DAVIS CUP - SWEDEN Vs. USA

April 11, 2004

Jonas Bjorkman

JONAS BJORKMAN: Well, didn't you see the point or...?

JONAS BJORKMAN: Oh, okay, so then it's pretty easy. I hit a really good half-volley, and Andy came up with a really good passing shot. That made the difference. You know, 30-15, then all of a sudden, he got a little bit of momentum going again. And, you know, unfortunately, he broke me back. I think if I would have maybe hold that serve, you know, it would have had him sort of start to slow down a little bit. Tiebreak always comes up to one or two points. I think with the way, you know, for him, he won NASDAQ, he's got a lot of confidence. You always create your own luck a little bit. I think that's what happened in the tiebreak. He had one miss-hit return that he won the point from, then another one that he hit the tape. So there's one or two points, it's always going to be crucial. You know, I felt that was the same way in the second set. Then after the second set, you know, it goes two ways - one goes really up high, strong, and one who sort of feels that it's tough, you know, when you haven't sort of been winning the big points.

JONAS BJORKMAN: Sounds like it's just a horrendous shot to me (laughing).

JONAS BJORKMAN: Well, I was on the defense, I think. He was the one who came in. I felt good. I was hitting my backhand very well. But at the same time, you will miss one or two here and there. It's tough to sort of produce good shots after good shots all the time. That was the first one I missed, but at the same time, it was a good approach. I didn't get to the position right and got a little bit too close to it and then missed it wide.

JONAS BJORKMAN: Yeah, it wasn't too hard. You just had to put the racquet there. I mean, it was long, so... Yeah, I mean, you know, it's the same every time you play a big server - you just got to go out there and wait for your chances and create your own chances, you know. And I think I did that very well. Unfortunately, Andy played some great tennis today. He didn't give me as many mistakes like have normally been created, and forced him to do. That's sort of the whole situation. He won NASDAQ, he got a lot of confidence, and sort of was playing on his top today. I think the last two matches I played, I managed to get a little bit more freebies, and today he didn't give me those.

JONAS BJORKMAN: Oh, for sure. It's best-of-five sets. You can't feel that just because you're losing a tight set like that, that sort of the whole life is ruined for you, you know. I mean, it's four more sets to go and, you know, I was playing great tennis. There was one or two points who decided the set. So you just got to keep going and try to sort of play even better and hopefully sort of get some more mistakes as well.

JONAS BJORKMAN: No, not really. I think I mixed it up pretty well. You know, you have to gamble a little bit when you come in on a second serve like that. So I was trying to do that. But it's tough to do it every time. I wouldn't say that's a good play as well. You need to give him a situation where he never know when I'm coming. And, you know, I still felt that I was winning most of the points when we got into the rallies, because once you get him to play from the back, it's not like you feel, you know, afraid of his big shots. I think, you know, his big game is with a serve and hit the second and third shot. But once you get the ball in play, it's not really that you get scared of, compared to Moya or any of those guys, who really put you away if you have a short ball.

JONAS BJORKMAN: When was that?

JONAS BJORKMAN: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

JONAS BJORKMAN: I mean, it's obviously frustrating, there's no doubt about that. But at the same time, I think we created that luck when we played Australia. We had a few points that went our way. I think this weekend we haven't had that luck with us. We haven't been winning those points, haven't sort of been having the little let cord when you need it, or those type of points. At the same time, we're playing a really strong team. I think we lost to a better team this weekend.

JONAS BJORKMAN: I mean, it's, you know, of course you feel tired, there's no doubt. But at the same time, I think I played a good sort of first game in the third and had a good play, came in on his forehand and he sort of shanked the forehand cross, then all of a sudden I had to sort of dig deep and try to get it, and he gave a pass and it's back to deuce instead of going 1-love up. I had to sort of start over again. Then once he get the break, you know, it's a double effect sort of. I'm sort of going down a little bit, and he's raising even more. So, you know, he won those points. He had that momentum going.

JONAS BJORKMAN: Andy?

JONAS BJORKMAN: Honestly, I'm not focusing too much to what he does, you know. It's tough to play a match if you sort of have to start going, "Geez, I got to give credit for him because he's playing well," you know? I'm out there playing my game. I can't sort of be focusing too much on what he does good or not sort of. That's a situation I think, you know, he can answer better that if he feel that way. But it hasn't changed anything from the other matches we played.

JONAS BJORKMAN: Oh, Federer, for sure. There's no doubt about that. Federer doesn't have the big serve, but he still plays the shots a lot better sort of in those situations.

JONAS BJORKMAN: I think everyone is sort of pleased in a way that, you know, we had the toughest draw probably that anyone could have. You play Australia as a defending champion away, and you play US, No. 1 seed, away again. Obviously, you know, it's something that we will look back to and still be pleased. But I think the ITF wasn't fair to us, that they didn't seed us. So we got this tough draw because of that. I think we showed everyone in ITF that we belong to the Top 8, and, you know, hopefully they're not gonna do the mistake like that again. So I think it helped the Swedish tennis a lot that we performed well, we've been fighting every match, and tried our best and this time we came up short.

JONAS BJORKMAN: No, not too much. It felt like it was going more one way sort of. It wasn't swirling around too much, which was pretty good.

JONAS BJORKMAN: My philosophy is when I go out and play, my opponents always have to feel that they have to win the last point. If I'm 5-love down in the third, I still try to create possibilities to win points. And, you know, it's always a chance to come back. You've seen upsets, when guys sort of are cruising then all of a sudden you get one chance and something could happen. I try to do that when I play for myself. But obviously, here, I'm trying even harder because I'm letting my teammates down if I'm losing, and the people back home. So it's a different situation, but still I'm trying to have the same way, same strategy every time I play.