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 Short stay at the top? Struggling Kafelnikov may not be the ATP's No. 1 for long
Posted: Monday May 03, 1999 11:54 AM
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida (Ticker) -- It might not last long, and it might not have come at the best time, but Russia's Yevgeny Kafelnikov officially became the No. 1 player in men's tennis today. When Pete Sampras chose not to defend his AT&T Challenge title in Atlanta, Georgia last week, Kafelnikov was assured of becoming the 16th No. 1 player and the first Russian to hold the top spot since the ATP Tour rankings were established in 1973. Although Kafelnikov is now the No. 1 player, he has not been playing like one. The 25-year-old from Sochi has lost his last seven matches on the ATP Tour. His only wins since late February were a pair of Davis Cup singles matches that helped propel Russia past Germany into the quarterfinals.
After Kafelnikov's first-round loss to Richard Fromberg at the Czech Open last week, he complained of being tired and withdrew from this week's German Open with a viral infection. "I have finally achieved the objective I have wanted all my life," Kafelnikov said. "I'm not at my best at present, but I think that I merit to be No. 1. I won the Australian Open and have seen a super start of the season." Kafelnikov began 1999 strong, winning his second Grand Slam title in Melbourne and his 19th career singles crown in Rotterdam on February 21. But his tour losing streak began the next week when, after defeating Byron Black in the second round of the Guardian Direct Cup in London, Kafelnikov needed to beat Thomas Johansson of Sweden to claim the No. 1 ranking outright. He lost and has not been the same since. "I feel a little bit weak, mentally and physically tired," Kafelnikov said last week. "But that is the way it goes sometimes and I must look forward." Although slumping now, Kafelnikov has had some excellent results over the last 12 months. In addition to his Australian Open triumph and Rotterdam win, he earned titles at Halle, Germany and the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, Russia. Kafelnikov also was a finalist at Tashkent, Uzbekistan and the Eurocard Open at Stuttgart. He notched semifinal finishes in Cincinnati, New Haven, and Paris Indoors. Kafelnikov is one of only six players to have reached the top ranking with multiple Grand Slams in singles and doubles titles to his credit in the Open Era. He won the singles and doubles titles at the 1996 French Open, and the doubles titles in Paris and the U.S. Open in 1997. All three of his doubles crowns have come while paired with Daniel Vacek of the Czech Republic. That versatility had tennis experts tabbing Kafelnikov as a potential No. 1 since 1994. Along with his 20 singles titles, he has won 19 doubles crowns and is one of seven active players on tour to win singles titles on all four surfaces. Larry Stefanki, who took over as Kafelnikov's coach this year, is now the first man to guide two players to the top ranking. Stefanki was Marcelo Rios' coach when the Chilean was No. 1 for a total of four weeks in 1998. Kafelnikov's stay at the pinnacle of his sport could be short if Carlos Moya of Spain or Dutchman Richard Krajicek win the German Open with enough bonus points. Whoever is on top next week, Sampras is left three weeks shy of tying Ivan Lendl's all-time record of 270 weeks at No. 1. He returns to action, along with Kafelnikov, next week at the Italian Open in Rome.
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