Mark: How have your recent struggles with injuries changed your outlook on tennis and your career?
MN: Of course it has, because it was a very serious injury. My focus has been to get back into shape and take it from there. I think I have many years of my best tennis ahead of me.
Tsang: After going through two career-threatening injuries, how do you deal with the stress and stay positive?
MN: It's tough. But you have to keep a perspective of life. You have a lot of time to think about your tennis career. I'm more mature now than I was before my hip injury. It was a very tough injury - I was on crutches for three months and during that period it was very hard. But I think I have my best tennis ahead of me and that's what really keeps me motivated an helps me keep positive. I want to prove to other people that I can come back from a serious injury like that.
Roxanne: What did you miss most about tennis when you were injured?
MN: The competition. Preparing for matches, winning titles, seeing my friends on the tour. Just the competition. You try to work every day to achieve goals and when you have a bad injury like that, you start to think differently. One thing I did think a lot about - and I think it's a good thing for anyone - that when you are healthy you have 100 goals you want to achieve. But when you're injured you just want one thing - that's to be healthy.
Eugene (Russia): How do you rate your chances of reaching the same heights that you did in 2000?
MN: At the moment, I'm not very close, but I'm getting closer and closer. I really played a very good match here in Monte Carlo against the Race leader (Johansson) and nearly beat him, so it's getting better.
Adam: To get back into the physical shape you need to be in to compete at the Tour level, what sort of off court training are you doing?
MN: At the beginning of my rehabilitation, I was doing a lot of work in the pool, running in the water because your body-to-body weight is different in the water, so I was jogging. I was doing that for three months, and then I was off the crutches I was just trying to walk. After a couple of weeks I was able to walk and then I started to run a little bit and doing more and more. In the last couple of months I've been doing a lot of sprints, a lot of running just to get the body parts and the muscles working. I've lost some muscles in my legs because I was not able to walk on it. It's tough to try and get back but it's a challenge. The muscles in the joints aren't as strong as they were, so there's been some inflammation and I'm working on it.
Evelyn (from Brazil): I'd like to know how do you feel now when you enter on court and start playing? I mean, do you feel as confident as you used to before undergoing surgery?
MN: The confidence isn't quite there at the moment because I haven't played as much as I would have liked and I haven't won many matches lately. But I'm working very hard and my confidence is starting to come back. I've been playing some good practice matches, but I would like to win some at the tournaments and start competing week-in, week-out and get where I want to be.
Rachel: What has been the most meaningful moment in your career?
MN: At the moment, I'm realizing that I want to be able to compete at the level where I want to be. Before, it was doubtful if I would be able to play again, I had pain all the time. But now, even though I lost the match against Thomas [Johansson], I think I played a good match and I had no pain at all after the match.
Isaac: How has your countryman (Thomas Johansson) winning the Australian Open changed your outlook on tennis?
MN: Not very much for myself, but I'm very, very happy for Thomas. We have known each other for a long time, we played against each other for the first time when we were eight or nine years old in Sweden. So I know how much he has gone through, how much he has had to suffer, how much he has been practising to win titles. So it hasn't changed so much for me, but I'm very happy for Thomas at the moment.
Ron: What are your goals, and which parts of your game are you working on to achieve them?
MN: At the moment, my goals are to play well at Roland Garros and the Tennis Masters Series events leading up to Roland Garros. My ranking has dropped to 145, so I'm trying to get a ranking which I can be happy with at the end of the year. And next year will be a big year for me, trying to get back into the rhythm again and trying to get back the ranking. I'm working a little bit on my speed - I'm moving very, very badly coming back from the injury, I'm moving very slowly on the court. So I'm working a lot on that.
Matthew (Sydney): What do you miss the most about being at home when you are travelling?
MN: Living a normal life, living in the same place all the time. When you're travelling every week, it's nice to be in one place for a long period of time. I actually did that while I was injured, I was in Monaco and Sweden. It's nice to be with your friends.
Catherine: Why did you choose tennis instead of bandy when both offers seemed promising when you were in your teens?
MN: It's an interesting question, there's a good story behind that. I was actually 14 when I got a letter from the Swedish Bandy Federation asking me to go and play the Junior World Championships in Russia, and on the very same day I got a letter from the Swedish Tennis Federation asking me to go the World Championships in Tennis at the Orange Bowl in Florida. So I chose Florida ahead of Russia and haven't had to regret that yet. It could have been a very different life!
Jonas: Why is Farjestad your favorite ice hockey team?
MN: Because I'm from that part of Sweden and I grew up watching their games. I know a lot of players in the team, so I support them very much.
Marnie: If you had step in the shoes of any other current male player, whom you would choose and why?
At the moment, Thomas Johansson because he's leading the Race and he's just won the Australian Open. Of all time, it would have to be Bjorn Borg - he's a big hero in Sweden.
Lots of people from England: Will we see you at Wimbledon this year?
MN: I hope I can go this year - it all depends on how the hip feels and whether the doctors say I can play on grass this season. I had to miss the hard court season in Indian Wells and Miami, and the doctors wanted me to stay on clay for at least a couple more months. But we will see. I really hope so. I like playing in London, even though I don't normally play so good there.
Source: TMS Monte Carlo