April 13th, 1998

As Easter Weekend ends, I am preparing myself for my upcoming trip to Europe. After the Lipton Championship, I flew back home to Melbourne, Australia to see my mother, sister and friends. Fortunately, I was able to spend a week at home relaxing before returning to Florida. I am currently training on the red clay courts at Nick Bolletieri's Tennis Academy in
Bradenton.

  I returned to Bradenton last Tuesday, April 7th. My preparation for the upcoming European clay court season includes: practicing twice a day (once in the late morning and again in the afternoon), going to they gym after my second hit to do more conditioning work and maintaining my high-protein, low- fat diet.

  When I go to the gym, I usually do about 500 sit-ups (different variations to target the upper abs, lower abs and obliques), 20 minutes of interval bike training, some light-weight exercises to strengthen my shoulders and back followed by plenty of stretching.

  I will be arriving in Monte Carlo on Friday, April 17th. The Monte Carlo Open will be my firs  tournament of the year on European soil and marks the beginning of an eleven-week stay in Europe. Upon arriving in Monte Carlo, I will have three days to prepare before the start of the Monte Carlo Open on Monday, April 20th.

  I have a one-bedroom apartment in Monte Carlo, which is where I will be staying during the tournament. It is very rare for me not to stay in a hotel when I am playing in a tournament. In fact, the only tournaments throughout the whole year in which I am not staying in a hotel are: 1) Australian Open - stay at home with my family in Melbourne, 2) The Monte Carlo Open - stay at my apartment overlooking the port and 30 Queen's and Wimbledon - stay at a home that I rent near Wimbledon Village for 4 weeks.

  After Monte Carlo, I am playing the BMW Open in Munich, Germany, where I am the defending champion. Last year, I defeated Alex Corretja 6-4 in the third set to claim my first career claycourt title.

  Following Munich, there is the fourth Super 9 event of the year in Hamburg, Germany. Usually, I do not play this event because of the extremely cold weather conditions in Hamburg. This year I am again "leaning" towards not playing Hamburg, in which case I would
fly directly to Rome from Munich and have a week off.

  A week off from tournament competition does not mean vacation, however. Obviously, I will be practicing almost every day (I probably will have one day off to go shopping and sit by the pool) and going to the gym every day. I really like Rome a lot! The pizzas that you can order from room service in the hotel are excellent. After Rome, I will play in the World Team Cup in Dusseldorf, Germany. I enjoy the World Team Cup because it is a team competition. Last year, my teammates, Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge, and I reached the final before losing to Spain.

  The World Team Cup is good preparation for the year's second Grand Slam event, the French Open in Paris. By the time I arrive in Paris, I hope to be peaking both mentally and physically. The French Open is the ultimate test of physical endurance and mental strength and determination. In order to win seven "best of 5 set" matches on clay over a two-week period, one must be in excellent shape.

  After the French Open, I will be in London for four weeks. My schedule there goes: Queen's, week off, Wimbledon - weeks 1 and 2. After Wimbledon, I will be returning to Australia for about 3 weeks. I already have plans to go snowboarding when I return home!

That's all for now,

Thanks to all my fans on Athlete Direct for your   support!

  Mark