VOLVO MONTE-CARLO OPEN

April 18, 1994

Goran Ivanisevic

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Why? It is fun, more fun to live dangerous.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I mean, all the match, I mean, I always give him like Love-30, Love-40 on my serve, and then it is tough to come back. I mean, you can do it for three, four times, but not every time. That is what happened at 5-4. I had serve for the match Love-40. I won two points, and then I went for the-- 30-40 I went for the forehand and I missed it, and that happened, and then I lost the tiebreak 7-0. I mean, I don't know how, but around then, third set, I start to hit them more. I was missing more, but I was hitting more, and then after 4-1 I was -- coming back. At 5-4 I told them maybe it is going to be like second set when I -- maybe he is going to be a little bit tight and I am going to win that game, and that is what happened. Then at 5-All, again, I had Love-40 down. Again, I won the game, but, I mean, I didn't serve so great today and I gave him too much advantage on my serve, those Love-40, Love-30. I mean, I don't remember maybe one game I won maybe when I was up 40-15, 40-30.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I just thought after we do something, if I put too many balls in the court I am going to miss - I was thinking it - so I have to risk, first short ball doesn't matter what I am - I just got to hit -- come in and just hit. I came, I mean, twice, and he missed -- I hit one volley, I hit one smash -- I don't know, but I played a little bit risky on matchpoint, but I think that is what you have to do. It is 50/50 chance, so you take the risk, and you can lose or win, but I won this time, so maybe next time I am going to lose, but who knows. You don't take the risk, you don't know. Then after, maybe you are thinking maybe I didn't take the risk, but now I know I took the risk and I won the match.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Never I have such problem with my serve in my life. It is pretty slow today and he is a good player, but I mean, almost every second game on my serve, I am Love-40 down or 15-40, then it is tough I have to come up with some good shots or something. It is not easy, I mean, sometime I was pretty lucky, I mean, he helped me sometimes. He missed some easy shots and -- but it is okay, I hope-- this is my first match on clay and I hope it is going to be better and better.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Yeah, start Nice last year, it was same thing. Depends, I don't feel like-- maybe Barcelona to start Barcelona, but I think if I play, I play here and I play four more tournaments I am going to play here Madrid, Hamburg, Rome; I think that is enough tennis on clay. I am going to have enough matches, so I don't think it is so bad to start here. I was practicing hard before physically, so I can be fit. I mean, he was a little bit tired in the end of the match and I was pretty fit, so I am okay.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I played Davis Cup on clay so I was practicing-- after Key Biscayne I played on clay and I have enough practice, but you know, practice is different. You can play good on practice but you have to put those things in the real match and I didn't have a real match a lot of weeks and it is a little bit tough. But I think I am playing good. I am hitting the ball good, but I just have to put some little things in my game and it is going to be a little better.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Yeah, he wants me to play a little bit more aggressive, doesn't matter where I play, hard court, indoor, clay, he wants me to attack more, to look for the chances to come in; it doesn't matter if I win or lose, just to be able to -- that I improve in something that he can see that I am doing something different. So I am going to try to do -- I mean, try to look for the chance to try to come in more if it is possible, on any surface that I play.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I don't know, I mean sometimes on clay it is so slow I try to force too much and try to hit harder, pretty hard, and then I mean, I miss a lot and I am throwing the ball a little bit too much to the right, and, I don't know, I mean, it was not like I like, like I know to serve; I didn't have my feeling, but when I needed it today sometimes I served okay; not too many aces. I don't know if I served one ace, maybe couple of aces, but it is pretty -- those balls are pretty heavy and it is not easy to serve. This tournament-- I had never served good in this tournament, I don't know why, but any other clay court tournament, I am serving pretty good, but, here, I don't know why. It is okay, if I play good from the back. It is not so important to serving it great here.