VOLVO MONTE-CARLO OPEN

April 21, 1994

Stefan Edberg

STEFAN EDBERG: No. No, I am happy. I played a good match today, I thought. I played pretty much the same way that I did yesterday. He plays pretty similar to the guy that I played yesterday, so it worked out fine today. But I was concentrating very well.

STEFAN EDBERG: Yeah, that is true. But, I mean, on the clay court you can see clearly whether the ball is good or not in most of the cases. Sometimes there are some difficulties and -- but he was fair; I was fair. It was nice.

STEFAN EDBERG: Well, I think it is going to be as tough as it gets. He is playing on his surface in Monte Carlo where he is really tough to beat. So it is going to be as tough as it is going to get. But I have been pretty prepared for tomorrow, and I feel if I am playing the same way that I have been playing the last two matches, I definitely have a chance.

STEFAN EDBERG: It could be the case. Yeah, I think so. I mean, I get --

STEFAN EDBERG: Yeah, there is no hard feelings out there. In most cases I let the umpire do the work because that is the best way for me to stay focused. He goes and has a look at the ball mark. He makes the decision. Once he makes the decision, there is nothing you can do. It is pretty easy. On the clay, you can see whether the ball is good or not. It is different when you play on the hard court or something else; then it is a different story. But it pays out.

STEFAN EDBERG: Yeah, what happened in the second set. He actually played well. He played a really good game to break me, so you just have to tell yourself, okay, he played a good game. That is just too good, and I worked my way back because I always felt I had a chance to break his serve, because he doesn't really serve that well. So I felt quite comfortable. And even when I played, you know, when I was down 2-4, that was the only bad game that I really played today, when I lost my serve to go 4-2, but still I felt I was in the match, because I was pretty concentrated today and I never really felt threatened. It is different if you play somebody like, maybe, Sampras, Ivanisevic, you are down a break, then you tend to be a little bit more rushed.

STEFAN EDBERG: Yeah, perhaps. It is always nicer when it is a little bit quicker, but I don't mind playing when it is heavy like it has been in the last two days. It is just that you have to play a little different when it is heavy and as long as my legs are working well, it is not a problem whether it is heavier or dry, but I prefer when it is like today. I think that is nicer.

STEFAN EDBERG: No, I have no idea. Is that what he said? I mean, he has got a good backhand. Forehand, he makes more mistakes, but his backhand, he has got a really good feeling with, he can lob and slice, and do a lot of things.

STEFAN EDBERG: No.

STEFAN EDBERG: Not really. I think it always been a good shot of mine. I mean, backhand side is my strongest part of my game, where I can hit topspin; I can slice it, and I have actually been hitting my backhand pretty well the last two days; especially the slice because it is a good shot on the clay. It is very effective when I hit it like I have done the last two days.

STEFAN EDBERG: No, I don't think anybody can to be truthful. I need to play my game tomorrow because, you know, if he has you run around you are going to run around like a rabbit, so hopefully it won't happen to much. I think I need to come to the net against him. That is the only way to beat him.

STEFAN EDBERG: If you take a guy like Corretja, he actually comes to the net quite well. But he is not confident to do it because he is still young and he is still in the learning process. He should definitely learn to come to the net because it is so predictable when you play somebody like Corretja because you know he is not coming to the net, so there is not that much pressure and it is good as coming to the net on clay as any other surface as long as you come on the right shot, but that sometimes is the difficult thing.

STEFAN EDBERG: I don't know. I am happy I am there at the moment. I am going to be under pressure tomorrow when I am playing against Thomas, so it will happen sooner or later.

STEFAN EDBERG: No, I think it is just a matter of having had more time on the clay; played a few more matches now and I didn't really feel that good last week. But I am feeling a lot better this week. I am a lot sharper and I am moving a little bit better, so it makes all the difference in the world.

STEFAN EDBERG: There is a chance, but it is tiny, but as long as there is a chance, I will fight for it.