He won no top-level titles, and his ranking sank to No. 141 on November 10, 1997, prompting many to believe that his run as one of the sport's premier competitors was over and he would never again win any significant tournaments.
hiː wˈʌn nˈoʊ tˈɑːplˈɛvəl tˈaɪɾəlz, ænd hɪz ɹˈæŋkɪŋ sˈæŋk tə nˈoʊ. wˈʌnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi wˈʌn ˌɔn noʊvˈɛmbɚ tˈɛn, nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti sˈɛvən, pɹˈɑːmptɪŋ mˈɛni tə bᵻlˈiːv ðæt hɪz ɹˈʌn æz wˈʌn ʌvðə spˈoːɹts pɹəmˈɪɹ kəmpˈɛɾɪɾɚz wʌz ˌoʊvɚ ænd hiː wʊd nˈɛvɚɹ ɐɡˈɛn wˈɪn ˌɛni sɪɡnˈɪfɪkənt tˈʊɹnəmənts.