PILOT PEN INTERNATIONAL

August 15, 1996

Daniel Vacek

DANIEL VACEK: Well, I think it was a difficult first game. It could change everything if he would convert the breakpoint he had. Then I think he was a little bit off today and he couldn't really find his rhythm, although he tried. Fortunately he didn't have any chance on my serve afterwards because I was serving really well. Then on his serve, I was trying to attack him, so there was no really chance either. He couldn't really find his rhythm back either. In matches like this, it's not so easy. The match is going so quick, then you pray for some break or something to get back into his rhythm, which he didn't get.

DANIEL VACEK: Yeah, I think it is. Also depends a little bit if it's warm or not so warm.

DANIEL VACEK: Well, when it's cold, like in Europe usually in April and May, then the ball is so much slower, it's not so easy.

DANIEL VACEK: Well, I was --

DANIEL VACEK: He's a very good player, very talented. With him you can't really give him any rhythm. Try to put him off completely, not to play the same game. I played him last year first time in my life in Long Island. It was a pretty good match and he played really well. I was trying to change a little bit this year in Rome, but on clay it's very difficult, and probably his best surface, although he can play on anything. I took all the things which I learned there and the way he plays and I was trying to use it today. It worked really well. He helped me a little bit also. The combination of these things made the result that it looked easy, although it was not easy match.

DANIEL VACEK: Well, you play short balls and try to be as aggressive as possible, he feels the pressure and gets the feeling that he has to go for his shots as well, not to just put them in the play and get back into the match or something, but he has to get the feeling that he has to make the winners himself.

DANIEL VACEK: Yeah. I think -- although he played pretty good the following game and then he was losing the rhythm completely, so it's hard to tell if he gets really down on himself. He was definitely a little bit off today, so.

DANIEL VACEK: Well, I didn't put any of the first serves in till the breakpoint down 30-40. It's an opening service game, you don't go for your second serve as well. He hit a couple of winners. I got down. In a match like this, who gets the first game, it's very difficult to do something with it. I knew in order to keep pace with him, I have to win that game. Then afterwards I put three first serves in and it changed the whole attitude on the court, so it was very important game.

DANIEL VACEK: As I said, he was a little bit off and he didn't get a chance to get back into his game. There was no time to find his rhythm, so it's not so easy.

DANIEL VACEK: For me it's very important, especially since I didn't have such a good season this year. Since winter, since last November, I didn't really find the rhythm back. I'm really happy that I'm playing now the tennis which is as I played last year. It's getting better. I'm getting solid again, and my serve is going well, so I'm very pleased with it.

DANIEL VACEK: Try to do the best and try to put all the thoughts onto the game and go there to win.

DANIEL VACEK: No, I'm playing much better.

DANIEL VACEK: This is probably the best. I had very good Davis Cup performances this year, played very good Davis Cups. After that, I went (inaudible). I don't know if that has to do with the energy output which I have to put into the game or not. I never find the rhythm afterwards.

DANIEL VACEK: Yes.

DANIEL VACEK: I think it helped a lot because we're practicing every day together, practicing a lot of hours, spending a lot of time together. We're getting to know each other very well. We finding out approaches towards the game, trying to help each other. Especially to me it helps a lot.

DANIEL VACEK: We started in Prague this year, which is end of April or first week of May.

DANIEL VACEK: I think he's very solid and he's very, very fit. His mind is very open, he loves the game.

DANIEL VACEK: I think it's only one match. That will be a lot more matches. I think he showed a lot already. He's very young and he's an upcoming guy. He's already Top 10, so I don't think the one match can damage anything.

DANIEL VACEK: I don't know. I think it's a lot more matches to go. I have to concentrate on every match. Every match is difficult. The players are so close to each other, you don't really know if you're going to win or if you're not going to lose.

DANIEL VACEK: It's good to get some matches and to get the rhythm for the next coming tournaments and for this tournament as well. I hope it's not over yet here. I'm going to play some good tennis.

DANIEL VACEK: I don't know. It's very hard to say because when you play Davis Cup, then it costs a lot of energy. It's a completely different event. Every time you put so much effort in it, then the umpire says, Game Czech Republic, you don't get a credit for it. In this sense it's different because you don't really play for yourself. Then the people are there for you to win, no matter what's going on. It's completely different. I guess I have to get used to it to be different.

DANIEL VACEK: It's very good for concentration, yeah. It's completely different and it costs a lot of energy.

DANIEL VACEK: The pressure is different. When you play the ATP or the ITF, then you play for yourself. When you play Davis Cup, you have the responsibility for all the other people there.

DANIEL VACEK: We don't play Slovakia. Played the States and Hungary. Nothing to do together. No Slovaks on the team. They have their own Davis Cup, doing well this year, good for them. Happy we're playing like this.

DANIEL VACEK: I don't know. What I saw in the hockey games, they basically wanted to kill each other. It's very hard, you know. They didn't play any soccer match against each other, so I don't know how it would be there. I guess now the feelings are that that guy is stealing from that guy, it's not good. I don't know. A lot of competing.

DANIEL VACEK: A war, yeah. The war is out there anyway. A little bit more personal.

DANIEL VACEK: Change?

DANIEL VACEK: It's a little more difficult now, because before everything was paid by government. Basically how successful you were was the amount of money you got. Now it's a little bit more difficult because every sport has to find their own sponsor. The money from government is not coming anymore. It's a little bit more difficult. After the revolution, there was a little gap of the players because a lot of guys stopped playing, a lot of guys went to teach tennis, they were still young, to make some money. That made it a little bit difficult for the new guys, for the 15, 16, 17, because they didn't have any sparring partners, there wasn't any support for them. Now what I saw, the new guys are coming, it's changing, and the new society, the new people who are earning the money, their children are starting to do sports. They're doing very well.

DANIEL VACEK: He's there almost every day. It's good.

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