ATP TOUR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

November 13, 1997

Michael Chang

Q. Michael, there is nothing to do when Yevgeny is playing that well?

MICHAEL CHANG: Well, I think part of it is that -- I mean, Yevgeny was playing well. That was pretty evident. I think the way I played him made him look pretty good, too. A perfect example - if anyone out there was watching, if you ever wanted to know a specific way not to play Yevgeny Kafelnikov, you should watch this match (laughter). So all the places where, you know, I felt that I should have given him credit, you know, basically I gave him too much credit. In places that I didn't give him enough credit, he showed me, you know, places that he could definitely do stuff with the ball. But, you know, today was just a match that, you know, I just played him completely wrong. It was my mistake.

MICHAEL CHANG: Yeah. But, I think at that point, it was -- you know, the tone had been set. Yevgeny was in a pretty good groove the whole match. It was something that, you know, I myself couldn't get going. I started to attack a little bit more. I started to win some points, but I started to make some errors, too. That's something that's really not, you know, really my game, is not to make errors. It was a great match for me, too, to really learn from. I would definitely change things up, make it a much better match next time I play him.

MICHAEL CHANG: No, it's not that I didn't play well. I've been playing, you know, pretty good tennis. It's just that at this level, if you play somebody the wrong way, you're going to get beat pretty bad. You know, I think today is a good example of that. That's how talented all the players are, you know, here in Hannover. You have to come out and play some more tennis.

MICHAEL CHANG: No, it's not. You know, there's a Bible verse that says, "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." That's something I've been meditating on over the past few days. The past couple months, tennis-wise, it's been a little bit difficult. Lost the first round Singapore, first round Paris. It's not normal for me, not something that I'm used to. You know, that verse for me is something that has been very good. I've been applying to it, applying it, you know, will put the past in the past and will concentrate on the things ahead. Basically at this point, I'm still very much alive in the tournament and hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

MICHAEL CHANG: Well, Jonas has been playing some very tough tennis. Obviously coming off the Stockholm win. You know, I think that today's match will be pretty tight, pretty interesting. Jonas is a very, you know, talented player, all-around game. It's not going to be an easy match. I've played him many times before and we never have easy matches. I'm looking forward to it.

MICHAEL CHANG: A little bit. A little bit. I think the Swedes have such a talented team that they have quite a few guys to choose from. I'm sure that Jonas will be playing, you know, singles and possibly even doubles with Kulti, them having a great year as well. So we'll wait and see.

MICHAEL CHANG: No. Not when I play the Swedes. When the Swedes yell they will start to get the adrenaline flowing. I know what it's like to play in Sweden, the atmosphere is pretty exciting to be a part of. I think Davis Cup will be something very memorable to play.

MICHAEL CHANG: Yes. .