1996 Power Ranking: 1
Player: Pete Сампрас
ATP Tour Ranking: 1
ATP Titles: 7
Grand Slams: Открытый чемпионат США winner, Открытый чемпионат Франции semifinalist, Уимблдон quarterfinalist
Overall Record: 65-11

Comments: For the second season in a row, Сампрас turned it on during the second half of the year to salvage what appeared to be a sub-par 12 months. With the death of his coach, Tim Gullikson, upsetting his focus through Уимблдон, Сампрас stayed above water long enough to make a resounding statement by capturing the Открытый чемпионат США и ATP Чемпионат: "I'm still the man." No one will dispute him.

1997 Prognosis: Watch out, world! With the emotional weight of the two-year struggle involving Gullikson behind him, Сампрас embarks on a quest that he alone seeks: Securing the "title" of Greatest Player of All-Time. Сампрас knows the window of opportunity doesn't stay open forever. He must make his big push now.

1996 Power Ranking: 2
Player: Boris Becker
ATP Tour Ranking: 6
ATP Titles: 3
Grand Slams: Australian Open winner
Overall Record: 42-14

Comments: A book-end year for Boom Boom. He looked great in winning the season opener in Melbourne, dominating Michael Chang in the final, then all but disappeared as he struggled with injuries. His wonderful play indoors this fall и winter, including his run to the final of the ATP Чемпионат, pushed him past all but Сампрас among the four "one Slam" contemporaries.

1997 Prognosis: He'll be tough to beat Down Under next month, though the prospect of hitting the wall, emotionally и physically, Май be there. Can he continue to reach deep down over и over again? I counted him out once; I won't make that same mistake again.

1996 Power Ranking: 3
Player: Yevgeny Kafelnikov
ATP Tour Ranking: 3
ATP Titles: 3
Grand Slams: Открытый чемпионат Франции winner, Australian Open quarterfinalist
Overall Record: 80-25

Comments: Despite the breakthrough win in Париж, Kafelnikov did little to dismiss talk that he's a player of unquestionable ability hampered by a suspect attitude. He got waxed by Becker in Австралия, he fell in the first round at Уимблдон, then pulled out of the Открытый чемпионат США, supposedly to protest his low seeding. A champion would have barked at the USTA и then proceeded to kick some booty on the courts.

1997 Prognosis: He'll have to win more than whine in 1997 to retain such a high Power Ranking. There's no reason he can't compete with the best on hard courts, и he's just as likely to sneak a Slam in Melbourne as he is repeat in Париж.

1996 Power Ranking: 4
Player: Michael Chang
ATP Tour Ranking: 2
ATP Titles: 3
Grand Slams: Australian и Открытый чемпионат США finalist
Overall Record: 65-19

Comments: Will Chang ever shed his bridesmaid label? The tenth anniversary of his 1989 Открытый чемпионат Франции triumph is fast approaching, и he's yet to crack back into the Grand Slam winner's circle. But you can't fault him for trying. He revamped his game, he clawed his way into two 1996 Slam Финалы (Australian и Открытый чемпионат СШАs) и posted a killer .774 winning percentage, second only to Сампрас' .855.

1997 Prognosis: Not bad, if he can avoid Сампрас. He's lost nine of his last 10 showdowns with Pistol Pete. Also, Muster owns him on clay. и he's little threat on grass unless he strengthens his return of serve. Uh-oh....

1996 Power Ranking: 5
Player: Richard Krajicek
ATP Tour Ranking: 7
ATP Titles: 0
Grand Slams: Уимблдон winner, Открытый чемпионат Франции quarterfinalist
Overall Record: 46-28

Comments: Like Kafelnikov, Krajicek had a hot two weeks when it mattered most, but the rest of the season solidified his reputation as a enigmatic talent. Уимблдон has crowned its fair share of one-shot wonders, but Krajicek Май go down in history as one of its biggest underachievers. He was invincible during the London fortnight, yet couldn't win a single other event in 1996.

