MASON — Tommy Haas had neared tennis' summit, ranking No. 2 this spring. The world's top ranking was in sight. So close. It was hard not to obsess.

        Then the phone rang.

        His girlfriend, Sandy Meyer-Walden, was on the line, screaming hysterically. She had been driving in Sarasota, Fla., by an accident scene, and looked over to see Haas' parents lying on the pavement.

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        “My head just froze,” Haas said. “You don't really know how to describe those moments. You only have one set of parents.”

        The date was June 8. Haas' parents, Peter and Brigitte, were riding a motorcycle that had collided with a truck. Peter was in a coma for 2 weeks and nearly lost his right leg. He suffered a brain injury and has memory problems. Brigitte's injuries weren't life-threatening, but she has only recently resumed walking.

        Haas, a 24-year-old native of Germany, took seven weeks off to tend to his parents. They are now at a rehabilitation center in Germany. Haas returned to the tour two weeks ago, now ranked No.3, and must subsist on daily phone calls until he can rejoin his parents after the U.S. Open.

        “My dad is starting to talk again, but obviously not the way he used to, and he probably never will,” Haas said. “They're both alive, I thank God for that.”

        Haas was gratified by the support he received. Both the ATP and WTA tours sent flowers, as did many players. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a former classmate of Peter Haas' growing up in Austria, called Tommy several times.

        “I hate to lose, and (before the accident) sometimes I didn't want to talk to people for days,” Haas said. “I had thought, "Why am I so frustrated? It's just a tennis match.' Now it obviously puts other things in perspective. It really shows how much you care about your family.”

        Haas, who has finished in the top 50 each of the past five years, reunited with former coach David “Red” Ayme last July, and he went 32-8 the rest of the year. Haas is 31-14 this year but hasn't yet won in 2002.

        “The tennis is televised (in Germany), so I think that helps (his parents) to see their son is doing well, playing well,” Haas said.

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