DAVIS CUP - SWEDEN Vs. USA

April 9, 2004

Jonas Bjorkman

JONAS BJORKMAN: It's tough to say. I would say that with all the experience, that sort of comes with you. I think when I had my peak, '97, when I was 4, I was more an upcomer playing my best tennis at that time. The last two and a half years, I think, I sort of learned a way how to play sort of with a strategy and tactics and sort of knowing what I have to do a little bit more. So maybe in sort of the last two and a half years, I would say, I learned a little bit more about that.

JONAS BJORKMAN: Well, Mardy started really, really strong in the beginning. He was hitting the ball really hard and served well, and never gave me the chance to play my game. I had to play on the defense all the time. That took me by surprise. But at the same time, I knew that if I just keep going, keep going, if he can do that for three sets or five sets, I will lift my hat and say, "That's too good. I couldn't do anything, I got beaten by the better player." But at the same time, I knew that it's hard to keep that sort of way of tennis. I was just trying to be patient and sort of trying to find a game that would sort of be a lot more effective to come back and win. Once I got the second set, I felt I was in the match again. I don't know. I felt very strong out there. It looked like maybe Mardy didn't move his feet as well as he did in the first set.

JONAS BJORKMAN: Yeah, I'm not sure, you know, if it is that slow. I would say that a kick serve really is effective here, which I think both me and Mardy would normally come behind the second serve and come in. But today, the situation with the court, it takes off a lot with the spin. It makes it really hard to sort of go with the ball, sort of. I think that's why we stayed back a little bit more, because we had to adjust that. Other than that, I think during the points, it's pretty quick, and it's pretty low bounce, actually (inaudible). It goes pretty quick, but it's still slower maybe than Key Biscayne. But at the same time, I think I can play pretty good on this surface. This is a good surface for me.

JONAS BJORKMAN: All kind of things can fire me up (smiling). I would say it definitely fired me up a little bit. You know, there were some dodgy calls today, very dodgy. It's part of the game. But I felt, actually, it was quite a lot who went against me today. But that's sort of one day. The next day you know that you might have two or three with you. You can't really focus too much on that. I think it was good to sort of sit down and have a longer changeover break, which you do after a set, so I could sort of refocus again and go out. I got off to a good start. Once I did that, sort of I was in the momentum to play a lot better. So it got me going a little bit, but nothing sort of that I think helped me during the game.

JONAS BJORKMAN: It's a long story (smiling).

JONAS BJORKMAN: Well, it is some comedians back home that I really enjoy, which are my favorite guys. They made fun of all the sports, and they made fun of gymnastic. The whole program they did with this gymnastic program, I did that for the boys in one match in the locker room. Then Kulti told me that if I win the fifth match in South Africa - when we played South Africa - if I do win that match, then I need to do that sort of step, like a victory step. I was up 5-love in the fifth, so I could sort of be pretty relaxed. I saw him sort of screaming at me and sort of telling me to do it. After that, it's sort of been my little trademark. Comes only for Davis Cup or winning a title, though.

JONAS BJORKMAN: It always helps when you've been around for a while, and I think the guys know that I'm physically strong out there. I always do perform good in Davis Cup. For me, it's such a great feeling to be part of the Swedish Davis Cup team. I'm always trying to do 110 percent out there. I would say that Mardy felt that he maybe got a little tired, and didn't look like he was moving that well. At the same time, if you see the other guy looking really strong, moving well, it's sort of both ways, I would say. So it definitely helps, you know, being around for a while.

JONAS BJORKMAN: I think from the beginning we both had that sort of strategy, to sort of -- someone has to win that fight. In the beginning, Mardy was the one who was more aggressive, and I didn't have a chance to come in. I was sort of more on the defense. Then after the first set, I got control of that and managed to have him more on the back foot instead of being in charge. It definitely worked.

JONAS BJORKMAN: It's very important. I mean, you play probably the toughest team you can play right now. To be one in the hand, it's definitely a lot easier than being 1-love down. So we know that it's four really tough matches to go, and, you know, we just have to dig deep again and then refocus, and hopefully Thomas can go out and feel he has nothing to lose and go out and play a good match. He has a good record.

JONAS BJORKMAN: In the beginning it worked because I wasn't really ready for it. Then the way he hits his forehand, I mean, he always looked to sort of go around and hit his forehand. He hits it, sort of a flashy shot. It's quite a lot of spin, but it's a lot shorter than normally guys is hitting the forehand. He got that good angle and got me off on sort of the wrong foot all the time. But then I sort of got used to that. And since I didn't feel that he was gonna sort of change it, I felt pretty comfortable because I felt my second serve was good enough. And after that, I felt that I could start controlling the point a lot better after the first set.

