The Long Road of Evgenii Kafelnikov to the Top

Kafelnikov was born in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi in 1974. When he was a boy, his father ... (would/used to) make him jog around their building every day. The future tennis star ... (would/used to) jog zealously as he passed his own windows and then slow down once around the corner. His neighbours told his father, who then drove him out of the city and made him jog all the way back home.

He ... (has won/won) 19 tournaments and played in 31 finals. Twice he got the Russian national team into the Davis Cup finals.

In sports circles, Kafelnikov earned himself the nickname "Ironman" because of his insistence on playing in so many tournaments. These days, however, he is reducing the pressure: "I'm not 20 any more, and my physical condition ... (won 't/wouldn 7) allow me to participate in such a large number of tournaments. I ... (am going to/will) concentrate on the most important ones, and then we'll see."

Kafelnikov is known for his dislike of journalists and their prying questions. "I ... (am not going to/won't) tell the world about my private life," he says, "that's my principle."

Kafelnikov has a number of superstitions. If he thinks he ... (has found/found) a lucky color, then he wears nothing but that color. He also did not shave throughout the Australian tournament, as it is a Russian superstition not to shave before an important trial.

Kafelnikov ... (has made/made) more than $12 million in bonus money alone in his career; and with earnings of $642,000 in the past four months, he has made more than any other player this year.

He never loses hope and self-confidence. "I want to play, I want to win, I have enough motivation to go on," he says. "I want to be No. 1, and I ... (will/am going to) do everything I can to get there."

From: Russia Journal, 1999