REPUBLIC NATIONAL MONTECARLO OPEN

April 23, 1998

Boris Becker

Q. Boris, this may sound a stupid question, but how much does the fact that you're a part-time player now affect the quality of your game? You probably feel less pressure yourself, so does it help, the fact that you don't consider yourself a full-time player now?

BORIS BECKER: You know, I was coping with pressure very well when I considered myself a full-time professional, so I don't think that matters at all. I mean, the problem is I realized I have four tournaments this year. I have, I don't know, five, six matches maybe. That's a problem sometimes. It was a problem in my first match or two, I'll say my first match. I haven't been on such a big court with an ambience like here in a long time. It actually has bad -- it's actually bad for me that I'm not playing full-time anymore. I cannot produce matches like today often.

BORIS BECKER: Yes. I've been coming here when I was 15 or 16. I won the junior tournament. I've been coming here for many years. I have an apartment here, not far away from the club. I have lots of friends, lots of familiar faces around. That's why I always am happy to come back.

BORIS BECKER: You make a good draw. There's no such thing as a good or a bad draw. I mean, we've seen Sampras playing Agassi. You thought it was a difficult draw. Now you have Santoro the next day, he makes two games. Tennis is a funny sport sometimes. In an event like that, there are no easy matches, regardless who it is.

BORIS BECKER: I have to. I mean, the court announcer told me, it was my first quarterfinal since last year Wimbledon. You can imagine, I'm not looking far at all. I'm taking each match as it comes. I'm trying to produce my best tennis, then go from there. That was my attitude a long time ago, and that's my attitude right now.

BORIS BECKER: People underestimate the fact that I'm pretty good on clay, as well. I mean, I may not be a Grand Slam winner, but I'm a finalist of this tournament three times. Lots of other players have to do that first. Physically, if I'm physically fit, if I'm patient enough, I'm pretty good on clay, too. Against a player like Philippoussis, I knew that from the back, I'm better. He may have a harder serve. But if I'm able to move him around, play dropshots, play around, I have a good chance. That's what I did. My level of play was obviously good. You know, I was able to do all that.

BORIS BECKER: Last year I lost here first round, so obviously it's better than last year. It depends so much on a number of things, the draw, the particular moment you're in, the tournament you played before. You know, obviously right now I'm very pleased to be in the quarterfinal of the Monte-Carlo Open. I didn't think beforehand, "It's clay, I have to be careful." I have to be careful anywhere because I haven't played. You have to be careful even on grass for me, the first round. The surface wasn't important for me.

BORIS BECKER: I try, you know. It's going to be a different match. If I'm able to play my type of game. He doesn't like it either. He prefers somebody staying back and playing 15 times, which I'm not going to do. It's a matter of him putting his game on top of mine. Physically, I wasn't pushed so far -- too much today. So I should be fine tomorrow. But it's going to be a tough match. He's the best player on clay this year so far. You know, it's going to be a real test for me how far I'm away from the best player on clay right now.

BORIS BECKER: I have lots of ideas about that concept. In general, that's one of the most beautiful places to play tennis. It would be wrong to downgrade it in any way. . How we going to put that new concept from the year 2000, 2001 in the works, which tournaments have to suffer, which not, I think you have to look at the broad picture, which tournaments are really special, you know, which have a centre court and an ambiance which make them very unique. You have to look at the surfaces. You have to look at the amount of huge tournaments we should have. Then we should decide. But that's definitely one of the best ones we have all year.

BORIS BECKER: You know, the story is much more than cutting it from 9 to 8. You know, you have to make it a season where a tournament like that has its place. You know, you have to create a ranking system that everybody has to play that type of tournament. That's not a question of 9 or 8 or 7. You know, you have to create a whole tour, including the Grand Slams, where everybody has to play. I hope that Monte-Carlo is one of them.

BORIS BECKER: Oh, very much (laughter).

BORIS BECKER: You know, he's a very smart player, intelligent man. Coming from such a hype of the Agassi match, which he played very good, to come next day and to play Fabrice Santoro, from a mental point of view, is not easy. Plus, he's a very difficult player on clay. He moves well, he runs well, has good groundstrokes. But it's a learning process at this moment. But by the time the French Open comes, I believe he's ready. He plays every week now on the clay. That's all the buildup for him for the French. I don't think he expected here to win, but he is here for the French Open. It would surprise me if he would lose again 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 to Santoro.