victory; finished 1997 ranked No. 13 in the world; started off 1998 by winning the Qatar Open in Doha; good hardcourt player with five of nine career singles titles coming on the surface; has split 16 matches at the Australian Open, including first-round losses three of the last four years; best finish of Grand Slam career came at 1992 French Open where he lost to Jim Courier in the final.

No. 7. Carlos Moya, Spain

Age: 21 
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 177 
Plays: Right-handed 
Career Titles: 3

Was a surprise finalist at last year's Australian Open, losing in straight sets to Pete Sampras; reached a career-high six finals in 1997 and finished the season ranked No. 7 in the world; won his only title of the year on Long Island; also qualified for the ATP World Championship for the first time; has struggled at the start of the season, losing all four of his hardcourt matches, including a first-round loss in Sydney; lost in the first round in 1996 in his Australian Open debut.

8. Thomas Muster, Austria

Age: 30 
Height: 5'11' 
Weight: 165 
Plays: Left-handed 
Career Titles: 44 

Former 'King of Clay' had finest hardcourt season of his career in 1997, going 29-8 (46-24 overall) with wins at Dubai and the two-week Lipton Championships; reached semifinals of last year's Australian Open before losing to Pete Sampras; has won 23 of 32 matches lifetime at Melbourne, also reaching the semifinals in 1989; finished 1997 ranked ninth in the world, his third straight top-10 finish.

9. Marcelo Rios, Chile

Age: 22 
Height: 5'8'
Weight: 140 
Plays: Left-handed 
Career Titles: 6 

Talented left-hander is fresh off a victory at the BellSouth Open in Auckland, New Zealand, his sixth career singles title; advanced to five finals in 1997, capturing his first career Super 9 title in Monte Carlo; reached the quarterfinals of three of the four Grand Slam tournaments, including last year's Australian Open; first-ever player from his country to be ranked in the Top 10; number one junior player in the world in 1993 and winner of 1993 U.S. Open Junior singles title.

10. Sergi Bruguera, Spain

Age: 27 
Height: 6'2'
Weight: 167 
Plays: Right-handed 
Career Titles: 14 

Two-time French Open champion still seeking his first singles title in three years; bounced back from injuries in 1995 and '96 to reach last year's French Open final, as well as Milan, Key Biscayne on the hardcourt and Umag, Croatia; finished 1997 ranked eighth in the world, his third career top-10 finish; has won six of 10 matches at the Australian Open, reaching the fourth round in 1993 and the third round last year after a three-year absence; has dropped opening-round matches in Doha, Qatar and Sydney, both on the hard surface.

11. Alex Corretja, Spain

Age: 23 
Height: 5'11'
Weight: 155 
Plays: Right-handed 
Career Titles: 5 

Won claycourt events in Estoril, Portugal; Rome and Stuttgart, Germany last year and was a finalist at Monte Carlo and Munich; finished last season ranked 12th in the world, his best season-ending ranking; has lost in the second round at the Australian Open the last two years; advanced to the fourth round at the French Open and did not play Wimbledon or the U.S. Open; lost epic five-set battle to eventual champion Pete Sampras in the quarterfinals of the 1996 U.S. Open.

12. Gustavo Kuerten, Brazil

Age: 21 
Height: 6'3' 
Weight: 180 
Plays: Right-handed 
Career Titles: 1 

Entered the French Open as an unknown and emerged as the first Brazilian man to win a Grand Slam title; defeated defending champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov, former champion Thomas Muster and two-time champ Sergi Bruguera en route to the title; avoided a letdown and came back the following week to make the final in Bologna, Italy; advanced to the second round in his Australian Open debut; reached the final in Montreal on the hardcourt and advanced to the third round in his U.S. Open debut.

13. Goran Ivanisevic, Croatia

Age: 26
Height: 6'4' 
Weight: 180 
Plays: Left-handed 
Career Titles: 19 

Hard-serving lefty won three titles in 1997, but finished the season ranked 15th, his lowest season-ending ranking since 1991; compiled a 55-23 season record, including a 22-13 record on hardcourts; after reaching the quarterfinals at last year's Australian Open, lost in the first round at the French Open, the second round at Wimbledon and the first round at the U.S. Open; reached the semifinals in Doha, Qatar last week; has never won an event on North American soil.

14. Felix Mantilla, Spain

Age: 23 
Height: 5'10' 
Weight: 162 
Plays: Right-handed 
Career Titles: 5 

A surprise quarterfinalist last year in his Australian Open debut; won four titles in 1997, all on clay, and has five career singles titles; finished the season ranked 16th in the world; advanced to the fourth round of the U.S. Open; coming off a semifinal showing at the BellSouth Open in Auckland, New Zealand.

15. Mark Philippoussis, Australia

Age: 21 
Height: 6'4' 
Weight: 202 
Plays: Right-handed 
Career Titles: 4

One of the hardest servers in tennis captured three singles titles on three different surfaces in 1997 and advanced to the final of two hardcourt tournaments; one year after upsetting Pete Sampras in the third round of the 1996 Australian Open, missed last year's event with tendinitis in his arm; lost in the fourth and first round at the French Open and Wimbledon, respectively, and reached the third round at the U.S. Open; has been hampered by shoulder problems recently but warmed up for the Australian Open by winning the Colonial Classic exhibition event in Australia.

16. Albert Costa, Spain

Age: 22 
Height: 5'11'
Weight: 163 
Plays: Right-handed 
Career Titles: 5

Clay-courter was a surprise quarterfinalist at last year's Australian Open, losing to eventual champion Pete Sampras; also played well on the summer hardcourt circuit, reaching the semifinals at Cincinnati and Boston before losing in the first round at the U.S. Open; won claycourt tournaments in Barcelona and Marbella, Spain and finished 1997 ranked 19th in the world; advanced to the second round in 1996 in his Australian Open debut; named 1994 ATP Tour Newcomer of the Year.

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