COMPAQ GRAND SLAM CUP

December 7, 1993

Stefan Edberg

STEFAN EDBERG: I came here Sunday morning, so I have been here for a couple of days, which I think is helpful; you get used to the conditions.

STEFAN EDBERG: I mean looking at myself, it is the last tournament for me for the year. For me it is a good opportunity this year to play matches here because I feel I need it. I needed to play here this year. It is a little bit more relaxed here, obviously, because there is no points you are fighting for or defending, so it is actually - it is sort of nice to come here and play because I don't feel too much pressure, and this year is the first time I won a match here, so it makes me feel good, and I quite like it.

STEFAN EDBERG: Once you have a baby you have a lot of responsibility. It does change for everybody. It is a good change for me because I wanted to start a family, so it is something new for me; something which makes me happy, and hopefully in the long run it is going to have a good effect object my tennis, too. I feel it is the right time.

STEFAN EDBERG: Well, it is hard to tell why this year hasn't been great, because it hasn't -- because you sort of compare with the last couple of years, which has been nearly perfect for me. I think it comes a time where you are going to run into a little bit of trouble, and that has happened this year, and I have been playing some good tennis, but I haven't played well enough to win enough tournaments. I have only won one tournament this year, which is an all time low. But I am still No. 5 in the world. It is the 9th consecutive year I am in the top, so that was a goal when I started, and it is a goal for next year. I just hope that I will improve a little bit. I just need to play five, ten percent better; then I really can start competing at the top again. Maybe next year will be a bit more relaxed for myself. Because I am coming back after having had - what I considered - not a good year. Maybe some of the pressure will be-- will not be there next year. I am still quite hopeful for next year. It is not the end of the world that I have had a bad year. That is going to happen to anybody. So that is going to motivate me for next year.

STEFAN EDBERG: It is hard to tell because I really didn't play well up 'till I had the baby, and actually I played some of the best tennis now in the last couple of months here than I have done all year, so I am feeling I am on the right track again. I played well in Paris. I didn't win it, but I did play very well in ATP Finals, too, but there is just a few points here and there missing where I need a little bit of luck, I need to have things start running for me, and I just need to turn the corner a little bit and I will be back playing well again. Do you need to translate all that?

STEFAN EDBERG: Well, I think it is a little bit different this year because I haven't played as much tennis the last couple of months than I have done in the past where I have really been exhausted coming here. This year is a little bit different where I feel I need to play this tournament because it is going to be good for the start of next year and obviously I took some time off after the ATP Finals because I needed to, because you can't keep going every week. I took a week off completely, didn't hardly do anything, in terms of you know, jogging or anything. But I have been hitting the last week and trying to focus on doing well here. So I am coming in here pretty relaxed and I still believe that I am hitting the ball pretty well, so I am quite hopeful.

STEFAN EDBERG: Oh, all of it. All of it. They have tried to come up with something which is different from everything else, which it is, and I like it, some people like it. Some people don't. But I feel good in it.