RCA CHAMPIONSHIPS

August 19, 1995

Bernd Karbacher

BERND KARBACHER: No, I think today it was not so bad as the other days. Of course, it was very hot, but I think it is also because if you play Pete, you don't have so many long rallies. You don't -- there are so many direct winners he is hitting and so you don't have to run all over the court in every rally, so that is not so tiring. I think the heat was not so bad as the other days. Maybe it is just also because you get used to it; after a while if, you are always playing in the sun.

BERND KARBACHER: Yeah, I was a little bit surprised the way he was serving the whole match through the whole 'til the end of the second set, because there was no weakness at all. He was just hitting first serves all over the court and even also the second serve very hard to return and I couldn't manage to return the second serve and that is what I was a little upset about. Because I thought if I have a chance to break him, then you have to go for the second serve and the first serve is almost -- you cannot return it sometimes. I just tried to keep my confidence up and then to try, okay, go for every return you can make it, and maybe he will have lack of concentration; suddenly at 5-4, he did.

BERND KARBACHER: Of course, I think if you -- if you break someone once and you had no chance before then and you -- suddenly you do, then, you know okay, I can do it. Sometimes if you have no breakpoints the whole match, then you don't even -- you don't believe that it happens, the break, but then if you break him once, then even he sees, okay, my serve is not unbreakable, okay, then you try to do it and I think I played one perfect game in the beginning of the second set when I broke him.

BERND KARBACHER: No. I have some hairs. No, I think for me, I don't like to play with hat. I am not used to it. It is bothering me; that is why I never we are it.

BERND KARBACHER: I think I didn't prepare so much for this tournament. I just went to Cincinnati; was playing there; played a tournament, was practicing and a little bit, but not too much. Then I just played good tennis and the I think the best preparation is to play in a tournament and play as good as I am now. Next week I am playing Long Island on Monday. It is Long Island already and I try to play well there and then U.S. Open.

BERND KARBACHER: I think there are not so many hard court tournaments left so -- played this year -- I played already outdoor Scottsdale, Indian Wells, Key Biscayne on hardcourt and I played I tried to play beginning of the year in Doah and Jakarta, so think I played enough hard court tournaments, just if you go in the summer season, earlier to the hardcourts it is such a long time for the Europeans to stay in the states if you start with, I think, the first is Washington, then Washington, what is the next? Montreal, L.A. so you spend three more weeks in the states. I think five weeks is enough.

BERND KARBACHER: I like it a lot, but I like it home better.

BERND KARBACHER: Yes, I think, of course. It is like I said before, it is no better preparation if you play well in tournaments before the Grand Slam events; especially on the same surface with the same balls. I think my goal now is the U.S. Open and to play well there. I hope I would be a threat for all the seeded players because I am not seeded.

BERND KARBACHER: I am watching the match probably a little bit. I know both players pretty well. I played against Goran on clay once and on hard court once and I played once Thomas Enqvist two years ago in Schenectady. So they are really good players, and to be honest, I am expecting Thomas Enqvist in the finals because he won already three times in a row last three weeks, but you never know; I will watch the match; then we will see.

BERND KARBACHER: No I think if you beat No. 2 in the world then it should be enough to win a tournament.

BERND KARBACHER: I think it is not because I beat Pete. It is just because I played -- I won against one of the best players; especially on this hard courts, and that makes me really looking forward to for the U.S. Open because I know I can beat everyone in the world when I play the same I did today or maybe more consistent; then I have a chance to win against everyone. It is a great feeling, so I am really -- I really looking forward to playing the U.S. Open.

BERND KARBACHER: Yes, of course, last time when I played him was a night session at the Lipton tournament and I played two matches before on outside courts; then suddenly you go on the court, you play under lights, play Pete Sampras. You play in front of a huge crowd; that is really -- that is already a lot of respect and then he played really well like he did in the first set and I just didn't know what to do. And then this time I said, okay, I try not to have too much respect. I know he is a great player, but you -- if you play well you can beat him and then -- maybe sometimes you have more confidence on the important shots if you have not so much respect.

BERND KARBACHER: Yeah, I mean, I started golf last year; and going out with some friends, visit some friends you never see them during the whole year, so try to do that and nothing really special.

BERND KARBACHER: I like them.

BERND KARBACHER: I think it is one of the biggest wins because I beat someone on his almost best surface except grass. I think I beat Becker on clay, okay, that is not his favorite surface of course, then I beat Bruguera last year on hard court; that is not his favorite surface, but I think something has to do with always matches against Chang because I beats him three times on clay and like we saw this year at the French Open, he really likes the clay and I beat him at the French Open already once so that was also, I think, these two things are the greatest wins in my career.

BERND KARBACHER: I don't tell you. My handicap, is "just started the sport." But I try hard.

BERND KARBACHER: You mean today or the whole time?

BERND KARBACHER: I think it has to do because my parents played pretty good tennis and then you always have kind of idols and when I was young and watching the matches and I watched, especially, Bjorn Borg playing in Wimbledon and winning the French Open several times and he was kind of an idol for me. I said, okay, you always have a few goals, but then if you reach them, it is even much better feeling and if you had a few career good career wins, then you try to do it several times and if you know that you can beat top 10 players, then you are not so afraid and then you -- it is just a great feeling and that great feeling is probably the inspiration.

BERND KARBACHER: Yes. I saw him a few times when he tried to come back in Moscow two years ago and -- but -- I don't know him well.