REPUBLIC NATIONAL MONTE CARLO OPEN

April 21, 1999

Ivan Ljubicic

IVAN LJUBICIC: Well, what I felt in the match is that he played bad, to tell you the truth. But I make everything to make him play bad. He never get into the match, actually. It was easier than I was expecting. But I just play my game. He didn't find a way to get out of it. So it was a pretty quick match.

IVAN LJUBICIC: Well, I know that he played like two first rounds before this tournament. Of course, he wasn't like in confidence. I played with Cherkasov and Andrei Medvedev very definite before this match, which is pretty similar games. That's why I played, you know, I mean, easy. The quality of the ball is almost the same, so I didn't have a problem with that. So he play like three first rounds now, so it's not easy for him to get into the match.

IVAN LJUBICIC: I'm practicing here in this club.

IVAN LJUBICIC: Yeah. That's why I feel great actually, it's like playing at home. This is already two years, two winters actually that I practice here. I'm playing great. All my results I make in Croatia, because I'm from there. Now, I mean, I played excellent here. It's because I know. It's like playing at home, so it's a good feeling.

IVAN LJUBICIC: Because I'm practicing with Mr. Ricardo Piatti, which is Italian coach. He's official coach of ATP Tour, which is here, so we are practicing here in Monte-Carlo. The good thing is that we can play outdoor all year, even if winter, so we have hard court, we have clay court. I mean, it's pretty simple to practice while we are here.

IVAN LJUBICIC: Well, yeah, yeah, I have some help from Croatian Federation. Actually, I'm playing Davis Cup for them. They are helping a lot actually. They're trying to cover some of my expenses. But, I mean, when I played Juniors, they covered like everything. Now when I get out, I have to cover something by myself, something by them. But still, it's a big help.

IVAN LJUBICIC: Well, I born in Bosnia, so I get out in '92 when the war start and everything. I went -- my parents are Croatian, so I went in Rjeka actually is the name of the city in Croatia. Then I moved to Zagreb. In '93, I moved to Torino, which is Italian city. I practice there for two years and a half. Then I come back.

IVAN LJUBICIC: Yeah. He was there, but I didn't practice with him. I played in like the biggest club in Italy. All professional players practice there. Then I came back in '96 at home and I played like '96 juniors. I didn't practice so much. Then '97 I started to practice with Piatti, first in Como, in Italy, and then here.

IVAN LJUBICIC: Well, I had a lot of problems in Bosnia. I'm from there. I'm trying not following what's happen there in Kosovo because I'm really tired of those things. I mean, I know what is happening because that was ex-Yugoslavia. It's my ex-country. Well, I'm sorry. I mean, the war, it's not a way how to take care of things. I'm sorry about everything. But I try to forget everything and just play tennis and try to concentrate. I think I did it. I'm going forward. Those things, I mean, I cannot do anything about that. Yeah, I'm following a little bit, but not like someone else who is focused about that. I mean, I don't care too much about that.

IVAN LJUBICIC: Well, before this tournament, the schedule was qualification at Ljubljana, then home, then I would like to play Rome quallies, then French Open quallies, like four tournaments qualifications. Now I don't know what I'm going to do. If I have to play quallies, that's not important which tournaments I'm playing. Maybe I'm going to Munich next week or Prague. It really is not important anymore because I have to play quallies anyway. It's not a problem which tournaments. But French Open for sure and Rome I'll try, if I get in, in quallies.