THE LIPTON CHAMPIONSHIPS

March 24, 1995

Jonas Bjorkman

GREG SHARKO: Reaching the semi finals Jonas will be expected to hit the top 30 next week which will be a career high for him. Questions for Jonas.

Q. First set was obviously fun. After that was a bit of a lesson or what.

JONAS BJORKMAN: I don't know if it was a lesson. First set I enjoyed the first set. It was good fun to play. But I was I had a tough match against Braasch and he is playing his game is tough and I think after that I was struggling with my technique and against Mats I was more like a match that I was fighting mentally and I came back strong and that is why I won that match, I guess. And yesterday and today I haven't been feeling so well when I have been practicing I haven't been hitting the ball so well like I have been doing before. I don't know. When it goes wrong against Pete, then you start thinking a lot and at that time it is not so easy to play Pete.

Q. Having to play an extra match here because you are not seeded and spend can another couple of hours on the court. Do you think that was a factor tonight build up of fatigue.

JONAS BJORKMAN: I don't think so. I am used to playing a lot of matches. I enjoy to play a lot of matches, so I think that is okay for me. When you play Pete, then you just have to you have to play well if you are going to have a little chance and I didn't do that the second and third sets, so...

Q. Do you think the results here might have any bearing on who might play in the Davis Cup.

JONAS BJORKMAN: If I would have a chance to for the singles?

Q. Yes.

JONAS BJORKMAN: Maybe not if August school check results after the third set. I don't know if I had a bad preparation looking at the golf today when Alfred son was plus 18 after 2 rounds, so it was like my first set, then the next two rounds was bad, manager Larsson is playing well for the moment he is probably the No. 1 in Sweden right now and he is the one who has been challenge both Andre and Pete for the moment, so he will play and it is tough to take away Stefan, I guess, he have a lot of experience and I think he have won seven or eight matches against Muster so his game is good against Muster, so I would prepare for the doubles.

Q. After having won the first set did you hope for Sampras might be getting a bit shaky and nervous and why do you think he didn't?

JONAS BJORKMAN: Yeah, is why he didn't is because he is No. 1 in the world. He has been there before. He has been losing a lot of matches when he has been losing the first set, so he is used to that, I mean, he is just keep playing and, you know, waiting for me to make the mistakes, so that is not a big surprise. It is more that it is a surprise that if I can keep playing as well as I did in the first set.

Q. I don't know that is do you get the feeling with the other players that now with Sampras an Agassi there is a little gap or a big gap from the top.

JONAS BJORKMAN: You mean, these two guys from our guys?

Q. Yes.

JONAS BJORKMAN: If you look at their results for this year you can see that these two guys are probably -- yeah, the one who has been dominating the men's tennis right now. The winning the final in the Australian Open and they have been in the finals in the other tournaments here, so they are probably are a little bit better than the other guys for the moment, but hopefully it will be a few other guys who are coming back now so maybe it will be closer later on.

Q. Did it take even Pete's serve about a foot or so insight the baseline, is this a technique you use in all your matches for.

JONAS BJORKMAN: That is what I normally do when I play my matches, so I feel that good to take the ball early, so that is my game.

Q. Did it give you confidence to see Magnus doing well against Agassi too this afternoon?

JONAS BJORKMAN: Yeah, it always helps a little with it to see that Andre and Pete is not impossible to beat, so of course it gave me a little bit of positive thinking that, you know, if you play well, then you have a chance to win, so, a little bit it is helped, yeah.

Q. What about Mats Wilander you played him yesterday. Could you think there is this gap because you doesn't play as fast as you do or other guys do?

JONAS BJORKMAN: What do you mean?

Q. That this playing not that fast?

JONAS BJORKMAN: That his game is not so fast?

Q. Yeah, might hinder him from really going back to the top 30, maybe.

JONAS BJORKMAN: You never know with Mats. Right now he is maybe practicing more golf than tennis, so he is enjoying his game and he have fun, so if he want to really try and try to go up to the top again, he may be will have a chance to reach the top 30, but I am not sure if he is so motivated for that.

Q. Are you among the Swedes who will play Coral Springs.

JONAS BJORKMAN: No. I enjoy my I will enjoy the tournaments in the states I have my best results here, but I have to be in Europe a little bit to play the tournaments there also.

Q. Until this year you have been better known for doubles. You had some good results second half of last year. Had you set any singles target ranking-wise this year or are you now exceeding it perhaps already or what.

JONAS BJORKMAN: Sharko said here I probably would reach the top 30, so that was the goal I had for this year, so just have to put up a new goal and try to reach the top 20 for the end of this year now and think positive; work hard and keep going and then hopefully you can do that.

GREG SHARKO: Anything else?

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