Mark McCormack, the man who organised Monica's comeback in 1995, died
on Friday aged 72. Ironically this was two days after the fifth
anniversary of the death of Monica's father Karolj. Mark had been in a
coma since suffering a heart-attack in January.

Chapter 41 of Monica: From Fear to Victory tells the story of how Mark
helped Monica to play professional tennis again. Monica went to Mark
in early 1995 because he was "really good at rolling up his sleeves
and figuring out situations."

"Monica, I'd love to accept the challenge of sorting out your problems
and getting you back into the game," Mark said with a smile. It was
Mark who suggested that Monica start with an exhibition, Mark who
decided it should be in July 1995, and Mark who suggested Martina
Navratilova as the opponent.

Mark was there at Monica's comeback match in Atlantic City. He was
there when she won the 1996 Australian Open.

It was Mark who founded the International Management Group (IMG). He
represented a number of tennis-players of both genders. He has been
called "the most powerful man in sport".

Mark married Betsy Nagelsen, a former professional tennis-player who
was (at the time Monica wrote her autobiography) the only player with
whom Monica had a "true friendship".

As recounted in Chapter 32 of Monica: From Fear to Victory, Monica's
first match since the stabbing was a doubles-match in Betsy's
backyard, sometime in 1994: Monica and Mark verses Karolj and Betsy.
It was a close match, won in the end by Monica and Mark.

I like to think that Karolj and Mark now play the new tennis in the
kingdom of Heaven.

--
Andrew Broad
http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/~broada/
http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/~broada/tennis/
http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/~broada/tennis/seles/