MONTE CARLO OPEN

April 25, 1997

Richard Krajicek

Q. Richard, until those two breakpoints slipped away in the first game of the second set, things couldn't have gone better, you could hardly have played better. Why do you think things changed from there on?

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Physically I wasn't in good shape today. Already at 4-1 in the first set, actually before the match, I felt a little bit sleepy; not too happy in general. I got tired pretty quick. I was rushing, trying to finish the points off quickly. Then as soon as I got a break down in the second, I just rested, started to use all my energy in the third. But, still, I was just playing quick points. It's just tough to play on clay. It's just different moving. It normally takes about two weeks for me really to get used to it. I noticed it today especially.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Yeah. I mean, from the beginning, it's so rude. In the beginning, you can laugh about it. After a couple of games, you expect that the people have eaten and they've finished talking and should watch the match or go home, I don't know. I just think it's rude. If you say something, then they don't care. Telephone goes off. They don't turn it off. They pick it up and start talking. It's a joke sometimes.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: That people pick up the phone, I don't see that too often. The phone goes off, that happens everywhere. Most of the time they switch it off.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Can't think of a place. Normally, it's behind glass. The weather is so nice here it's logical that the restaurant is outside. I mean, it's nice the way it's done, you can sit, eat, watch. You should maybe show a little respect to the players. I don't think they really did that.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: I don't know what they think. They maybe think, at least in the beginning, it's so far away that you cannot hear them. That's what I thought before also, that you're up there, no way they can hear you. After I asked and they still don't, they're not quiet, I don't know what they think. You should ask them.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Yeah, I asked him.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: The umpire says: "Richard says it's noisy." It's like, "You don't think it's noisy? Am I the only one?" He asked me what he has to do. Shoot them if you have to. I mean, it's normal that there's a little bit of noise. I thought it was really, really noise.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: We have the new rules, in the second ring you can move, only people right behind the court. If they stand up and move, you ask them to sit down. I thought it was really, really loud. Just stay a little bit more quiet, it's okay. Seems like somebody can say something. There was a constant conversation of 300 people sitting up there and laughing out loud. I almost wanted to ask them if I was bothering them that I was playing there. Maybe I should stop playing, so they could continue with their conversation. That's not the reason I lost. But, when things are not going so well, you notice those things a little bit more. You get annoyed by it.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: I think a combination of two things, at least on the physical side, was the traveling and also that it's my first couple days on clay. Normally it takes, like I said, about two weeks before you really get used to moving, that your legs don't get heavy anymore. I was lucky my first two matches. I played quick matches, less than an hour, points went quick. Today I knew it was going to be more difficult, knew I wouldn't get so many free points. He's a good player. I'm not afraid of anybody on clay. I think I can rally with anybody. The problem today was that I knew I couldn't rally because it would be too much. I was rushing a little bit. Then I missed a little bit more than I wanted to. Still, I played okay. A shame. If I would have broken him the first game in the second, maybe I could have come through and finished the match off. It just didn't happen like that. The third set, I thought it was good play. He just played a few better shots on big points.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Yes. But, normally, I would be a little bit slower at coming in. I would come in a lot still, but this was also another reason I was overdoing it sometimes. For sure, against these guys, you have to keep the rallies short. There's always a couple of rallies that you can stay back. I mean, it's not like they hit the ball so hard. They hit a lot of spin, hit deep. I'm not afraid of that. I know I can rally with them. I just wanted to come in and play short points to keep the points short.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Yes.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Normally, last year I played Asia, the two years before I played on the claycourt circuit, so then I came here already in the beginning of March, like half March, after Key Biscayne to come here. End of the year I come here. Generally, there's no indoor courts here, so, for the indoor season, I cannot practice here. Claycourt practice, end of the year practice, I do here.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: It's very nice, actually.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Claycourt players, Spanish players.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: I don't know. I mean, he has a kick serve, all Spanish players play kick serve. Runs around his backhand. Especially his backhand, he takes a bit quicker. That's about the only difference. He slides the same way, hits the forehand from an open stance, if he can. You know, about the only thing is, a lot of Spanish players, isn't easy to play against them because I kick them out wide, I close in. By the time the ball gets to them, they're five meters behind the baseline, I'm to the net. He was taking the ball quicker and giving me less time to come in.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: No. Maybe he takes the return quicker. I mean, he does it consistently. Sergi sometimes stays back, sometimes steps in. He's also a quick player and he's from Barcelona.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: That 15-All point, it was very important, to go 30-15 up. It would be a different story. I thought I had him on the one before, the forehand down the line. He got it back. Absolutely no pace on it, on the net level. I could only place it, couldn't punch it away. I just hit the top of the tape, top of the net. That was a shame. The one at 15-Love, I must have looked completely the other way. He showed me a mark this far wide. I thought it touched the line, but I couldn't find another mark. Must have been something wrong with my contacts today.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: I think they've improved, again, on that. In the beginning they were all far back, also on the return of serve. Just had to kick serve them and come in, basically chop them up, slice, down-the-line, short, deep, come in. Now, you have guys like Moya and Bruguera does it already. He steps in for the return; doesn't allow you to come in anymore. There are still some players that stay back. That's a little bit of the old Spanish way. But the new, younger ones coming up, I think they take the ball quicker. They've learned from the past. What I always noticed from the claycourters, they have great shots from the back, but terrible passing shots. You think if they're so good from the baseline, they must have good passing shots. They're used to a ball a meter and a half over the net. Now they've really worked on their passing shot game. They also sometime comes in themselves, more aggressive.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Yes. You see it now. They make also hardcourt results.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: It's tough with the big swings, especially on the forehand side. The backhand side of most of those guys are good enough to play on any surface. Here already on the clay, if you serve to the forehand, they block it, already get caught late on the clay. On grass, it must be hard. Still, Sergi played last year or two years ago, played a great match, beat Rafter. I think they can play. Sooner or later, they'll start to work out the grass. They worked out the hardcourts. They'll just work hard to make a lot of hours. If you make a lot of hours, that's already a big plus. If you get good coaching on every surface, you can go a long way on every surface.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Not yet. Maybe a couple more tournaments like this, we going to make a new rule with the ATP that there be only five Spanish guys in the whole draw (laughter).

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Hamburg, Rome. Also the French - might as well (laughter).

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Yeah. I'm in Europe, so might as well.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Yes.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: No. Staying on the mainland.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Once he got upset when he missed quite an easy backhand pass. In general, he's very disciplined. That's also what I saw with Costa, Alberto Costa, he's also very mature for his age. Even now, sometimes I go crazy on the court. Then you could see my emotions much better. These guys are unbelievable. I don't know about Costa, but Moya I've seen before. He's a very fair player. When I look at him, he says the ball is wide, I really believe him. Very fair. He would never, no matter what the score is, would never take a point. The way he behaves on the court, I think that is a very big plus for the Spanish, those two. I don't know about the other ones very well. But, those two, I really see how well they are on the court. That's a very big plus for them.