THE LIPTON CHAMPIONSHIPS

March 12, 1994

Boris Becker

Q. First two sets, first set and a half, actually, you couldn't find it, and then you just hit a switch and just cruised; what was going on?

BORIS BECKER: Well, it was my first outdoor match in about six months and I didn't play with no wind or nothing, and for an hour I had a hard time finding my timing, but after a set and a half, as you said, I started to feel better and I started to get more on my ground strokes, I moved better, and, you know, that makes me-- that makes me a very different player all of a sudden. And in the third set I had excellent start; broke him right away and broke him again, and I think that killed him. He couldn't-- he wasn't able to keep his game on the level he had in the first set and a half and, you know, that was the story.

Q. Did you watch any of Agassi's match today, and what's your feeling you have to play him --

BORIS BECKER: I have not seen his match in my hotel room; trying to relax. We had excellent matches in the past, even though he has beaten me the last couple of times, and it's been a while since I played him the last time, and I am excited to play him. He takes so many months off, so it's tough to play him in tournaments, so I'm glad I catch him here, and I hope I can produce the tennis I played in the third set, and I think I have a chance.

Q. Did you start to feel like an old stale player last year, and are you feeling like a young fit player this year, and why?

BORIS BECKER: I didn't feel like an old player last year; it's just I had other things on my mind. I explained it too many times. My wife was pregnant, and I don't know whether you went through that moment; it's very special, and it was very special for me, and I didn't really care so much about tennis. Now, everything is passed, we're happy to have a healthy boy, we got married and I took some time off in the winter time for two months, went back to the practice court for many, many hours. And I'm starting to feel the ball again. I'm quite fit at the moment, you know; we worked hard on that aspect of the game and I am mostly - which is important - I really am enjoying what I'm doing. Tennis is no more the most important thing, you know, it's my wife and my baby, but I have a very good time and I hope I can play a couple more years with hopefully some good tournament wins from time to time.

Q. Boris, Stefan was saying that he has a new enthusiasm for the game this year the way he's played; would you say that you also have completely new enthusiasm for tennis?

BORIS BECKER: I would think so. You know, tennis for some reason, the pressure is off when you come home, and you have the baby and a wife; it is not that everything which matters to you is, you know, on that-- out in the center court. It's important, and you're trying to give your best, but in a different-- with a different point of view, I can speak for myself only, I would say I have a much better time for the past three months than I had in a long time, and that makes me play better; it makes me go out and practice more because I enjoy doing it and so, I'm in a very fortunate situation right now.

Q. For those who haven't been with you in Marseille and Milan and Stuttgart and in case you've answered the question before, how are you fitting in with fatherhood?

BORIS BECKER: Oh, it suits me excellent. I wish we had a couple more soon, but my wife doesn't want to the same thing, and it takes two, but I'm a very happy man right now.

Q. What has Bollettieri done to help you?

BORIS BECKER: He's trying to make me play better and he has ways of doing it; he has a long experience in the game, and he came at a very good time for me. He came at a time when I felt like I'm there and I want to work again. I'm there and I need his expertise and his strive for the sport, and we had a great month in January together where we trained for four weeks, and since then it's been going in a very positive way for him-- for me and hopefully for him, too, and I was able to play that good that early is part-- is part of that chemistry we have, and I hope we have lots more success in the next tournaments.

Q. Do you think there will be anything more in the match against Agassi besides just straight tennis or the fact that might be a bit of controversy the way he's left Agassi and he's gone to you?

BORIS BECKER: I don't know how Andre feels about it. You know, Nick is not the kind of guy who talks so much about his past, you know, he doesn't talk about anything private what Andre might have told him. It's just a special match because I enjoy playing Andre, but that's about it.

Q. The feeling that Nick is with you now, will you change anything in the way you play-- can he help you?

BORIS BECKER: Well, I'm convinced that he can help me and hopefully we're going to find a good tactic to play him. He knows him quite well, but it's one thing of knowing how to play and the other thing of making it possible on the court. But, I'm convinced he can help me. Definitely.

Q. The system that Nick has set up for you, traveling with a different coach and meeting up with Nick from time to time, is that comfortable for you?

BORIS BECKER: Yeah, we talked about that system, and I get along very well with David Ayme and he's with me all the time and to most of the tournaments Nick is coming and that's how he works for the past three months, and it's been working very good. Plus we have a couple of other people for different roles and it's the way I like it.

Q. Boris, last year you left here, I think obviously not very happy with things that were going on --

BORIS BECKER: Well, I had the flu, and how funny how small the world is. I was supposed to play Kulti in a night match last year. It's like the whole thing started over again. Sometimes curious how small the world is and things happen. And the question?

Q. I think a lot of us felt maybe you didn't play because you were upset with the conditions, the weather, having to wait --

BORIS BECKER: There were many rumors and stories including I didn't have fever or I didn't want to play, but I came a week early to prepare and I was playing my doubles match last year and I lost the first round and I came out that night to play and it rained, so all the rumors were just wrong. Yeah, so--

Q. There's a supposition I wanted to make that I don't know if I can do it, but I'm wondering if you were so unhappy with your tennis at that point that whether it be this tournament or another you might have actually left early or withdrawn from a tournament --

BORIS BECKER: No, that's not true. That's nonsense.

Q. I'm wondering, are you so at peace now that you-- you're more accepting whatever might happen win or lose?

BORIS BECKER: I'm very much at peace right now, but for most of my years, I was pretty much at peace. It doesn't mean that when I lose a tennis match or when I withdraw from a tournament that I'm-- I don't like the place. I might as well stay home all the time because it's just a better place at home. But, no, it's just that when Boris Becker does a thing, it always creates a bigger story than it actually is. It just cannot be that I happened to have a flu and I have a high fever and that's about it, so that was the story from last year. Now, I was upset about many people trying to make stories up about you that's not true, but that's how the games are played with me and I got used to it by now. But I have, sometimes fever and I'm sick and I can't play.

Q. How close to getting to your peek physical condition are you, and does that make you feel much more confident when you step on a court with a top opponent like Agassi?

BORIS BECKER: My physique is very good right now. It hasn't been that good in a long time, especially on a day like today, you know, when we have tough conditions and you cannot serve 25 aces and you have to rally and you have to struggle, it helps you a lot to know that you are able to run two, three hours and if it's too windy, then you might as well stay back and run around with the guy and not be able to get tired or get hurt, and that helps tremendously and I hope when I'm continuing now on the hardcourt and then on the clay, it's going to help me even more, because I have a couple more months in training and I'm even better-- in better physical shape now. The time is playing for me right now. Thanks

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