NEWSWEEK CHAMPIONS CUP

March 9, 1998

Thomas Muster

Q. How did you feel out there? Just the basic question.

THOMAS MUSTER: Actually, I'm playing on my fourth match of the season. Pretty good. Moving all right. Felt comfortable serving. I think everything worked quite well.

THOMAS MUSTER: Didn't look, did I? I think this was too much. That happened in Austria last week. I think this guy just wanted to put a little bit too much light, wanted the spotlight on him probably. Maybe some people wish that I retire, but this is unfortunately not going to happen yet for them (laughter). I'm feeling pretty comfortable. I haven't played much since November, that's true. But not because of injuries, but because I felt like staying home in Australia (sic).

THOMAS MUSTER: I don't have a problem anywhere.

THOMAS MUSTER: I mean, not that I know (laughter).

THOMAS MUSTER: Yeah, the day after. Called him action said, "How can you say that?" "Well, the media, this, that."

THOMAS MUSTER: Yes. But I think he must have said something. I haven't been in Austria since a month. He hasn't seen me probably since October last year, which was the Davis Cup.

THOMAS MUSTER: Key Biscayne. Going back to prepare for clay, Estoril, Barcelona, Monte-Carlo.

THOMAS MUSTER: I just like to play. That's it. It's not a full season, because otherwise I would have already played all those tournaments in spring. It's spring now, but basically winter, maybe indoors or something. I just sort of had the same schedule like I did last year. As I said, I'd like to play well on clay. I've taken a little time off before. Actually starting the season now, trying to play well through the summer, as I said.

THOMAS MUSTER: Well, I felt a bit rusty at the Australian Open, Dubai. Now I think I'm really picking up my physical and mental shape again to play well. I think today was a good start, I would say.

THOMAS MUSTER: Well, I think the tournament is very nice. I mean, the setup is good, a good spot of the world, I think, to play tennis. That's one part of it. Maybe to play women and men at the same time, it might be too small. I think Charlie knows that we had one practice court available only I think yesterday for I don't know how many players. We got to share with the women. That's a bit of a problem here. Having the hotel just next door, it's very comfortable, I would say, except that we're -- either we're missing courts or we're too many (laughter).

THOMAS MUSTER: Well, I was supposed to play with Hrbaty, but he got into doubles, which he didn't know, got into qualifying. Has no chance to get in. Was on the practice court with me, suddenly had to play doubles. Pete was there. Just happened. Wasn't really arranged before.

THOMAS MUSTER: It was a coincidence thing.

THOMAS MUSTER: I don't know the worst qualities.

THOMAS MUSTER: I think I've won a lot of matches because I was a fit player. I was mentally strong. I probably have won many matches which I was not supposed to win, you know. Struggled, pulled them out. That was probably a big part of my game. I always was looking forward to improve my game; never be satisfied, you know, what I've been doing. Always looking forward to getting better and better. I think that was a strong part of it. Maybe the worst part is, I don't know, I've played consistently. Maybe at the beginning of my career, I didn't believe in myself, that I could do it. I had sort of a barrier which I broke in '88.

THOMAS MUSTER: Yeah, I love iced tea.

THOMAS MUSTER: Well, it has nothing to do with Lipton or whatever. That's a way of balancing the schedule, you see. Well, if they want to reduce the tournaments, we have to find a balance between the tournaments we have on the Tour and the Slams, so it's fair to everybody, so we have almost the same amount of claycourts, hardcourts, indoors. That's why one of the tournaments has to -- either we create another claycourt somewhere else or we're having a big tournament, like the Lipton, which always has to change to another surface. That's all discussion still. It's still far away. It's not a hundred percent decided yet. That's what they think. I think if we look back maybe, I don't know, fifteen years to the States, we had the Tournament of Champions, had so many tournaments which were played on green clay, Boston, Indianapolis, all those tournaments been played on clay and were changed hardcourts. Here in America, I think claycourt has a pretty good tradition. It's not as slow as maybe European clay. It's not a big disadvantage to American players, I would say. The speed is probably the same as the courts here; just a different way of running. That's the only difference.

THOMAS MUSTER: No, I think they could do it. I mean, Agassi been twice a finalist there. Why shouldn't he have a chance, playing well there? Sampras same thing. A player like Sampras, I mean, with his technical abilities, he could win anything. I think it's -- a lot depending, though, on the weather. If it's really hot and warm over two weeks, they really have a good chance. But obviously they have to do a lot of running, a lot -- they have to serve good. That's for Pete. Andre has to play well, too. We know all that. To win a Slam, that's what has to happen. I think they have to be a bit lucky with the conditions, too.

THOMAS MUSTER: I don't know (laughter). Not in terms of writing, because I'm writing with my right hand.

THOMAS MUSTER: No, I don't think so. I mean, I think there's so many lefties out there today, also righties. I think it's more difficult to play lefty for me than -- maybe for a right-hander, sometimes it's more difficult to play a right-hander. I don't think it matters much today. Maybe serve on the ad court. Otherwise, it's not a great deal today.

THOMAS MUSTER: Probably just happens to everyone who plays Tarango, it's not only me. No, not really. I mean, that happens. Sometimes you just lose it. When you play, you're frustrated, whatever. So he's a strange guy sometimes on court, not off court, but on court sometimes he just loses it. It's quite okay. There's within worse things than this: