ATP TOUR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

November 14, 1997

Michael Chang

Q. Michael, what was the main problem today? His speed? His aggressiveness?

MICHAEL CHANG: Well, I think Jonas obviously is a very talented player. He's one of the few players really who has an all-court game. He has a good serve, good volleys, very solid off the ground. He also can hurt you from different parts of the court. I thought today's match was pretty close. I had a few chances to get back into the match, particularly in the second set. I wasn't able to do that. Jonas was able to hang tough. At the end, he was just a little bit better than I was.

MICHAEL CHANG: Well, I think it's always going to mean something because this tournament here in Hannover is a very important tournament, very prestigious event. In Sweden, for Davis Cup, it's going to be a great tie. Sure, people are going to take this match into consideration because you always take into consideration the last matches that you've played. That's pretty much the way it's going to be, so.

MICHAEL CHANG: I don't think I've been really -- I don't think I've really been struggling with my motivation. It's just been struggling with my game a little bit. It's been pretty evident as far as my results have been concerned. Motivation really has never been a problem. I'm still eager to go out and work hard, both on and off the tennis court. Just, you know, my game hasn't been where I want it to be. It's been frustrating. But along the way, I've run into some good players who have been playing some very tough tennis.

MICHAEL CHANG: I think preparation will be a little bit different because it's going to be one of the first years where I really have this much time off. You know, in all my time that I've played on the professional tour, I don't think I've ever had five weeks off. I'm going to try to take advantage of it, put it to good use.

MICHAEL CHANG: I'm sorry?

MICHAEL CHANG: I'll probably go home for a little bit just to relax, take it easy a little bit. Hopefully, I'll come back out and be refreshed and ready to go and represent my country in the best way that I can.