adidas International

January 9, 2001

Magnus Norman

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Magnus.

MAGNUS NORMAN: Yeah, I had three weeks off really from absolutely no training at all. I wanted to have at least 14 days, but actually I was sick, you know. I was sick for three weeks, I had the flu and I really couldn't practice. I couldn't do anything, just rather, you know, lying in the bed and trying to recover. After three weeks, just tried to hit some balls just before I left to India. Then everybody knows that in India things didn't go really my way. I felt a little bit off. It's very difficult to come back, really. At least for me, it seems like I need to get a lot of matches under my belt before I play my best tennis. That's why I'm really happy with the win today.

MAGNUS NORMAN: Not really. I didn't think Lleyton was struggling. I know, and everybody knows who follows tennis, how difficult Wayne Arthurs is to play. I mean, his serve is unbelievable. Anything can happen when you play him. I thought it was a good effort actually from Lleyton to win the match. So I don't think he's struggling really.

MAGNUS NORMAN: I mean this year was very, very tight. You know, I think a lot has to do with the Olympics. We had to go here, the season was like two weeks longer. But I think for this year, again, it's a little bit better again. What I would like to see is maybe to have a month break in December and to have maybe a month after Paris, you know. But it doesn't really work now. But that would be the ideal way, I think, to have two breaks in between. That makes, you know, the players can rest also in the summer and be fresh again.

MAGNUS NORMAN: Not cancel Wimbledon, but change the date.

MAGNUS NORMAN: Yeah. I mean, it's -- I think it's the ideal. I've talked to, you know, my coach and some other players, and, you know, that's probably the ideal schedule. But, again, it's very difficult and, you know, I think it's almost impossible.

MAGNUS NORMAN: That's also a good question. Actually, I'm not playing Bastad this year because of the schedule. I want to have two weeks break there and try to concentrate more on Toronto and Cincinnati, which I played very poorly last year.

MAGNUS NORMAN: Well, I just love to go down here. It's a very, very good start of the year. To come down here just makes me happy. And, you know, it's a wonderful country. It always brings out the best in me. So, you know, I'm looking forward to meet those fans again down in Melbourne, and try to do well again there. I know if I can just keep the momentum going this week and try to gain some confidence here, I know I can be dangerous in Melbourne as well this year.

MAGNUS NORMAN: I think it's just confidence, really. Because I'm hitting the ball very, very cleanly in practice, very, very good. It's just a matter of getting the, you know, getting the confidence there when it's like 5-all, and you know you can trust your shots and everything. It's just a matter of confidence really, for me.

MAGNUS NORMAN: No, it's just, you know, I had a few weeks off in Sweden. I really didn't think about tennis. I didn't really think about foot faults. So now I got to wake up, I got to stand. I got to stand behind the line again, start to think about tennis, not something else. It's just a matter of waking up again.