ATP TOUR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

November 17, 1994

Sergi Bruguera

SERGI BRUGUERA: About what?

SERGI BRUGUERA: What did they say?

SERGI BRUGUERA: Well, I think he is one of the few players that win the World Championship from the Grand Slam. I think he take more points than anybody, and he deserves to be here because he played much better than all the others.

SERGI BRUGUERA: If it was, Alberto, he would not play the tournaments on indoors that he play because first round, even I think he will be more up because he just played clay tournaments, he will be more up even because he is one of the best players in the world in clay and I think it is much tougher to play well on clay. And also with his size, that normally it is tough to serve well, and I think he serve better for him than almost everybody, and I think he is a huge player to play and I think nobody likes to play him on clay.

SERGI BRUGUERA: On hard court, you can ask Chang was losing 6-1, 3-1, 15-40 against Alberto on hard court, so I don't think it is nice to play either him on hard court.

SERGI BRUGUERA: I can tell you I prefer to play everybody else than Alberto on clay.

SERGI BRUGUERA: Well, I am in the semis. For me, it is a huge result to play semifinals in the ATP Tour, and to be in semifinal for me is okay no matter who I play. I think I am going to try -- you cannot get good draw if you are in the semifinal in these events, so it doesn't matter who I am going to play. It will be a great player.

SERGI BRUGUERA: I don't know. I think Becker has the best chance because he has two wins already and he is playing great tennis, and Sampras, Ivanisevic always tough to know. Goran, if he serves the way he normally does, it is almost impossible to break him, so you have to go to the tiebreak, and I don't know, maybe I bet for maybe Becker and Sampras, but it is championships only.

SERGI BRUGUERA: I think Bercy is also tough tournament to play. I went two times to the semis, but here is the best eight, and it is more special, and maybe it is my best achievement out of clay.

SERGI BRUGUERA: Well, it depends on how I feel at the moment, and it depends how is the ball. Normally I used to come a few times, but normally I didn't make with Chang because he is one of the best players, and it is tough to go to the net with him. So, I prefer to stay back and control the point, and I came also a lot with Chang, but sometimes I came with very good shots. So, with him, I have to volley and here maybe I came with not as good shot and then I have to make volleys. I don't know. It depends on the match or how you feel to go to the net. Sometimes you feel more comfortable or sometimes you don't feel it, you prefer to stay back.

SERGI BRUGUERA: There is no difference because I think the only thing you can do is to practice on the surface you are going to play. It is the only thing; the only way you can improve. That is what I did. I play much more tournaments on hard court indoor than on clay this year. I play eight events on clay and the others I played 24 with this one and all the others was on hard court or indoor, and last year it was all the same, I played a lot of indoors and hard courts and I think it is the only thing that you can improve playing matches to learn about your losses and to get the rhythm of the other players in that court; see what they do to win the points and to receive the ball, the bounce, the way you have to move so different; I think the only way is to play on the surface.

SERGI BRUGUERA: I just play on hardcourt on the off-season. We have no hardcourts, but my father take his academy and then we build eight hard courts.

SERGI BRUGUERA: Like similar as U.S. Open.

SERGI BRUGUERA: Yeah. Then I practice there all the month.

SERGI BRUGUERA: No. If when I am back after Indian Wells -- after Key Biscayne, I practice on clay because I have --

SERGI BRUGUERA: Yeah, even when I start, for example, Australian, I was practicing on clay until my father build the hardcourts.

SERGI BRUGUERA: Well, I think I am doing much better every time and I am 23, so I have so many years to improve my game on the other surface. I make round of 16 in all the other three, in Wimbledon, Australia and U.S. Open, and in the French Open, until I play like three, four years and I didn't pass round of 16 and suddenly I won the tournament. I think, for me, the best event to win would be Australia because the bounce is much higher. The other people get tired and with my conditioning, maybe I have a better chance, but it is tough to go there well prepared if you play all the season because normally the people just play the clay court season, but I cannot do it and then I get a little bit tired at the end of the year because also I want to play a lot of indoors. When I go back to Spain I play on hardcourt; then it is so tough to adjust my game another time to indoor and then I prefer to keep playing and then maybe next year I will try to prepare my schedule for to go to Australia because I like the tournament there.