ATP TOUR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

November 11, 1997

Sergi Bruguera

Q. Sergi, you started to play so well in the first set, and then you retreated a little bit. What happened?

SERGI BRUGUERA: I think first set was very intense. I played really well, very good. I hit, had a lot of opportunities, 3-1 and 6-5, set point, then 6-4 in the tiebreak. I lost that set. Then I was feeling, you know, a little bit tired mentally. Then I take a little break. He came up. Then was difficult. I lost a little bit the rhythm of the match. And then I think the first set was very important for me.

SERGI BRUGUERA: No, that's a mistake. I was always here.

SERGI BRUGUERA: Because I was 7. It was the other one, he was always out, and in the last moment.

SERGI BRUGUERA: I thought I was going for sure because, Rios, it was very difficult for him. Kafelnikov has to win the tournament. Rios has to win the tournament, and he has to pick the right players to play. If he wouldn't play in the finals, he wouldn't play the semis with Filippini. , even if he win the tournament, he wouldn't be here. I thought it be difficult he play Filippini and Frana. Things were like this, no? For sure, I was not the best preparation. You have to expect that four players can lose. Then I was very nervous, you know, because -- I had a lot of illusions to play here because after all I heard, I was all the time the best five for the Masters until the last week, then there will be a place for me.

SERGI BRUGUERA: The States have two.

SERGI BRUGUERA: Now and before. I think we had very good year all the years, since long time. We make in '94, we make winner in final, we played two also. I think we making really well all the last, I think, seven years.

SERGI BRUGUERA: Well, I think it's completely a different competition. You play -- we have always -- if you can see the last Davis Cup, we lost the last I think five or six losses, we had always outside. It's difficult for us to play. For example, we play Germany, we play on grass. Normally we going to lose. We play the States outside, we going to lose. Then we play Sweden outside, indoors, they have better players than us. They play on the best conditions, the public. There's a lot of conditions. If Spain had the same chose as France, the first time they play at home all the matches, then it would be very surprising that Spain doesn't won the Davis Cup.