REPUBLIC NATIONAL MONTE CARLO OPEN

April 22, 1998

Boris Becker

Q. Boris, would you say that was sort of a somewhat strange but interesting match? It fluctuated so much.

BORIS BECKER: Yeah. You know, for a couple matches last few days, that's what it's all about, on the clay. When you haven't seen matches there for a long time, like we all haven't, clay is that surface where anything can happen at any stage of the match. Even the easiest smashes sometimes seem very difficult. That's all part of the game. You have to try to find your concentration. You have to fight through it, find a way to win. That's what clay court is all about.

BORIS BECKER: I was actually stunned the first 15 minutes that he stayed back and looped the ball. I mean, I was paralyzed at the back and I couldn't play. All of a sudden it was 4-1. I really expected him to go in like Siemerink did on Monday, first, second serve. With his serve and volley game, on any surface, is going to be very difficult to play. When he decided to stay back, you know, it gave me all of a sudden a new dimension towards the match. I felt like I really had a chance. He came to the net a little bit more as the match went on, but in my opinion if he wants to have a serious chance, he has to come in all the time. There's no way around it.

BORIS BECKER: Oh, yes. It was fast today. The balls were bouncing very high. He has a great serve, not easy to return. You're always up here somewhere (indicating). Yes, but he has to play his game, like I'm trying to play my game.

BORIS BECKER: I mean, he chips it back. But you cannot do a whole lot with it. You cannot, because you have to do everything. But I think the rest of his game, you know, that's how he plays. He won a lot of matches on any other surface with that backhand, so I don't think the backhand is a problem. But even on my second serves, he never chipped and came in, once maybe. That's his game. So I was really surprised how the match went.

BORIS BECKER: Well, obviously, it's not easy. There are times when I have to do both in one day. But as long as I play tournaments, I'm trying to put the coaching aside, trying to concentrate on my performance, because that's what everybody, including me, came in this particular week. I have other things I do now, apart from playing my serve. That's why it's impossible for me to play every week, because of all the commitments. But, you know, as long as I can explain to everybody, "This week I'm trying to concentrate on my own game," put the other interests aside, I'll be okay. That's what I did at Davis Cup. I said, "Everybody, listen, I have to concentrate on my own game, to be able to find my form. Therefore, we have two other coaches who do the job."

BORIS BECKER: I mean, they're trying to do a lot of changes in tennis lately. Some are not necessary. The coaching aspect is something which could be interesting, in my opinion. I mean, you have it in any other sport. We do have a communication with coaches, even though they're on the sidelines. You know, it would be probably even better for everybody if they'd just sit on the bench next to you all the time. Why only after each set? It could make tennis altogether better because players could come back once they lose their mind, you know (laughter). That sometimes happens. I mean, on the other side, it's a disadvantage for those who have a good mind because that's part of tennis, to bring your opponent, to make him lose his mind. When he has a coach on the side who can always carry him, it sort of puts away one aspect. I mean, everything has pros and cons, I believe. I mean, I don't know why they want to do it in the first place.

BORIS BECKER: I mean, there was talk two or three years ago when they wanted to change the serve to one serve. I'm praying to God every day that Rios stays a long time at No. 1 so people realize it's not a power game, it wasn't five years ago, and it's not now. Tennis is much more complicated. Luckily, they stopped talking about tennis becoming too quick. That's not the case. Tennis is a very old sport. It has survived over a hundred years. Obviously, you have to make some changes along the way, which fit into the time and place we're in right now. But, you know, don't change the whole thing. It survived us.