MONTE CARLO OPEN

April 21, 1997

Arnaud Boetsch

Q. What connection can you make between your last match at Key Biscayne and here?

ARNAUD BOETSCH: After Key Biscayne, I took a step back. I told myself, "I'm going to prepare again to play on clay; I have to start that season, and it has to go better." It was a difficult tournament for me. After, we worked for two weeks. We went one week in Aix-en-Provence where the weather was wonderful. We played on clay and I started to adapt. Then we came one week before this tournament here. I started to play sets for training. That was my first match on clay. I feel more into the competition. I was pleased to win that match because it was difficult. I was afraid before the match. I was tense. It's always awkward. We never know what can happen, clay, with wind. Your reference points are different than indoors. I am not yet a specialist of clay. I don't know if I will become one day such a specialist. There were many things that explained that I was tense.

ARNAUD BOETSCH: It was difficult after Rotterdam and Copenhagen, I was not really fit. I wanted to be really fit. I was frustrated. I spent some time with my family to forget about all that and to start again with a lot of energy. After Key Biscayne, I was a little bit down.

ARNAUD BOETSCH: I can't really say that I was scared. I started off well. He was making more mistakes. The rallies were lasting a bit longer afterwards. I don't know if he was making less mistakes, but the match averaged out. Then you miss a match point, you start a third set, and the match seems out of your hands, but at the same time it was good for me. If I had won 6-1, 6-1, it would have been great, of course. But during this match, I was a bit pushed, and this was good for me. It was nice to have the public behind me, it was good. It motivates me. It's pleasant. For the next match, we will see what's going to happen.

ARNAUD BOETSCH: Yes.

ARNAUD BOETSCH: Yes, exactly. I didn't feel ready to go to Barcelona. We had been working for a week already, and with Eric, we said we are going to start the tournaments when things are going to be better. I'm not saying that now I'm a genius, but it's a lot better. I'm into it.

ARNAUD BOETSCH: I had the feeling that I had to forget the beginning of the season. I had to make myself fit again and start afresh. I don't like feeling down. I was tired at the time. I didn't want it to keep on going that way. I'm not feeling that I have to run after tournaments now. I don't want to play tournament after tournament just to tell myself that I'm into the circuit. Now I want to please myself when I play. Because whether you are 40th, 50th or 30th, it's the same. I was not stressed. It was not like I had to accumulate a few points to remain within the top 50. I was not stressed. We took our time with Eric. We could even have had an extra week of rest. I could have started in Flushing Meadows and have a few months' rest. We had two weeks, and that was nice.

ARNAUD BOETSCH: I didn't feel like I should give some excuses or say I played poorly because I lack some matches, et cetera. No, I don't care about that. I'm taking what is coming. I am 43rd or 40th. I want to please myself. It was an exciting match today because it was very spicy in the end. I shouldn't play like that all the time. I'm not sure I would be able to come out of it every day.

ARNAUD BOETSCH: I was surprised. I feel he was not feeling well. I missed two forehands. I was furious with myself. Then he says, "We're going to have a three-minute break." I thought it was not possible. I didn't have time to forget about my two mistakes. This rule is incredible. I lost a breakpoint on a bad bounce. He shot a few lines. There were points like that. Now he's taking three minutes' break. That was the utmost. But I was not shocked more than the rest. Maybe I prefer the former rule.

ARNAUD BOETSCH: Before it was normal to say to the guy, "Sorry, you have a loss of condition, it's part of the game. The other one has less cramps than you, he's better than you, so that's how it is." It's like a player who has a big serve and another player who has a bad serve. It's part of the game. I preferred the rule when you said you can do nothing against cramps, you have to finish the match.

ARNAUD BOETSCH: He plays well. He's clever. He makes me think about Nystrom. With his backhand, he's very clever. He has a talented backhand. He plays well. I almost lost that match, so he plays very well. He qualified, he beat good players. He's quite young and he certainly can play even better. I hope he's going to come up among the Top 100 and play well, so then I will be able to say I played against a good player.