EUROCARD OPEN

October 28, 1998

Boris Becker

BORIS BECKER: You always get hope when you are on the court, otherwise you shouldn't be on the court. In the first set I had the feeling that I should win this one.

We have had some interesting matches together. The last match was in Melbourne where I lost in five sets against him. He has become one of the best players during the past years.

The breaks I take must not get any longer, otherwise it will get difficult. I only started to practice five days ago so for me it is very surprising that I won my first two matches here.

The best 50 players of the world are here. The Top-10 players are here and that is reason enough for me to play here. The fact that I cannot qualify for Hannover anymore is annoying, but it is reality.

I didn't stop playing because I wasn't good enough anymore, but because I didn't want to play any longer. I didn't want this rush of 15 tournaments per year. I am happy to play the way I am playing now. The chances that I will play here again are not very high, but you never know.

A win is always a win. It doesn't matter whether you are 17, 25 or 31 years old. That plays a secondary role on your career level. The body hurts a bit more now after the match. But my heart is still young.

I will play Bercy and Stockholm. Then I will try and play a couple of matches before the Davis Cup, but my ideal scenario would be that I would not have to play Davis Cup, but we will see that.