JONAS BJORKMAN: Could be. I've seen him done it before. I'm not sure, you know, if that's sort of his strategy, just be aggressive normally. Maybe today it's a different story when you're going and playing Davis Cup and haven't played too many matches for your team. Definitely, when you feel like you're not playing that well or you're feeling a little uncomfortable, then of course you start maybe not getting to the right position, and that maybe hurt him a little bit.

JONAS BJORKMAN: I would say it always helps, you know. I've been around for 10 years now playing Davis Cup. Mardy is an upcoming, very talented American player who hasn't played too many. Obviously, that would help, you know, when you go into a fourth or going into a fifth set. Definitely, yes.

JONAS BJORKMAN: That was my biggest match at that time. That was my breakthrough to sort of get it going. I was playing -- I mean, Mats was always my role model since, you know, long time back. But Stefan was sort of a big idol since we played the same game. I was a hitting partner for four or five years. I barely took any games the first 10, 15, 20 sets we practiced. Then I learned a lot from all the sort of off-the-court and on-the-court, how professional he was. I was always looking up to him. To go out in the US Open and win a match like that, I mean, it's, you know, it's a perfect situation for me to sort of go through and get the confidence going and sort of get ready to play even better.

JONAS BJORKMAN: I never said that. I never said the crowd was "that bad" against me. I only said the line calls.

JONAS BJORKMAN: No, not at all. I mean, this is what you play for, I would say, as a tennis player. You can play these matches under these circumstances with this atmosphere. If they're not cheering for you, you still have an unbelievable atmosphere. I would never say -- for me, this is what I like the most, to play matches like this. Yeah, you're gonna have some people clapping between first and second, but that's part of Davis Cup. I mean, everyone out there is here to support their team. Sometimes you go a little too far, but, you know, the umpire did that well, he would correct them a little bit. For me, this is the best part of Davis Cup.

JONAS BJORKMAN: I think it helped me a lot since I improved my game. The last 18 months, I would say, I really managed to put my sort of weaker spots of my serve and my forehand to be almost like a weapon, and I didn't have that before. So, obviously, I'm more comfortable out on the court when I know that when I play my best game, I can compete with anyone out there. So I feel a lot more relaxed when I go out to a match. I can go out and play my best. And if it's enough, it's great; if not, the other guy played too good for that day. But at the same time, life goes on, and I think I'm a lot more relaxed - winning or losing, you know. I think that helped a lot since I've been older and sort of become a dad as well.

JONAS BJORKMAN: Well, at that point I felt that he made one or two good shots. At the same time, I didn't get to my position right to some of the shots there and made a few unforced errors. But at the same time, you get to 5-all, and what you need to do, you have to step up and be more aggressive so you don't let him the chance of sort of getting the momentum going. Obviously, he had the crowd with him. So I was just trying to be more aggressive and try to be ready and hopefully get another break. Because most of the times in matches when someone break you, the next game is the hardest - always the hardest game - to sort of hold your serve. That's what I was trying to think of.

JONAS BJORKMAN: Yeah, sort of. I finally started to read his serve. He also couldn't keep up with that serving like he did in the beginning. Once he couldn't do that, then obviously I know my returns is my biggest weapon. If I (didn't) give him the same heat that he gives me on the serve, you know, I'm in good position.

JONAS BJORKMAN: Obviously, to have supporters everywhere you go, it's really nice. It definitely helps you a lot. I think as a sport, tennis, it's very important to have tradition. Borg started that way; Mats, Stefan, Nystrom. I can get seven, eight more guys. That sort of got the interest going in Sweden. We had a good program at that time in the '80s, beginning of the '90s. The only problem was that we were so successful that we didn't improve our program, we sort of got stuck a little bit. Everyone came and watched how we sort of learned all the Juniors to play, and we sort of didn't improve that. And I think that's what had a little bit of - what should I say? - The gap for five, six years. We haven't produced any players. Finally, now Soderling and Joachim Johansson is stepping up. But we still don't have enough behind that. We're working on that. We're having Mats, Nystrom, Stefan Edberg is back home at the tennis center. We've made it an experience where hopefully we can start producing more players.

JONAS BJORKMAN: Obviously, yes. I beat him in Doha, and I felt that sort of my game plan sort of worked really well there. It worked really good in Miami as well. It was maybe one or two points that sort of decided the whole match. But he came up with the bigger shots that night. And, you know, I know that going out on Sunday, it's always, you know, a new match, a new sort of setup. It's a Davis Cup, so everything is different. But at the same time, when I play my best, I know I have a shot.

JONAS BJORKMAN: (Smiling) Well, if I can do that again, you know, I'm not sure what I'm gonna do. But that is probably once in a lifetime, I would guess. But it was fun.