COMPAQ GRAND SLAM CUP

December 9, 1993

Brett Steven

BRETT STEVEN: I thought I played pretty well. To take Michael playing as well as he is, No. 2 player in the world; to play him as close as the score was - we played out there for nearly two hours, I think - overall, I am pretty satisfied. I think the difference possibly was that he, you know, just really served well, and I never really had a chance to get in most of his service games. He was always winning them very comfortably. Most of the time I was having to work on my service games; that was a big difference. He played a brilliant game, to break me the first game of the third set. He just hit 3 winners, I think, and he then served the rest of the way pretty comfortably.

BRETT STEVEN: I think initially whenever you have lost a tennis match, it is one of disappointment. Two, three hours' time, you know, days, three days' time, I will be wondering, God, what I have accomplished here; the money that I have won, it is the biggest payday I have ever had. It is a great thrill to be involved in a tournament of this magnitude; 16 players only; they really treat you very well in the tournament. It is very special. It is something I'd love to partake in again. I was fortunate to get in, obviously. Everyone knows that I was the first alternate and that Krajicek pulled out. So I am, you know, thankful that I got in and took an opportunity that was presented and really lost today to a better player on the day.

BRETT STEVEN: Yeah, I don't know. It will be something that will -- it will be different for me because before I have always been improving and improving my ranking and playing different tournaments. I sort of progressed from playing in the satellites to the Challengers, and this year I played full-time on the ATP Tour, and I played all 4 Grand Slams, so next year I will be going back into a familiar environment. Hopefully, I will be able to handle it. I am very, you know, keen to do even better next year. And I think my work ethic is pretty good. I am pretty consistent. I don't ever, sort of, have weeks where I just don't try or anything like that. I always give 100% each week on Tour. I think we play that many tournaments, that if I can maintain that good attitude, I am going to get good weeks, some good draws, good luck. Then there is going to be weeks where my luck isn't too good; I play a top player who is too good on the day or something like that. I think I can improve facets of my game. I can get better, and hopefully if I do that, stay focused; then, who knows, I will hopefully have a better year next year, if I stay with that attitude.

BRETT STEVEN: Well, immediately I go back home to Bermuda you know, as I explained yesterday, I was midway through doing some sort of fitness work, off-season fitness work. I will just resume that and do two weeks more. I go down to New Zealand for Christmas day, and then I go straight over to Australia and I play an exhibition tournament in Melbourne. Then Adelaide and then I play the tournament in my hometown in Auckland, which is always a special week for me. Then over to Australia for the Australian Open. So my schedule -- I have two weeks off; then it is very busy.

BRETT STEVEN: I was thinking about it the beginning of last year following the Australian Open and I officially got my residence after Wimbledon. So I went the -- first I went there was in May and then-- I now have a flat there. I went back after Wimbledon and finalized everything. So it is something for me that -- because, you know, people from New Zealand, Australia, everything is so far away for us, so most of us have somewhere that we live or have a place to go to away from home countries because the travelling is so far, so you know, Bermuda was logical for me.