TMS - HAMBURG

May 15, 2001

Nicolas Kiefer

ATP: Questions, please.

NICOLAS KIEFER: Yes, of course. There were several reasons. This is like playing at home for me. Hannover isn't far. A lot of friends of mine were here today and there were many people. And before I lost three times to Andre and Hamburg is a very nice tournament.

NICOLAS KIEFER: I talked about that with Harry before. The other times I might have been too patient. That wasn't good.

NICOLAS KIEFER: I would say that the -- you can make a picture of the single puzzle pieces now. This concerns my whole game. In between I had a phase, I didn't even know how to play the ball. Now I know what I am doing.

NICOLAS KIEFER: This will work in the future.

NICOLAS KIEFER: I think this had a lot to do with Rainer losing and also Knippschild lost before. The spectators have to have to get over this first. I can understand that. Then I was leading 5-1 and suddenly it was 5-2, 5-3, 5-4. This means you have to get your concentration back which I made in the end. I think it is also good for the spectators if the match is exciting.

NICOLAS KIEFER: I was very happy about the reactions of the spectators. Maybe in former times I handled the situations differently, but I have learned a lot.

NICOLAS KIEFER: I only played him on hard court so far. He is no clay court player. I will try and play very aggressive.

NICOLAS KIEFER: Very important. It is very good for my self confidence and a victory in Germany is always very important to me. It really fires me up a little bit better. I was injured for quite a long time. I didn't know how to play. But now I am finding my rhythm back. I never played five, six weeks in a row and now I am even playing 7, eight weeks in a row. My game is getting better and better.

NICOLAS KIEFER: Todd Martina first.

NICOLAS KIEFER: I think so. Every player going into the court tries to give his best.

NICOLAS KIEFER: Yes, of course. Today on the court I suffered because it is not easy if you lead 5-1 and suddenly the score is 5-4 and the other one is serving-then you have to get back into the game. Especially in these situations you really have to give all and this is what I did today.

NICOLAS KIEFER: Tommy had already agreed with Mirnyi to play doubles. At first I wanted to play with Marat, but he still has quite a lot of back problems. That is why I agreed with Lapentti to play doubles.

NICOLAS KIEFER: Of course, but we have played doubles very often and I don't really know how it came that they are playing doubles together now. But I don't have any problem with this. There are many more other tournaments we can play doubles together in Germany.

NICOLAS KIEFER: No, everything is the same. Maybe I just do a little bit more.

NICOLAS KIEFER: I am feeling very good at the moment. Thank you.

NICOLAS KIEFER: I still weigh the same.

NICOLAS KIEFER: No. I know Harry for quite a long time. I have known him for ten years now and he helps me. We are always in contact everyday. He has two week's time so he traveled with me and now we will have to see how it goes on.

NICOLAS KIEFER: Now and then.

NICOLAS KIEFER: At the moment I am feeling physically very well. If you are feeling physically well you feel better on the court. At other times I was injured and I wasn't in conflict with myself ---was in conflict with myself. I was very unsatisfied with my game and I was feeling very low. Now I am feeling good and automatically you show more emotions on the court. You show your fist and the spectators are behind me. Slowly I am finding my rhythm back. And the new/old, Kiwi is back.

NICOLAS KIEFER: Everybody gets older and everybody learns with age at least this is what I hope. That is why I --I have started studying now so that I do something for my head, that I don't only think about tennis.

NICOLAS KIEFER: Sports management.

NICOLAS KIEFER: A bit of distraction is good because I played very well while I was doing high school. I was in the quarters in Wimbledon, a bit of distraction cannot do any harm because if you are on the tennis court the whole day and you just hang around the players lounge, you just watch TV, you very easily start talking nonsense. I tried to avoid this, that is why I sometimes just take my books. This is also good for my head, for my concentration and good for the game.

NICOLAS KIEFER: Oh there are a lot of possibilities. Of course I hope that I will stay until Saturday so I can see the Finals of FC Bayern Munchen. I am sorry for the journalists from Hamburg but I am a very big Bayern fan. Because I always play very late here I can't go out a lot in the evening.

NICOLAS KIEFER: Oh, if I get to play later in the evening, around 6 o'clock, I can see one half.

NICOLAS KIEFER: Monthly I receive my papers. At the beginning I was very motivated and worked very concentrated. I really had a lot of fun. It isn't easy. You have to do a lot for it. It is ordinary studies. You have to write your homework. I am doing this on my computer at the moment. I have been studying since April and it is at the University of Dusseldorf.

NICOLAS KIEFER: What shall I comment here? Everybody has his own opinion. If this person who wrote this thinks that, what shall I change about it? There is the one side which is Kiefer and there is the other side which is also Kiefer.