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TMS - INDIAN WELLS

March 13, 2001

Thomas Johansson

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA

MODERATOR: Questions for Thomas.

Q. Does it confuse you when a player serves that slow, in his case?

THOMAS JOHANSSON: Yeah, I think everyone could see that Marat, he wasn't serving a hundred percent. We played two weeks ago in Dubai, and it was the same, almost the same match, but he won in the end. He injured himself in the third set against me in Dubai. I mean, you don't know what to expect. I mean, I didn't know if he was going to serve a hundred percent or like he did today. It's tough, because he still plays really well from the baseline. He just puts the serve in, and then he plays well.

Q. Was that a three-set match in Dubai?

THOMAS JOHANSSON: Yeah. I lost the two first sets, they were tiebreak, and then I think it was 6-3 in the third.

Q. Had he not been handicapped, would you have hit as many dropshots as you did?

THOMAS JOHANSSON: Yeah, I think so. It's very tough because when we play each other, it's long rallies from the baseline all the time. I think sometimes it's a good idea to either hit a dropshot or come to the net, do something different. We both hit pretty hard from the back. We move around each other like this (side to side), but not the other.

Q. In Dubai, you couldn't get a ball in the court after he took the injury time-outs in the third set. Was that on your mind when you played today, you really were not going to let that happen again?

THOMAS JOHANSSON: Yeah. We talked a lot, me and my coach, after the match in Dubai. As you said, after he injured himself, I couldn't hit the return in. I mean, I missed so many returns. Today I thought, I mean, just to put the ball in and we could work from that. But it's also tough when the guy is not a hundred percent. You don't know if you're going to go for your shots or just put the ball in. It's a hard, hard thing to do.

Q. Do you think it was sweet justice having to play him here in the first round?

THOMAS JOHANSSON: Yeah, it's a very tough draw. But still he's not a hundred percent yet. I mean, the way I played today, I mean, I played a good match today. It's still a tough draw to play Marat in the first round, even if he's not serving a hundred percent. He can still move really well on the court. He hits very hard both on backhand and the forehand.

Q. On the let cord in the third set, where the ball dropped over, did you plan to hit it around the post when you were running for it?

THOMAS JOHANSSON: Yeah, it was my only chance. I've never hit that kind of shot before. That was funny.

Q. In preparing for this match, had you had your coach serve half speed to you so you could get used to that kind a serve?

THOMAS JOHANSSON: Even in my coach serves a hundred percent, he doesn't serve a hundred miles an hour. So, no. I've been practicing with different players this week, and we came here pretty early, so I've been prepared for this match.

Q. Are you old enough to remember the match that Michael Chang played against Lendl at the French Open when Chang could hardly move?

THOMAS JOHANSSON: Yeah.

Q. Did that come to your mind today or in Dubai?

THOMAS JOHANSSON: Yeah, as I said, it's a very tough thing to play a guy who's not a hundred percent. But today I thought, "Just put the return in and make him play." But we had some long rallies. I was pretty tired in the end actually.

Q. Isn't there a temptation when he's serving 80 and 90 miles an hour to try to knock off the serve, or is that easier said than done?

THOMAS JOHANSSON: As I said, you can go for the returns if you want to. I mean, I could try to go for winners when he serves like 90 or 100 miles an hour. That's what I did in Dubai, and I missed. Today I just put the ball in.

Q. Do you think the shot around the net post should be play of the day?

THOMAS JOHANSSON: I don't know. I hope so. I've never been on the play of the day.

Q. When you do your lengthy practices, your coach talks about the around-the-net-post shot? What does he say is the key? What is the key to that shot?

THOMAS JOHANSSON: I think when the ball came as it did today, it's very, very easy just to put the ball in the court. It's a little bit different if you have the net post so you have to spin the around. Today I just had to hit it in the court. It maybe looked tougher than it was.

Q. Are you practicing that shot all the time?

THOMAS JOHANSSON: All the time (laughter).

End of FastScripts....

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