WIMBLEDON

July 3, 2000

Jonas Bjorkman

JONAS BJORKMAN: You can't think that way. You just have to go out, you know, focus on your own game. I didn't manage to play as good as I've done the first week.

JONAS BJORKMAN: No, I'm just been playing some great tennis the last two weeks. I went into this match knowing that I have beaten Pete on grass prior. You know, I'm here to try to win this event. Losing in straight sets was a big disappointment for me because I felt I was playing very good the first week. Today, I wasn't playing as good as I expected, but also he was serving, you know, huge both first and second serves. That's a reaction you have sometimes when you play your matches. You go in with a lot of confidence. You know, it's not only him who wants to win this event. We're tons of guys out there. That's why, you know, I was very disappointed after my match.

JONAS BJORKMAN: You know, if he felt that I thought that he wasn't injured, you know, what should I do? I'm very disappointed that I lost my match. You know, I shake his hand as I do when I'm really disappointed. I think I should get respect for that. I mean, I'm here to win, as well. It's nothing different, you know, guys is not happy when they losing matches, so why should I be?

JONAS BJORKMAN: Just try to think the last time we played.

JONAS BJORKMAN: I think we played last year in Key Biscayne. It's tough for me to remember. I just know since we played Paris in '97, I managed to return his serve much better than I did today. It's tough for me to tell, you know, if he played better or worse the matches we played before. I just felt like he was serving very, very good today. I didn't manage to make more returns like I normally do. I think the court is a little bit faster out there. It was sort of tough for me to get used to that. When you play a guy who serves 120 on the second serve, it's not easy to get the rhythm going after a set or two. It was even harder for me today.

JONAS BJORKMAN: Yeah. If someone else is not playing better then, of course, he will have a good chance. I didn't manage to play as good as I was hoping. We will have guys out there serving maybe a little bit better than I did today. If they can manage to put pressure on him, you never know what's going to happen in the matches. It's always a new match; always a new day. You know, I felt that I was, you know, feeling very good to go in there today. But, unfortunately, it was a new day, and I didn't manage to play the tennis I was hoping for.

JONAS BJORKMAN: Well, you know, you say that it was down the line. I would say that it was wide. We all have different points about that. That's what's, you know, great with tennis. You can see it from different angles. A few guys said it was good, and a few will say it was wide. I will be on the side of the people who thought it was wide. There was no choke on the ball. I think it was wide. But it's tough, you know, he made two aces afterwards. I didn't have a chance to get another breakpoint.

JONAS BJORKMAN: No, I haven't spoken to any guys. I'm here to do my preparations and try to prepare the way I want to. We have talks and laughs with other guys, but nobody is talking about anything else than maybe, you know, good stories or stuff like that. Nobody shares anything what they feel. Everyone is trying to focus on their own game.

JONAS BJORKMAN: You have to just explain the first word. The high --.

JONAS BJORKMAN: What do you mean with that?

JONAS BJORKMAN: I don't care if he's faking it or not. I just go out and be prepared or playing a guy who's been dominating Wimbledon for the last seven years. You know, no matter who it is on the other side, if they've been hurt before, you know, I just have to be prepared of doing the best against a guy who's been playing rock solid the last seven years.

JONAS BJORKMAN: You have to ask him.

JONAS BJORKMAN: Yeah, but, you know, I can't feel how his body is feeling. You have to ask him.

JONAS BJORKMAN: No, not at all.

JONAS BJORKMAN: I felt that he was serving everywhere where I sort of didn't cover the court. He maybe served more body, but he still served great, wide, T, whatever. I just didn't manage to get that feeling that sometimes you get when you sort of feel where they're going to serve. He was mixing it up so good today, I didn't really have a chance to get the time to put pressure on him.

JONAS BJORKMAN: I think he mixed it everywhere. I sort of never really had the chance of be prepared where the ball's going to come. You know, that shows guys that it's not only the power, but you've got to sort of mix up your serve. Some guys is serving huge, but they're serving it flat. If you manage to get the ball back, you have a huge advantage. But he's having a serve which is great because you can't really tell where he's going to serve, but he also mix it up with kick and slice. That's what it's all about.