DAVIS CUP - SWEDEN vs USA

November 29, 1997

Nicklas Kulti

Q. Nicklas, last year of course the final was a very traumatic final for you. This year you and Jonas have won the Davis Cup for Sweden. How are you feeling?

NICKLAS KULTI: It feels great, especially from what happened last year. I mean, it's such a great feeling to come back to win it this year. It feels great.

JONAS BJORKMAN: How I feel (laughter)?

JONAS BJORKMAN: Easy question. Perfect. Can't feel much better. Everything has been going much better than I was hoping when I started this year. So it's just an incredibly nice feeling to sit here.

CAPTAIN HAGESKOG: Fantastic. When I see I have all the boys around me, they have done a fantastic year. It's an honor to be a captain of this team. Thank you.

CAPTAIN HAGESKOG: To play the Davis Cup, you have to have a good doubles team. And we have that. Of course, it's great. They also are good singles players. So, yeah.

CAPTAIN HAGESKOG: I think he has improved a lot, together with his coach. They made a fantastic job this year. Jonas has a much better serve now. His forehand has improved. His movement on the court. And also mentally, Jonas is great on the court right now.

JONAS BJORKMAN: (laughter).

CAPTAIN HAGESKOG: Don't tell them.

JONAS BJORKMAN: We talk a lot about where we're going to put the serve and the returns. Then we are pushing each other a lot. That's about it.

JONAS BJORKMAN: Well, it wouldn't be too bad to beat the Americans 5-Love. I think that will hurt them a lot. Definitely it's something to try and hopefully make.

JONAS BJORKMAN: Well, it could have been a good finish to finally beat him after losing I don't know how many times it is. But definitely it would have been nice.

A win is a win, no matter who it is against, it's a nice feeling.

JONAS BJORKMAN: No. I mean, we done well in the last couple years. Since that, you always put the plans with the schedule, with the Davis Cup in it. So when I'm starting my year, I put the Davis Cup weeks in. If we not manage to make it, then I see what I do with it. So from the beginning, it's in the schedule. It's your priority, is that correct?

JONAS BJORKMAN: Well, yeah, more or less. It's the same plan like towards all the other tournaments. You put the Davis Cup into your own schedule with the ATP Tour events.

CAPTAIN HAGESKOG: They have a tough job on the bench (laughter). We celebrate tomorrow evening.

CAPTAIN HAGESKOG: The secret behind it is we have a good organization in Swedish tennis. The clubs are doing a great job. We are a small country, so tennis is popular. So all the kids, they want to play tennis. Another secret is that we have always a good team, good players.

THOMAS ENQVIST: Well, you can't be disappointed when you won 3-Love. I'm proud to have the guys the way they were playing today, yesterday. I'm very happy.

THOMAS ENQVIST: Well, hopefully we can do well in Davis Cup. I'm looking forward to being part of the team.

THOMAS ENQVIST: I had a really tough year. Going to do my best to play well and get back.

CAPTAIN HAGESKOG: I saw it about 50/50 -- 70/70 (laughter). It's five open matches, as I saw it. We were tough for the first three.

CAPTAIN HAGESKOG: I think it's both of these. I think a lot of young players, they watch this weekend and they see all the guys. A lot of kids here in Goteborg has been here watching the practice. I think that makes them think that, "Once in my lifetime, I want to be there as a Jonas Bjorkman, Stefan Edberg, Magnus Larsson, Thomas Enqvist." I think it's both.