But he hasn't always had the kind of fun he's having now.

Battling illness and mental fatigue in Argentina during the Pan American Games this March, he said he was ready to hang it up and rest for a few months before beginning preparations for the 1996 Olympics. He sounded drained, physically, mentally and emotionally.

Butler didn't take much time off, but he has bounced back quickly from that low point.

Even though the U.S. Olympic Festival this week makes three tournaments in three weeks for Butler, he said he's having more fun than he's had in years. It's no coincidence that he's also playing some of the best table tennis of his life.

``I haven't had this much fun since I broke through and started winning tournaments,'' Butler said. ``I've turned things around since the Pan Am Games. I was in a slump for six months or so.`

The key for Butler was leaving Sweden to return home to Augusta.

``It was nice to get back to Augusta and to be home and be in America,'' he said.

The change in atmosphere paid off big time when Butler made the semifinals in the U.S. Open a few weeks ago. It was the first time an American had made the top four in the U.S. Open in about 10 years.

``I upset a few guys, beat some great players,'' said Butler, adding that the crowds in Anaheim, Calif., really charged him up. ``It was really exciting to do so well in an American tournament. It was the first time in my career that I felt that excited.''

He followed that by winning in the Detroit Open the next week.

``I'm very confident,'' he said. ``But I'm not overconfident. It's fun to be challenged. I accept loosing if I lose.

``A lot of it is mental. I'm strong, more positive. I'm taking a different approach now.''

Butler is also excited by the potential of the American team, which he says keeps getting stronger.

``Three of us are competitive in the world,'' he said. ``We're not at the level of the best, but we're around 10 to 20.

`I'm only 24 and the future is with some of the younger players and myself. I hope we can bring up some of the younger guys so that five or six years down the road we can start working our way up.''

Butler hopes to be an example for the rise in American table tennis He's ranked in the low 90s in the world, and hopes to move up to the top 20.

``That will encourage other people to work at it,'' Butler said. ``It said we (Americans) don't have the grass roots programs to develop top players. If I can do it, I can show everyone they can do it too.''

The next stop for Butler is the Table Tennis Team Cup in Atlanta August 10-13, another step on the road to the 1996 Olympics.