REPUBLIC NATIONAL MONTE CARLO OPEN

April 25, 1998

Richard Krajicek

Q. Did you think you had him?

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Yeah, I mean, through the whole match basically. First set I thought, How much longer can I miss these easy volleys? Then at 5-4, I didn't miss them. I was able to break him. He played pretty decent. I played not so good. 2-1, unbelievably easy volley to go 40-Love. Overhead at 30-All. Basically in control the whole match. Then at 4-2, he even starts going to the net. I really didn't know what I had to do anymore. I just let him off the hook. Yeah, just missed a couple of shots from the back maybe. But the thing today was that I volleyed the worst I can recall, I mean even worse than against Tim in the fourth set of Wimbledon last year. Pretty bad.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: No, I don't think so. I think I mixed it up well. I cannot come in all the time. I started coming in a little bit less maybe in the third set because he just jumped on top of the return with his double-handed backhand. I kept him guessing a little bit. It wasn't the style of play. A couple of times high volleys, just any kind of volley, I wasn't sure if I was going to win the point. I mean, normally I feel pretty good at the net. Today, I know it's clay, so the ball should come back a little bit more often, but that was a shame. Just didn't perform as well at the net as I should. I should have put even more pressure on his passing shots. I have a better chance of making a volley if he's missing them also. If I was volleying a little bit better, maybe he was going for more, he maybe would have missed a couple more passing shots on top of it.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Yeah. I think last year after the first set, I think we were even in the third. Now I was 4-2 up. I should have double broken him at 4-2 to go 5-2 up. In the whole match, I felt tennis-wise - maybe the end of the second set, but then I was already concentrating on the third set - but the rest of the match I felt pretty much in control with my game, I was dictating the points: I was the one that who was coming in, I was the one making the play in general. I had the feeling that most of the time he had to come up with the big passing shots or I missed a relatively easy forehand or just a relatively easy volley for him to win the point. So I thought it was either he hit an unbelievable shot or I did something stupid is basically how he won his points. That's why I felt more in control. Score-wise I was also in control in the third set.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Tight?

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Well, maybe at 4-3. At 5-4, not really. But at 4-3, yeah, you know, it's getting closer. I knew I was just one more game away from new balls. Yeah, I really felt that was it is biggest game of the match for me. I thought if I would be make it to 5-3, then one game, new balls, I thought I was going to serve it out. Yeah, I think I was more tight than the rest of the match in that eighth game of the third.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: That was the previous question.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Other way around. I come to England a little bit later. Third tournament on clay and you ask me what my preparation is for grass (laughter).

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Yeah.