ATP TOUR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

November 23, 1996

Boris Becker

BORIS BECKER: Yes. I, for some reason, couldn't focus 100% on the tennis court. I had my mind all over the place. And, I just got my concentration back in time. He had a big chance of a win today. But, I managed to, especially in the second set, when it came down to the dice, I managed to concentrate and managed to play better than in the first set. But, I shouldn't complain. I am very happy and thrilled to be in the final of the World Championship. Every match is tough and you cannot expect to go out everyday and just play up to your potential. The main thing is that you always got to try. You have always got to fight 'til the end and that is what I did today. And, that is why I won.

BORIS BECKER: Yeah, he served extremely well today and I really didn't have much of a chance. In the first set I had a couple of, you know, returns I could make for winners or passing shots. But, either I hit them too long or too short or my footwork wasn't perfect. So, I missed that and once he gets into his rhythm, it is very difficult to break him down. And, then, you know, in the tiebreaker, it is like going to the casino. With a serve like Richard anything can happen. He can serve seven aces and you have no chance. He made a doublefault like I did in the first set tiebreaker. And, when two players that close play each other, it is just a small error can make a difference. And, it went in my favor.

BORIS BECKER: Oh, no. I did watch a couple of matches. I watched Pete's with Alex and I watched the semifinals. No, I was at that time still playing maybe half an hour a day with pain and I didn't think at all that I would be qualified and not really thinking about the final, no.

BORIS BECKER: Well, the place is occupied for a couple of years now (audience laughter). But, you know, I could have had an unbelievable year starting with the Australian Open and if I stayed healthy I could have given Pete a good run for his money for the No. 1 spot. But, that is past. I have to look in the future. If I stay healthy - I use to be the No. 1 player and I think -- anybody who has ever been in that position has the potential, obviously. But, Pete is such an excellent player. You have Michael Chang. You have Goran. You have Kafelnikov. You have Richard. You have many others who are trying to climb higher in the ladder. Let us hope for a healthy 97 and I can play healthy the big ones.

BORIS BECKER: Well, the problem is not so much the tournament, but the computer system. It is the computer system where you only add up tournaments and the ones you play bad don't count and the 14 best count. That means you can play 30 and you can lose 16 times the first round, they don't count. So, unless they change the computer system, it is going to be a race like the last five years and the guy who is healthy enough or, you know, who picks the right tournaments or for whatever reason, he is the one who can finish in the top position or in the top five. But, of course, demands is great. We have a lot of prestigious tournaments every year. And, -- but it all comes down to the ranking system in my opinion.

BORIS BECKER: I was not aware of that, no.

BORIS BECKER: It was -- I remember the last couple indoor tournaments the surface wasn't as fast. And, for some reason, I don't know why, it played quicker as the days went by. It was slower the first couple of days. But, you know, there is always two sides to every story. And, indoor tennis is, in general, faster even you have indoor clay court, you are going to see 15, 20 aces. The good servers are going to serve a lot of aces. I mean, you saw the French Open. Michael served 25 aces every match. So, the surface is not the problem. The problem is that we are serving too good. That was what all it comes down to. In these days, if you don't have a good first serve, very tough to compete in the highest level. That is why, you know, all the success with Thomas and Michael had over the last couple of years is just incredible because they have to work every single points left and right, left and right. On the other hand, if it would be so easy to serve, especially under pressure, many players could do it. But just a few a handful can do year in and year out. It is not the question of quick surface or slow surface. It is a question of you have excellent servers and on any surface they are going to serve a lot of aces