NEWSWEEK CHAMPIONS CUP

March 7, 1995

Stefan Edberg

Q. Stefan, do you not care for night matches? Is there something about night matches that has been unkind to you over the years?

STEFAN EDBERG: I am not sure. It has been good things about night matches; been bad things, but overall, I prefer to play during the day where you know your match, you get it over with, and have a nice evening and do something else. When you play night matches you got to wait all day. There is nothing really that you can do because you need to save your energy for your match. Obviously, playing conditions are very different in the night. But sometimes it can be a great atmosphere playing at night. You have all the people, so, it works both ways, I think, but if you have a night match once in awhile it is fine, but it is -- like playing last week in Scottsdale, I ended up playing at night four times; then it ends up getting a little bit too much, I think.

Q. You got off to a quick start, that wasn't a problem?

STEFAN EDBERG: No, I think I might have been a little bit nervous to begin with, I played okay most of the match. I just lost concentration a little bit in the second set and he played a good game to break me, but I should have probably been over in two sets, but that is the way it goes. I just have to be out there for a little bit longer and I came through in the end. That is really what counts.

Q. Any particular point in the second set where you could feel him?

STEFAN EDBERG: I think I had a few break opportunities, but I never really made him play for it, and, you know, I was holding my serve pretty easy up to 4-All. Then suddenly, he played some good points. I played a few sloppy shots; then he turns around quickly, and then I was down 15-40 my first service game of the third set. You got to watch out every second out there.

Q. It seemed a little cool out there. Is that detrimental to you?

STEFAN EDBERG: Yeah, it is cool. And, you know, like I said, it is different because most of the time you are hitting at daytime where balls are flying through the air a lot different and it is sometimes a little bit harder to get a feel for the ball when you are playing at night, and obviously sometimes a little bit more difficult to see, especially when you are coming quickly into the net and have to volley.

Q. Playing a qualifier in the first round, did you know anything about his game?

STEFAN EDBERG: I played him once before in Nice last year, and we had a three-set match there too, and so, I have seen him play before, but, you know, he made a good effort coming through qualifying here and he played three matches, a good effort. I thought he was hitting the ball quite well. He was hitting some really good shots out there. He was serving surprisingly well.

Q. Unrelated topic. You have been coming to this tournament since 1987. What is it about this tournament that you enjoy; all of the things that you enjoy.

STEFAN EDBERG: Well, I think the setup they have here with staying around where you are playing, playing here where you can't really ask for any better weather than you have here at this time of the year and it is probably as good as a tournament can get, I think, because this is one of my favorite tournaments. You always have a lot of interest around the tennis. You have a lot of people coming out too. I just think playing conditions are great here. I mean, most of the time it is around 75, 80; not too much wind and it is just beautiful.

Q. You say that you like to do things at night. There are a lot of things here?

STEFAN EDBERG: Yeah, I mean, for me, I got my family here, obviously, so -- but just go out for a nice dinner, and obviously the people that like golf, this is like heaven, I guess, and you can do whatever you want; go to the shops or go to the movies. You can go to most of the things that you need.

Q. Do the people in Sweden know about this tournament? Is this getting more popular back in Sweden?

STEFAN EDBERG: Well, in Sweden, it is, I think, what people really are looking at in Sweden is, obviously, the Grand Slams and Davis Cup, that is really what most of the people know about, but, you know, people hear about it, and -- but I wouldn't say it is a well known tournament, no.

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