DAVIS CUP - NETHERLANDS vs USA

April 4, 1997

Sjeng Schalken

Q How difficult were the wind conditions and how much did that affect your game?

SJENG SCHALKEN: Well, it affected my game, especially with my serve. I throw the ball high up and catch more wind if you throw the ball lower. Especially, if you have the pressure like Andre Agassi is at the other side of the net and he has big returns, so you need to serve very pressurefull. So that was an extra difficulty. And, yeah, well, we are both baseline players and well, of course it is hard to play really quick if there is a lot of circling wind all the time. It is not coming from one side, the wind was everywhere. And, yeah, I think he was better in those conditions. He just plays a little bit quicker, especially this game, he was always putting me on the pressure and I had to run a lot. I think the camera people, they didn't even see me too much, I was always outside the view, I was running so much. But, yeah, he pressured me all the time. But, normally, if I play a game, I am the one who will pressure somebody. So, it was really tough. It was kind of a little bit frustrating match.

SJENG SCHALKEN: No, I never do such a thing.

SJENG SCHALKEN: No, of course not. No, I don't know why such a stories are coming from somebody. But, I had the same in Philadelphia, the press was also like doing a competition before the match against Sampras and they also told in the press in the papers Schalken, "Sampras has to be really ready," Schalken says, otherwise he is going to beat him. I never said those things, especially, you know, to those kind of players. I am the underdog and if I don't play good they kill me. And, if I play good, it is maybe a match like this. So, I don't know how these stories can happen. It is not in my -- I think it is a little bit American way of building up a fight. But, it is not my way.

SJENG SCHALKEN: Well, many times you come because he has the pressure all the time and then I cannot hit as hard as I can because then I make too many mistakes. And, at the other hand, I had some troubles with timing the ball with the wind and so -- if you hit them as hard as you can, you make mistakes. So, what can you do? You don't hit as hard as you can and put the ball back in play. On the other hand, if I hit a ball unbelievable hard, sometimes he picks it up right after the bounce and he hits it hard back and I am still under pressure. So, it was like, "Wow, what is this?"

SJENG SCHALKEN: He was tiring?

SJENG SCHALKEN: I don't know. You have to ask him. I don't know. I thought he had still a lot of energy.

SJENG SCHALKEN: No, I didn't have nerves. It was a little bit I had to get used to the atmosphere and I had a little bit of troubles focusing in the first few games. And, well, if you don't hit enough serves against him, he will break you right away. So that was the deal. And, I was not focused enough yet to break him. But, only thing you can do at that moment is fight and it came and it came and he had set point. It is too bad. I think it was a good match. But, I always had the feeling that he was pressuring me and so I am a little bit of -- yeah, if he misses, he misses, but if he makes a point, then -- he was making me -- he was making the plays. So, it is tough. Normally, I do that. So -- yeah, that is why it was frustrating. Normally, it is not your game and I am not a counterplayer, so....

SJENG SCHALKEN: Well, I grew up on clay in Holland. It is really slow and played a lot of groundstrokes and I can beat a lot of players from the back. But, yeah, I think especially to guys like Agassi who play a little bit quicker than me, I have to go a little bit more to the net. But, on the other hand, my serve was not that well today and if you don't hit a really good serve, to come to the net, he will hit the first ball right at your feet and second ball, if you made the first volley, you will just make it. If you lose those points all the time, then -- well, then you feel like, okay, in the back, that is my game, so I am going to try. He doesn't go to the net that often also.

SJENG SCHALKEN: I remember a point, I think it was 6-All. It was amazing, I think. That was a long point. But, yeah, there were some key points in the match and they were all his -- like three or four key points. That was one of them.

SJENG SCHALKEN: Well, just don't think, and, fight. And watch the ball and don't think about anything.

SJENG SCHALKEN: I think he was better today. He was more focused and Indian Wells he didn't know me. He didn't know my name.

SJENG SCHALKEN: I don't know. I think if he is a little bit less focused, I can have him. But, if he is really focused like today, it is going to be always tough to beat him.

SJENG SCHALKEN: Well, there are a lot of good players at the moment. Andre is one of them. But, I don't know. It is tough because many guys have a really good serve, unbelievable good serve and Andre is breakable sometimes. And if you play like Philippoussis -- I saw him playing him in Indian Wells and I enjoyed the match a lot. You see that sometimes service is winning it over return. That was an unbelievable match. There he was focused. He even lost to him. So, like Pete Sampras, he has unbelievable serve. He can do everything and, well, yeah, if -- he did it like one year ago, or two years ago, so -- I cannot say that.

SJENG SCHALKEN: Yeah, I like that. That is fun. They always come and they are students and they are really into it. And, it is nice, I think. It is also for the people from the United States, they also get alive a little bit because of them. So it is a good atmosphere.

SJENG SCHALKEN: It helps, I think, both players.