NEWSWEEK CHAMPIONS CUP

March 6, 1995

Cedric Pioline

Q. Cedric, you had -- he had a let cord, net cord at 3-1 to get him a breakpoint. Then he broke you for 4-1. Was it hard to fight after that?

CEDRIC PIOLINE: Yeah, he got a little luck on this shot because it was, I mean, it was only one break. I was only one break loss. You have always a chance to come back and with this good luck for him, it was too hard, I think.

Q. Cedric, four years ago David Wheaton was within the pack of Americans, Agassi, Sampras, etc. Now he seems to have dropped back. Do you think he has the game or the potential to be back fighting for the top 10?

CEDRIC PIOLINE: It is a tough question because if I say no, he is not going to be happy. No, I think his baseline game is not as good as Agassi or Courier or Sampras; even Chang. His serve and volley is very good, but I think it is not -- today, it is not enough to be top 10 with only serve and volley. You have to get more and I think he have to work his rhythm.

Q. Cedric, watching you play, one gets the feeling that you are one of the most talented players in the world. But you don't seem to be getting much out of your game at the moment. What is your assessment of where you are at the moment?

CEDRIC PIOLINE: Not so good at the moment, I mean, as we can see, I don't play so good. The game is here, but I don't play so good, so I need to -- I need confidence to play better tennis, I think. Once you get that, it is easier, but I am running after it.

Q. What has happened to your confidence, how did you lose it or did you ever have it?

CEDRIC PIOLINE: No, I lost it last year because I played bad starting year and it is different now because everybody knows me and wants to beat me very hard, even if I am not top 15 or top 10, so it is completely different, but it is like that.

Q. Getting to the final of the U.S. Open in '93 was a good thing, but also a bad thing because everybody discovered you?

CEDRIC PIOLINE: I mean, it is tough to go up, but it is tougher to stay because everybody learn how you play; how you think; how you move and so the pressure is on your shoulders, so it is completely different, but if you want to be a big player, you have to assume that.

Q. Do you think that that is what happened to Dave as well, I mean, you guys had similar situations where you kind of went up and were in the top 10 or near the top 10; now have dropped back down?

CEDRIC PIOLINE: Yeah, maybe. Maybe, I think he got some injury problem. I didn't -- I didn't, so, maybe.

Q. But do you think that the players like yourself like others size the game and say, you know, "here is where we pick on him here; there is where he is vulnerable," do you think that might have happened as well?

CEDRIC PIOLINE: Yeah, maybe.

Q. Who do you think is going to win this tournament?

CEDRIC PIOLINE: You want to bet?

Q. Yeah, if you give me a good pick.

CEDRIC PIOLINE: I don't know.

Q. I made one bad bet already. I picked you to win this match.

CEDRIC PIOLINE: I am sorry. I will buy a drink if you want -- seriously, I don't know. I think Sampras, I don't know with his problem with his coach and I don't know how he is, but I mean, it would be between Sampras Agassi or one or two others. But Agassi is loose, very strong since Melbourne, so I think he could.

Q. Do you think those two feed off each other, you know, make the game better?

CEDRIC PIOLINE: Yeah, I think it is good to have two players who are going for the same goal, being No. 1 in the world like we had during the past, like McEnroe and Borg, I don't know, Lendl and McEnroe at one time, so I think it is very good because the game needs that.

JOE LYNCH: Thanks.

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