Ailing Paradorn wants one more shot at the top

BANGKOK, Sep 5 (Reuters) Countless injuries and 10 gruelling years on the inbternational tennis circuit have taken their toll on Paradorn Srichaphan, although he insists he is not ready to throw in the towel just yet.

Knocking on the door of 30 and sliding rapidly down the rankings, Thailand's biggest sporting name admits his best days are behind him but he is itching to give it one last shot.

However, the 28-year-old is all too aware he has the steepest of mountains to climb if he wants to return to the top 10.

''I know I've already reached my best but it doesn't mean I can't do it again,'' Paradorn told Reuters in an interview.

''The world is moving on, players are getting better. It's a huge challenge but if my body allows me to, I can get back.'' The son of a former world top 10 junior player and a bank clerk who ditched his job to become a tennis coach, Paradorn turned professional in 1997 and rose to fame six years later when he became the first Asian player to crack the world top 10.

But today, he is a shadow of his former self, lacking his usual powerful physique and languishing outside the top 100 due to a persistent wrist injury. He has ruled out a return until next year.

He admits he was on the verge of calling time on his career when injury cost him his place in the top 50 for the first time in five years.

BIGGEST CHALLENGE ''At the start of the year I was close to quitting,'' he said.

''But I realised this would be my biggest challenge, to keep on going. Sometimes players come back really, really well. I thought it was a sign.'' ''Ball'', as he is known in Thailand, will give himself three more years before retiring, if his ailing body will allow it.

''I can't believe the things I used to do before, the shots I played, the moves I made,'' he said.

''I watch videos of myself three or four years ago to inspire me but and it's different now. My body just isn't responding.'' When he finally decides to call it a day, Paradorn is almost certain to maintain his celebrity status -- with a little help from his glamorous fiancee.

He sent the Bangkok paparazzi into overdrive when he was first spotted with 25-year-old Canadian former Miss Universe Natalie Glebova a year ago.

The couple's every move, from celebrity parties to shopping trips in Beverly Hills, is recorded by the media, while Glebova's face appears on billboards and buildings all over Bangkok.

The couple are now engaged and Paradorn says his eagerly-anticipated wedding in November at a plush Bangkok hotel, which players Tommy Haas and Nicholas Kiefer will attend, has taken his mind of his struggles on the court.

''We have a very good relationship, I'm living like a normal person now,'' said Paradorn, who once appeared on the cover of Time Magazine.

''Before, I thought tennis was everything, but it's just a vocation. It's my love, but there are other things in life.

''I know my body can go for another couple of years. If worst comes to worst, I'll stop, but it's not such a bad thing to have a normal life.'' REUTERS TB BST1518