TENNIS MASTERS CUP

November 9, 2003

Jonas Bjorkman

Todd Woodbridge

JONAS BJORKMAN: I think, yeah, we played solid today. We served a little bit better. I think we managed to put a little bit more returns in. And I think it was a little better for us because the conditions were a little bit quicker.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Hmm.

JONAS BJORKMAN: So we managed to put the volleys away a little bit more. It's been harder with the balls and sort of the weather conditions here. So except for one bad game that I messed up, we did play well.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: I don't think we played poorly yesterday, I think it was just taking advantage of our opportunities and breakpoints and things that we had. Today, we grabbed those pretty quickly. I think, too, that it's very unusual to lose a match and then have a chance to come back. The fact was we're a bit more used to the conditions and the balls, and matches are so different to practice. It's really something you don't have to deal with usually. So I think we did well. We bounced back well. We played confidently. We didn't dwell on the fact we lost yesterday. We realized we've still got a chance to make the semifinals - albeit, pretty tough, but we still can get there.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Still pretty relaxed.

JONAS BJORKMAN: Yeah, yeah. Felt better today, I think.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: I was much more relaxed today than yesterday. Usually when I am, I move better. I felt like I moved well tonight. It's still important, particularly for me, to continue to be playing as well as I can, whether we make the semis or not by the end of this week, because I have a Davis Cup final to come. So I want to be sure I'm in as good a form with as much confidence as I can be. That's why I'm still sort of gunning very hard to be playing at my best.

JONAS BJORKMAN: Winning two sets as well is huge.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Yeah, that's important coming into the last match.

JONAS BJORKMAN: Yesterday went to three sets as well. That could be an advantage for the next coming match.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: It's like a tournament. Myself, I don't know about Jonas, I feel like the first rounds are often harder because you're getting yourself into the feel of the tournament. I always feel like I play better later in a tournament than I do at the beginning, which is good, a good way to be. That's why I've won a lot of tournaments. That first one, you're always a little unsure about the conditions, how you're going to play. And I think that was a bit of the case.

JONAS BJORKMAN: I just, I don't know. I shouldn't maybe say it, but it didn't feel like it was a tournament going on the first couple days here. I was just not really into it, mentally for me. Today I felt the crowd, the people are here, everything is set up, and it feels like you're going into an event. You mentally, also, prepare a lot better. I think I was a little flat yesterday. Because the other days here, it's been a lot of things hasn't been going that smooth. That's why it's been, I think -- that's been bothering me at least.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Well, it was big for us the fact that they went three sets. That was important. Obviously, we knew if we could win in straight today, that really puts us in a better position. So it would be interesting to see what happens in the match tonight, you know. Probably good if it goes three, too.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: We'll hear about it. We've all played each other so often. Tactically, it makes not a lot of difference for us to go and watch.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: I was 18. What can I remember? God... Let me put my thinking cap on (smiling).

JONAS BJORKMAN: So old! So far back! Geez, you've been around way too long (laughing).

TODD WOODBRIDGE: No, wasn't my first year, but I was coming along. I remember it was one of my, you know, early times to come to the United States. They had a big Calcutta buying the players. We went to a dinner. These people were paying these huge amounts of money to buy players in the tournament. At that stage, I came from a fairly middle class background. People were spending fortunes. I couldn't work out what was going on and where the money was coming from. I know better now.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: I don't think I won a match. I lost to Gustafsson, another Swede. It's the Swedish Open, that one.

JONAS BJORKMAN: There's been a lot of Swedes here.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Yeah, today, it helped winning in straight; that's very important. It comes down to the next match, really. We've got to win. I always feel that if we play our best tennis and we're on, we can beat any team out there. We've proved that. But we've got to be on. If we can do that, then we can still win the tournament. I don't feel like we're out of the tournament. But we took a step back yesterday. But that's the beauty of the Round Robin.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Not really. They've all had a win over us...

JONAS BJORKMAN: No. We've been beating them as well, so...

TODD WOODBRIDGE: In big tournaments we've had wins over them, which counts for something. But not really. I mean, they've all got their strengths, really. They've all got their strengths. The Bryans are big power guys. Both got big serves. If they don't serve well, then you have a pretty good shot at beating them. When they serve big, it's tough. You play Arthurs-Hanley, they both serve well. Wayne has the best left-handed serve in the game. You play Bhupathi and Mirnyi, those guys are really tough because they serve well, and both are good serve-volleyers as well. They're big men, very hard to get around and get over. The guys we lost to yesterday, they're crafty. Fabrice is one of the, I think, most enjoyable players to watch and enjoyable players to play against because he has such fantastic feel. He can create lots of shots. So everybody's got something different that makes them difficult.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Yeah, got another shot at it. You?

JONAS BJORKMAN: Yeah (smiling). Well, because it's a Masters. I wouldn't enjoy it if it was on a normal tournament. I think the setup we have normally is - if that's what you were looking for, I don't know...

JONAS BJORKMAN: I think when it comes to the final eight, then I think it's a great way of playing the tournament.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: No, today was all right. I've been in this tournament before where I won two matches and lost the third and didn't make the semis. So I think I've just about experienced all of the ways to kind of win it and mess it up. So I've never done it where I lost the first match before. So that's something I might be able to achieve this time.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Yeah.

JONAS BJORKMAN: I don't know.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: I think if we got to play them in semis and finals, yes; perhaps not in a group so much. Once you got down to the knitty-gritty of winning the tournament, then, yes, I do. We talked about early rounds, sometimes it's harder to play your best. These are the early rounds, really. It's the end, come the weekend, where it counts.

JONAS BJORKMAN: You need to get better each day.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Guys think about it more as the stakes get better. Start to get into semis, finals, money goes up. Title comes up in their head and you got to deal with those things. I don't really think about those things much anymore, I just think about trying to get the title.

JONAS BJORKMAN: Exactly, yeah.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Yep.

TODD WOODBRIDGE: Thanks for adding that!