DAVIS CUP SEMIFINALS: SWEDEN v USA

September 22, 1995

Carl-Axe Hageskog

Mats Wilander

MATS WILANDER: Last two sets, yeah, first set I was playing a little bit better than the last two sets, and he obviously wasn't playing as well in the first set; that is Davis Cup. That is playing at home - I guess he was, I guess, a little bit nervous and if I could win the first set; then the match is completely different and I am not really upset about losing, but I am upset about not winning the first set because it is going to change the match completely. If I could win that -- he might blow -- beat me 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 after that, that is possible. That is just too good. But I made it too easy for him now not winning the first set.

CAPTAIN HAGESKOG: It is going to be difficult, but tomorrow we have a doubles match which I think we have a good chance to win and one year ago we had the same situation in Gothenburg and, yeah...

MATS WILANDER: No. I didn't, no.

CAPTAIN HAGESKOG: It is difficult to answer. The situation was that Stefan had a cold for a few days and we are playing over three days in this heat and Mats has been playing very good as you saw in the first set today. So I can't really answer that question.

CAPTAIN HAGESKOG: I saw in the U.S. Open that Stefan was winning against Agassi 6-1, in one set, if you count from Agassi was leading in the first set to 3-Love in the second. You had 35 minutes where Stefan was playing very well and actually beat Andre and we thought with practice; if Stefan is very fit, if we can prolong that time, perhaps we have a chance.

MATS WILANDER: No, I didn't. No. I think that after -- well, if you lose a set in a tiebreaker; if you feel like there is no way to win the match; then something is seriously wrong. That just proved to me I am in the match; he is not too good for me to beat him and no, you just have to dig down. The thing that happened, he suddenly realized or I think he now has a set or two to play with because he is up a set, so he can play bad in the set and still be one set-all; then it is a 2 out of 3 set match left. For me, suddenly, I don't have any sets to play with. I got to win the next one, and so it is a lot easier to play in his situation. If I win the first set, then he is not going to be going for as many winners as he did after in the second and the third set, so it changed it completely, but I think it was just proof that there is a chance. I served for the set and I had mini break in the breaker, so I think losing the first set is just a matter of bad luck, I think. After that, he was too good.

MATS WILANDER: My Captain told me at 5-4, I said, what should have I done. He said you should have hit two aces at that stage.

MATS WILANDER: Can't do that. You try to work with the tools you have. I mean, you try and play your best point at the most important part of the match. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. You just got to play your best game. I think that is all you can ask for.