MARIO AND MONO

When Mario Ancic sustained a serious case of mono that nearly ended his career last year, he knew he'd never be the same physically. Unfortunately for the Croat with the thunderous serve, imposing wingspan and tireless work ethic, a relapse came at the wrong time.

Ancic just reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, where a few grueling encounters didn't help, and was about to embark on one of the biggest events of the season, for him and a few others -- the Beijing Olympics.

Having felt sluggish in an opening-round loss at the Toronto Masters and having skipped the Cincinnati Masters in the summer as the fatigue intensified and the weight loss mounted, to about 15 pounds in total, the 24-year-old knew he couldn't go. 

Ancic, who teamed with veteran Ivan Ljubicic to win doubles bronze at the Athens Games four years ago, has missed six of the past nine Grand Slams, including three straight at the U.S. Open. The main culprit was mono, which first surfaced in January 2007, though knee and shoulder injuries also arose.

That semifinal showing at the All England Club (in 2004), downing Roger Federer on grass (in '02), clinching Croatia's maiden Davis Cup title in hostile surroundings (in '05) and rising to seventh in the rankings a year later all seem like a distant memory.

Ancic, down to No. 136 in January and back up to 31st now as the pendulum continues to swing, knows that, too.

Ancic is an intelligent character, earning his law degree in the spring, and thus is well aware another mono-induced setback might be around the corner.