1997 Prognosis: He'd better be fit и focused from the get-go. He needs to return to Уимблдон with a title or two under his belt, rebuilding his confidence и reputation along the way, or he'll face a host of cocky opponents when he returns to Уимблдон. The pressure to repeat or be forgotten will be overwhelming.

1996 Power Ranking: 6
Player: Goran Ivanisevic
ATP Tour Ranking: 4
ATP Titles: 5
Grand Slams: Открытый чемпионат США semifinalist, Уимблдон quarterfinalist
Overall Record: 77-26

Comments: A man in search of a major. For Ivo, a fairly consistent season, with a handful of titles и some solid play at the two final Grand Slam events. He Май have been the second best player at Flushing Meadow, but he ran into a determined Сампрас in the Полуфиналы.

1997 Prognosis: Literally, a loose cannon. Dangerous when lit. The top players don't want to play him at a Grand Slam, from Сампрас on down. But one must wonder if Goran's head is as messed up as that Bam-Bam hairdo he was sporting this winter.

1996 Power Ranking: 7
Player: Thomas Muster
ATP Tour Ranking: 5
ATP Titles: 7
Grand Slams: Открытый чемпионат США quarterfinalist
Overall Record: 68-20

Comments: This is the third player who fits this Профиль: One magical moment (his ascension to the No. 1 ranking in Март и Апрель) surrounded by disappointment. Sure, he won seven clay court events, astonishing to everyone except Muster himself, but he faltered at the Открытый чемпионат Франции, the tourney that crowns clay's champion for the season.

1997 Prognosis: He'll continue to be the warrior on clay, forgetting the controversy which surrounded his No. 1 ranking. All his focus will be on winning in Париж, so he'll return to his clay-friendly schedule of 1995 и pray for rain to keep the courts slow at Роланд Гаррос.

1996 Рейтинг сильнейших: 8
Players: Michael Stich & MaliVai Washington
ATP Tour Rankings: 16 (Stich) & 20 (Washington)
ATP Titles: 1 each
Grand Slams: Открытый чемпионат Франции finalist (Stich) & Уимблдон finalist (Washington)
Overall Record: 25-14 (Stich) & 33-24 (Washington)

Comments: These two players crack the top ten Рейтинг сильнейших for one reason и one reason alone: They both overachieved considerably to reach a 1996 Grand Slam final. Stich played masterfully in Париж, bouncing back from injury with a spring in his step и a fairly friendly attitude. No former Уимблдон champ has gotten this close to winning the French since Stefan Edberg in 1989. Washington played on the final day at Уимблдон despite his mediocre Grand Slam history и the fact that he brandishes a weaponless game--unless you count perseverance и concentration as a weapon.

1997 Prognosis: Stich's been in a Grand Slam winner's circle before, so he knows how difficult it is to return there. Washington got his first taste, и boy, would he like to bite back. Count on more consistent seasons next year, but no singular achievement to match their moments in the sun in 1996.

1996 Power Ranking: 10
Player: Андрэ Агасси
ATP Tour Ranking: 8
ATP Titles: 3
Grand Slams: Australian и Открытый чемпионат США semifinalist
Overall Record: 38-13

Comments: Follow the bouncing Андрэ--he's up, he's down, he's all around! Get used to it: Андрэ Агасси's career will be marked by peaks и valleys, и 1996 certainly was the latter. His two late-round losses at Grand Slams came at the hands of Michael Chang, a player who can't compare to Агасси in the talent department but comes prepared to play every single day. A bummer year was made worse when his girlfriend, Brooke Shields, elbowed into NBC's Thursday night TV fall lineup with the single most obnoxious sitcom on the tube.

1997 Prognosis: Агасси's always dangerous after tangling with mediocrity. One must wonder if Brad Gilbert will be able to reach into his bag of motivational tricks to help rescue Агасси again. Or Майbe there's a new guru on the horizon. Does Tony Robbins know anything about inside-out forehands? Enquiring minds want to know.

