WIMBLEDON

June 27, 2001

Thomas Johansson

MODERATOR: Could we have the first question, please.

THOMAS JOHANSSON: I think in the first set we both played as well as we could. I mean, he was playing really well, and I was serving really well. I had a set point at 6-5. He made a good forehand there. Then he made a great tiebreak. Then in the second set, I wasn't there really. I was somewhere else. I don't know what happened there. I think he was a little bit too good for me today.

THOMAS JOHANSSON: I felt I didn't feel good out there in the second. I mean, I was thinking a little bit too much about the first set. Suddenly it was 5-Love. That happens if you're not there. It doesn't matter who you play. You have to be there all the time. You have to stay focused and take one point at a time, and I didn't do that.

THOMAS JOHANSSON: Yeah, for sure I had a couple of breakpoints there at one stage in the match, I think it was in the fourth. I don't know what the score was, maybe 3-2.

THOMAS JOHANSSON: 2-1. Maybe he made three great first serves. That's too good. You never know what would have happened if I won the fourth.

THOMAS JOHANSSON: I think he has one of the best serves in the game. It's really tough to read because he has a great kick out wide on the ad side. Sometimes it doesn't matter if you're there. You cannot return it because it's so hard and it's a lot of spin on it. But I took some chances. I think if you take away the second set, I think I did a good match.

THOMAS JOHANSSON: I think he made a couple of good returns. I mean, when I was 2-1 down, he made a good return. I tried to go up the line with my backhand. It's tough because you have to try to keep his forehand away because his forehand is really good. He can hit it anywhere on the court. If you're going to hit it on his forehand, you have to hit it really well. So I went for a little bit too much there.

THOMAS JOHANSSON: Sure, I should have done a lot of things. You know, you have to make quick decisions all the time. Maybe I made the wrong one.

THOMAS JOHANSSON: No.

THOMAS JOHANSSON: Yeah, probably. I was serving well today. He made two really, really good breakers. I think that was the big thing about the match.

THOMAS JOHANSSON: I saw him last week in Nottingham, I think with his serve, I mean, he's a good grass court player. But if he can improve his volley a little bit, I mean, when he can serve-volley, I think he's going to be even better. It's really, really tough to do something about his first serve, and especially second serve, too. I think he should use his serve a little bit more to go to the net. But he's a great baseline player, too.

THOMAS JOHANSSON: I'm going to take a couple weeks off and I'm going to play -- I don't know how if I'm going to play LA, but for sure I'm going to play Montreal. I'm going to start there.

THOMAS JOHANSSON: I think he was right about that call. I mean, we were playing for three hours out there. There was not one overrule. I think that's not so good. He's only 18. I mean, sometimes you can see that, but sometimes he's very mature when he's playing. I think he's going to be for sure a Top 10 player in the future.

THOMAS JOHANSSON: It's been a little bit different the last couple days because I've been playing really well for the last two weeks. I mean, I'm just trying to go out there and do my best all the time. It doesn't matter if I'm the favourite or if I'm not. I'm just trying to win the match, take one match at a time.