VOLVO MONTE-CARLO OPEN

April 28, 1995

Boris Becker

BORIS BECKER: It was a different kind of game. You cannot compare the two matches. I had to play -- I mean, I still had to play my game which is, you know, very aggressive and serving big many times. But, yeah, I was obviously pleased to beat him in straight sets.

BORIS BECKER: Well, in the first set. In the second set, he hit many lines on his first serve so I couldn't do much until 4-All when I had my first breakpoint.

BORIS BECKER: Yeah, unfortunately I lost some, but we didn't play so many times on clay yet. I remember Rome one year and Paris one year. He had three tough matches this week, already a good effort for him after a knee operation to come back like that. And he seems to be playing well and he seems to be in good form.

BORIS BECKER: Well, unfortunately, he has got one of the biggest serves in the game. It is giving everybody a lot of problems. Even though it is clay, it is a still a big weapon and I have to make sure that I am able to hold my serve and take those few opportunities I may have.

BORIS BECKER: I don't think that was a problem in the past. With my kind of game, you never play that long, you know, if it is clay or if it is another surface unless we have a real battle and it is a long, long match altogether. But with my kind of game, you never have the long points and the long rallies, usually.

BORIS BECKER: You are talking about the years of '89 and '91, I guess, and in order to be still in the top five in the world I had to improve as a tennis player each year. And I am playing better now than I have been then; otherwise I wouldn't be still around.

BORIS BECKER: I do feel good about myself right now, tenniswise. I have been playing real good tennis on all the aspects of the game. And I don't want to -- and I can't compare to the past how I felt then because it is too long ago and I was a different player and a different person. I just feel very good in '95 about my tennis game.

BORIS BECKER: It doesn't happen overnight. I feel for the past 12 months I have been playing really good tennis; each month, basically, a tournament final or a tournament win and that helps a lot, your confidence and your selfbelief and -- but the thing is you have to keep trying hard and, you know, and don't be happy with one win. You have to continue. You have to work harder the next time and you have to want to play better the next time. That is the secret to go forward.