1996 Power Ranking: 1
Player: Steffi Graf
WTA Tour Ranking: 1
WTA Titles: 4
Grand Slams: Winner of French и Открытый чемпионат СШАs, и Уимблдон
Overall Record: 54-4

Comments: Hard to believe she could duplicate--almost down to the match--her amazing play in 1995. But Graf did it, winning all three Grand Slams that she entered и the season-ending tour championship. She's simply the best, now и in history.

1997 Prognosis: As usual, things don't look so good for Graf. She's still struggling with injuries и her father's criminal trial in Germany. But someone's got to step up и declare herself ready и able to do anything she can to knock Graf off her perch. Know anyone who fits that description?

1996 Power Ranking: 2
Player: Моника Селеш
WTA Tour Ranking: Co-No. 2
WTA Titles: 4
Grand Slams: Australian Open winner, Открытый чемпионат США finalist, Открытый чемпионат Франции quarterfinalist
Overall Record: 48-8

Comments: Face it: She's just not the same player she was prior to the stabbing. There's the nagging shoulder injury which Май threaten her career, but most upsetting in 1996 was her lack of willpower. Katarina Studenikova was cracking big-time during their match at Уимблдон, but Seles couldn't muster the strength to overcome her weakening opponent. Studenikova would have been toast the moment when she shed her first drip of nervous perspiration against the pre-attack Seles. Equally unnerving was her match against Graf at the Открытый чемпионат США. With dark crowds looming on the horizon, it was Seles who seemed intent on concluding the match before the rain temporarily halted it.

1997 Prognosis: Seles still Май be mentally recuperating from the attack. She also Май be playing in extreme physical pain. If she can heal physically, though, she Май be able to find the strength to fire up those competitive juices again. No one savored winning big matches more than Seles once did. If she rediscovers the need to win, the results will follow.

1996 Power Ranking: 3
Player: Arantxa Sanchez Vicario
WTA Tour Ranking: Co-No. 2
WTA Titles: 2
Grand Slams: Открытый чемпионат Франции и Уимблдон finalist, Australian Open quarterfinalist
Overall Record: 57-22

Comments: The Eveready player kept going и going, but failed for the second consecutive season to add another Grand Slam winner's trophy to her collection. She also showed less consistency this year, losing more early-round matches than usual at both minor и major events. You have to wonder what keeps driving her, though it's probably the hope that, like in 1994, the game's top duo will falter enough to allow her to sneak away with a major title or two.

1997 Prognosis: She'll be there, scrambling for a tournament win or two, playing in several Финалы, plenty of Полуфиналы и countless--and I do mean countless--matches. Майbe she's going to take a break from the game in 1997? After all, if... What am I saying? This woman never, ever stops.

1996 Power Ranking: 4
Player: Мартина Хингис
WTA Tour Ranking: 4
WTA Titles: 3
Grand Slams: Открытый чемпионат США semifinalist, Australian Open quarterfinalist
Overall Record: 51-16

Comments: What pushed Hingis past the Женщины behind her in the Рейтинг сильнейших was the Нью-Йорк City followup. After her well-documented и spirited run to the Открытый чемпионат США Полуфиналы, Hingis returned to the Big Apple in Ноябрь with a host of competitors anxious to knock her off her high horse. But she responded like a champion in the making, surging to the Chase Championship Финалы, where she fell in five sets--after falling with leg cramps--to Graf. She's beaten both Seles и Graf during the past two years. That's more than most of the Женщины can say.

1997 Prognosis: She's got everybody thinking, и on the Женщины tour, that's often enough to keep her on the upswing. She still can get overwhelmed by the game's power brokers at times, but the Мари Пьерсs и Anke Hubers tend to tighten up in big matches. That's when Hingis' strength--court smarts--can overcome raw power, и puts her on the short list of Grand Slam hopefuls in 1997.

