THE LIPTON CHAMPIONSHIPS

March 29, 1996

Goran Ivanisevic

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I was thinking -- I was thinking I am going to fly home tomorrow and then -- I didn't think anything, I just didn't know what to do. I was pretty flat all the first set. He played very good. I mean, he was just playing pretty fast comparing yesterday and the previous matches, so -- and then rain came and it saved me a little bit.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I think I made a mistake in the beginning of the match that I just thought I am going to win my serves easy, I am going to concentrate on his serves and that was big mistake. I should concentrate on my serve and whatever happen on his serve and I start to force my serve a lot. Then when I came back after the rain, then I just concentrate on my serve, tried to win my serve and as soon as I start to serve better in the second and third set, I lift my game and then I played much better tennis.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Yes, I wanted to hit there. I thought he might, if I hit a short one he was expecting maybe he is going to slice it and come in like he did on 15-30, so he opened this forehand side. Then I just went for it. It is always 50/50 and today I had more luck.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I think so. After that, I started to serve better, play better from the back and pick his second serve much better. I just hit it and whatever happened was -- I mean, I just put pressure, more pressure.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Like now, now I am capable after such, I mean, I was pretty down first set, comeback. Doesn't matter rain or not, but it's just -- I was last in French Open, it was raining three times and I couldn't comeback, I was just playing worse and worse every time I came back and today I just played better, so that's the big difference.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I don't know. I'm more happier. I have more fun and I hit the ball better. I am just playing with more confidence and have more variety on the shots.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: What allows me to do that? Huh, I don't know. Just my racket goes wide and hits everything.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Yes, yes.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Can be trouble, but can be -- now in this moment even when I don't serve well, I am playing good tennis because from the back I'm very steady and I don't rush, I don't have to hit winners like before, that I am panicking what to do. It's just easier when you can have a couple of free points.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: That was just a different story. Wimbledon and here, this is slow, much slower, more aces I am going to have to run. It is going to be pretty hot. It is completely different thing. I know I have to attack more if I have a chance because he is going to hit the ball everywhere left, right, he is hitting the ball very deep and I have to try to break his rhythm and every short ball try to attack, it doesn't matter, he is going to pass me a lot of times, but I have to keep trying.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I had to have unbelievable day, like just amazing day. But normally I, don't think so. Maybe I will be 7-6 or 6-4, but I don't think I will be capable to win.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Yes, I heard yesterday everybody talking, a repeated final from last year, I just smiled and said, okay, good luck, you guys, but it is not going to happen, so they have to watch another final.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: TV, you know, every station, it is going to be another repeat from last year final, so that's okay.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: It's fun. As soon as I came to the locker room during the break, you know, they asked me now, what he told me, we start to laugh, you know, first five minutes I was just -- didn't know what to do, then we started to laugh, we start to think what we did 15 years ago at the tennis club in Split, like, no, ten years ago and then we started to laugh like idiots like I am winning 6-2 not losing. Then I said, "Jesus, what's going on here," pretty relaxed. I am more relaxed, have more fun, it doesn't putting too much pressure on me.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Maybe, in the beginning not, he will tell me something like what are you doing out there, but, I don't know after maybe will laugh. It's different, Croatian language is easier for me, it's only, you know, those stories what we did 10 years ago, it's just -- it was too good and maybe that helped.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: We were talking about, you know, before -- we were talking how the kids are very spoiled now because very, very young we had to, you know, to renovate the courts and what will be the worse joke, because I was staying very far from the tennis club. I could always -- the job have to carry the clay, then the garbage, and all this stuff, then we laughed about that, now if you say to kid let's do that, no way, you know, they're spoiled, they think they're super starts.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Pardon?

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I just thought, something to laugh, to make me pumped a little bit loose and that was it.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Pardon?

GORAN IVANISEVIC: He is going to be -- I mean I hope I am going to survive if it's best of five hoping not cramp because I get a little tired and it is another final, I hope I am playing good tennis and just with him, I should not have this -- I don't think it is going to rain Sunday, so I should better start off well, otherwise, I am going to be in trouble. I beat him before on slow courts, on fast courts, so I know how to play him. He beat me in the one important one, but this one is also important for me and I am going to try to do everything to beat him.