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EUROCARD OPEN

October 30, 1999

Thomas Enqvist

Stuttgart, Germany

ATP: Thomas is here. He'll make sure that the European domination with the Eurocard Open continues. Questions, please.

Q. That must have been a very pleasant afternoon's work for you.

THOMAS ENQVIST: Yeah. I'm very happy. I think I played one of my best matches so far this year. I knew before the game that I have to be really, really playing a hundred percent to have a chance to win. I think I did that today.

Q. He played a very good second set. What was going through your mind going into the third?

THOMAS ENQVIST: Well, I just enjoy my tennis so much out there today. It's a lot of fun to go out, play the best player in the world. Obviously, I'm in very good shape, so I have nothing to lose, just go out and go for my shots. Even if I lost the second set, I enjoyed myself, and think I'm playing very, very well.

Q. Is being in very good shape the key to it? You've had quite a lot of injury problems, haven't you? Is that why you're playing so well?

THOMAS ENQVIST: Actually, this year I've been okay. I haven't been injured so much. A little bit lately, I had some problem with my back. This year I've been pretty much injury-free and been able to be practicing hard. I really needed this good week here because I've been feeling I've been playing better the last months and haven't been really winning matches. When you're playing well and you lose, it's frustrating. It's very important for me that I played well here this week.

Q. When you went to the Australian Open final, it looked to be going well. Apart from Key Biscayne, you haven't done anything this year. Do you have an explanation for that?

THOMAS ENQVIST: Tough to say, because I haven't done anything differently. I've been working very hard, and I've been hitting the ball pretty good. I had a disappointing summer season in the States, which I play pretty good. I think that's one of the times of the year I'm going to look back pretty disappointing, I suppose. After that, I've been playing pretty good tennis. So many players out there, you can play well and still lose in the first round. Sometimes you win them; sometimes you lose them.

Q. You were able to more than hold your own in the counter-hitting rallies, which he's normally so good at. Is that something that you expected to be able to do against him?

THOMAS ENQVIST: Well, I've been playing him before. Usually I've been able to stay up with him pretty good on the baseline. But, I mean, he's very, very tough. Today I think I moved and I played extremely well. I had a good chance.

Q. If you look at your record against him, you won six out of nine. Is there anything he does that suits your game?

THOMAS ENQVIST: It's tough to say. I've been playing him a couple of times when I've been having no chance also. You know, when you play him, you don't have any pressure on you. I just enjoy myself, go out there and go for my shots. I've been playing very well against him. I think all the time I've been playing him, even the times I've been losing, I feel I've been hitting the ball pretty good. That's the only explanation I can give you, I think, it's so much fun to go out and play him. I've been able to play him at the right tournaments when I'm in good shape.

Q. How much is Hannover on your mind?

THOMAS ENQVIST: I haven't been thinking about it actually too much. Like I said, I haven't been winning so much lately. I've been more concentrating on trying to get back and to be in some matches. I'm happy I could do it this week.

Q. Whatever happens tomorrow, you're now in a good position to battle for one of those last places?

THOMAS ENQVIST: Yes, it's going to be a lot of fun. We have a big final tomorrow and another big tournament in Paris next week. Of course, I'm going to do my best to have a chance to go there.

Q. You've done well enough there in the past.

THOMAS ENQVIST: Yes.

Q. What's, in your opinion, the key for you to play well? Is it mostly in the mind?

THOMAS ENQVIST: It's tough to say. I think it's important for me to win a lot of matches and to get a lot of matches under my belt. I've been struggling a little bit when I start to lose to, you know, get back. I've been playing well, but when I lose, I have a little bit problem to turn that thing around. It could go longer than it should do before I play well again. That's the one thing we have to try to work on, and we do. Usually when I get some matches in my body, I play good.

Q. Is that the best match you've played against Agassi, do you think?

THOMAS ENQVIST: It's so tough to say. But today it feels like that, yeah.

Q. Talk about playing Krajicek tomorrow.

THOMAS ENQVIST: Well, it's going to be a lot of fun, too. Big Super 9 final. I'm looking forward for it. It's going to be a totally different game. He's a serve and volleyer. Usually I like to play serve-and-volley players. I usually do pretty well. It depends a little bit how we both serve, I think. If you can try to get all of your serves, I think you have a good chance.

Q. Do you feel that he is the favorite, or do you think it's open from the beginning?

THOMAS ENQVIST: I think on the paper he's the favorite. But I know when I go out on the court that I have a good chance.

Q. You were just mentioning how it's hard for you after a defeat to turn the page. How much did the loss in the final of the Australian Open affect you?

THOMAS ENQVIST: Not as much as when I was losing a little bit in the States this summer, because I was working very, very hard before I went there. I had really high expectation because I usually do very well there. I didn't win a lot of matches. That was a tough part of the year for me. But I think after that, I've been playing some good tennis. I think I've been hitting the ball really well after that. It was nice to see that I could, you know, go for it here.

Q. When you got to Australia in January, you were the fourth player on the Tour. You won the first tournament, you had won at Kooyong, got to the Australian Open final. What did you do in coming up from this time last year after the tournament was finished? Did you work pretty much solidly or did you rest?

THOMAS ENQVIST: At this time last year?

Q. Yes.

THOMAS ENQVIST: At this time last year I just came back from my surgery on my foot. I was not a hundred percent fit this time last year.

Q. So December, rather than the time of rest, was a time of working pretty hard?

THOMAS ENQVIST: Yes.

Q. After doing this well at the tail end of the season, will you rest or will you do the same thing again?

THOMAS ENQVIST: I'm not going to change a thing, I think (laughter). I'm going to try to do the same.

End of FastScriptsâ€¦.

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