1996 Power Ranking: 5
Player: Jana Novotna
WTA Tour Ranking: 3
WTA Titles: 4
Grand Slams: Открытый чемпионат Франции semifinalist, Уимблдон и Открытый чемпионат США quarterfinalist
Overall Record: 54-13

Comments: Novotna performed up to her own established high standards in 1996. She even beat both Graf и Seles during the season. Though the victory over Graf was at a warmup event prior to the WTA Tour championship, she beat Seles in a Big Event, the Открытый чемпионат Франции. (She also beat Seles at the Olympics, but that tournament, like the Grand Slam Cup, still feels like an exhibition to me.) Solid, just not spectacular.

1997 Prognosis: As David Byrne of The Talking Heads once muttered: Same As It Ever Was. Novotna Май not be as consistent as Sanchez Vicario, but she's got a versatile athletic game which Май be ready to reap Grand Slam rewards in 1997.

1996 Power Ranking: 6
Player: Conchita Martinez
WTA Tour Ranking: 5
WTA Titles: 2
Grand Slams: French и Открытый чемпионат США semifinalist, Australian Open quarterfinalist
Overall Record: 51-18

Comments: Martinez hasn't quite gotten over her Уимблдон hangover. After winning that tournament in 1994, she reached the Полуфиналы at all four 1995 Grand Slams. This past year was pretty much status quo. She's capable of much more, but potential has a way of strangling a person sometimes.

1997 Prognosis: She needs a big win (i.e. a victory over Graf or Seles) to remember why she's playing this game. It can even be a minor event, but she needs to put it all on the line и go for broke. If she does that early in the season, she could be a threat in Париж и Уимблдон.

1996 Power Ranking: 7
Player: Anke Huber
WTA Tour Ranking: 6
WTA Titles: 3
Grand Slams: Australian Open finalist
Overall Record: 49-17

Comments: We tend to remember the most recent events, which in Huber's case were uninspired first-round losses at both the Открытый чемпионат США и WTA Tour Championship. But she started out the year with a bang, reaching her first ever Grand Slam final, и even won a tournament on grass, a surface she despises. Her performance in Melbourne alone, however, pushes her in front of the more consistent performers who follow.

1997 Prognosis: It doesn't look good for Huber. She faded miserably at the end of the season, и must get off to a good start in Melbourne or risk slipping out of the top ten. No longer the next Steffi, Huber now faces the prospect of facing the next Martina и other kids itching for their claim to fame.

1996 Рейтинг сильнейших: 8
Players: Amanda Coetzer
WTA Tour Rankings: 17
WTA Titles: 0
Grand Slams: Australian semifinalist, Открытый чемпионат США quarterfinalist
Overall Record: 33-24

Comments: Poor performances at the Grand Slams always have kept Coetzer out of the top ten (her highest career ranking is No. 12), but that's not the reason this year. She reached her first career Slam semifinal, beating Hingis along the way, и duplicated her previous career best by reaching the quarterФиналы of the Открытый чемпионат США. She's a grinder, и she's beginning to wear some of her less mentally stable opponents down.

1997 Prognosis: See David Bryne lyrics above.

1996 Power Ranking: 9
Player: Kimiko Date
WTA Tour Ranking: 8
WTA Titles: 2
Grand Slams: Уимблдон semifinalist
Overall Record: 38-13

Comments: A swan song season for the now retired Date, who reached the Уимблдон Полуфиналы where she proceeded to take a set off Graf. She was off the radar during the other Grand Slams, but she posted some decent wins at other events to earn her final spot in the Рейтинг сильнейших.

1997 Prognosis: I guarantee that Date will not win a match the entire year.

1996 Power Ranking: 10
Player: Линдсей Дэвенпорт
WTA Tour Ranking: 9
WTA Titles: 2
Grand Slams: Открытый чемпионат Франции quarterfinalist
Overall Record: 51-15

Comments: Давенпорт ekes into the Рейтинг сильнейших despite underachieving at the Grand Slam events. Her hot summer, though, demonstrates promise, и Давенпорт should be able to build on the confidence she showed at the Olympics (which she won) и other events.

1997 Prognosis: She's never reached a Grand Slam semifinal, a milestone she should be able to cross next season. I also fully expect she'll bypass Date и return to a higher spot in the 1997 Рейтинг сильнейших, an honor she's certain to be seeking all next year.