EUTELSAT MONTE CARLO OPEN

April 23, 1996

Cedric Pioline

CEDRIC PIOLINE: Matches with interruptions are always difficult. Each time you have to start a new match, you have time to think about what is going on, to speak with your coach. Each time it's another match. I am very pleased that each time I was able to control the match.

CEDRIC PIOLINE: No, not particularly.

CEDRIC PIOLINE: I had the impression that they are not very precise in their forecast. I had heard about 1:30, and nothing happened. In fact, we just saw they were uncovering the court five minutes before.

CEDRIC PIOLINE: No, not at all.

CEDRIC PIOLINE: With one break and up Love-40 on my opponent's serve, if I don't try something, it means that I'm really not confident.

CEDRIC PIOLINE: What are those rules?

CEDRIC PIOLINE: Yes, I believe it's very good. Sometimes some players go too far. I believe that it's a good thing to have a regulation and to have correct clothing just for the people you are playing for, for television, even if sometimes you can have something a bit special. Sometimes I believe it's a good thing that they be strict rules.

CEDRIC PIOLINE: That's the image of my sponsor. Things developed a lot lately. For the past years we've seen plenty of different things on the courts. It's a good thing, but anarchy is not a good thing either.

CEDRIC PIOLINE: Mainly I rested. A week in Davis Cup is always tiring. I rested and I trained a little bit in Paris. I came early here on Wednesday so I could play with other players belonging to the circuit because in Paris you don't have the same sparring partners. It's good to train in the tournament conditions.

CEDRIC PIOLINE: What?

CEDRIC PIOLINE: The main thing was the confidence. It increased because I made a great step forward compared with my past that everybody knows. It was the main thing. Since the calendar allows us to play every week, we don't have much time to think about what happened. We always have to go forward. Two weeks, it's long and short at the same time. It goes by very quickly. You always have to go forward, to think about the next tournament. Now it's the claycourt season. It starts with -- for me with Monte-Carlo. I didn't have much time to think about all that.

CEDRIC PIOLINE: Yes, it's a tight match.

CEDRIC PIOLINE: Some matches were close; others not so close. It's always a good test. He's a top 10 player, so I will be able to see where I'm standing. He lost twice first round, I believe. He will want to do well here, I imagine, and me, too, so it can be an interesting match.

CEDRIC PIOLINE: I try to draw the lessons from my defeats. The last time I was quite close to winning was indoors in Rotterdam. Anyway, if you want to hope to beat those kinds of players, you have to be very consistent. My game is developing, is getting to a higher level. I hope it will be enough against him.

CEDRIC PIOLINE: There's a psychological effect, no doubt. When you go onto the court, you say to yourself, "I never beat him. What is going to happen today? Am I going to lose again?" It's the basic reasoning. Now, you have to go beyond that and believe that it's a new match. Maybe the opponent has a bit of pressure on himself because he says, "I always beat him. Is it going to continue on not?" So it goes both ways.

CEDRIC PIOLINE: He has a brilliant game, but he is quite stereotyped, he does always the same thing more or less. Once you know what he's doing, it's easier because you can anticipate. Apparently I know what he's doing, and he can't do other things.

CEDRIC PIOLINE: It was heavier, more difficult to play winners.

CEDRIC PIOLINE: Yes. I think it gives them a slight advantage. They like to have long rallies with heavier balls and a heavier court. It's going to help them in their game of wearing out the other player.

CEDRIC PIOLINE: Today everything went well. I live day by day.

CEDRIC PIOLINE: No.