IBM/ATP TOUR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

November 13, 1995

Yevgeny Kafelnikov

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Well, at the moment I know nothing because I haven't checked myself completely. As you know, I have been playing in Moscow last week and I kind of felt that I can move pretty well. I felt no pain at all.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: It is nice to be a part of the top players for the World Championships. Everybody is playing their best and I am looking forward to it.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: This is my first time here in Frankfurt, and first time for the World Championship.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: We will see. I am going to check myself after this tournament. I am going to see how I am. Hopefully, it is not a big problem as I think, and I really want to play Davis Cup final as you know. It will be very exciting against the United States. First I have to just concentrate on the World Championship.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I guess it was an accident. Nobody did it on purpose. That is for sure.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I don't think that it hurts -- damaged the tennis in Russia. Just that accident happened. I am sure it will never happen again.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Yes. It was pressure because I was the top seeded and everybody expected me to win this tournament and I have to play my best tennis to get through since my first round matches and every match from first round the level of my game was improving and improving. We will see. I am sure tomorrow I am going to be in my best shape.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Well, the thing is that I think I am more focused than him. Since I started working with my coach four years ago everything has been changed for me. He was the one who really pushed me into it. I kind of knew that I could get to the best spot in ranking. I was number 4 in April this year, so trying to get to No. 1, -- (Inaudible.).

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Well, let me take my example. My coach was never a world tennis player. He is a specialist. He knows everything. And I really don't know why all the other players choosing for their coach a former tennis players. I think it is just -- I really can't explain why it is happening. My opinion that the former tennis players, they cannot (Inaudible.). It is difficult being a coach after being a tennis player.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I think the coach is the the most important thing. He is motivating you and he knows everything. He knows me pretty well. He is almost like my second father. At the same time, I like to travel also with my family. I just want to feel focused on my tennis. I don't want to spend time with my friends for nothing. During the tournament I like to be with my coach:

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: In Barcelona in April.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I haven't checked myself. Some of the doctors say it is tendinitis. I am going to check myself after the World Championship.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I just knew I am going to come here. Maybe it will be my last chance to play the World Championship. You never know. Maybe my professional tennis career will be over next year. You don't know. I didn't want to miss that opportunity to be a part of the the best tennis players in the world tournament.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I am going to play five tournaments less than I played this year.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I am not going to play doubles in the Grand Slam tournaments. That is the decision that we make with my coach. We will see. We will see how it goes with doubles.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I think since I started doing well in the Grand Slam tournaments; quarters in Australian Open; semis in the French Open; quarters at Wimbledon, I think it is really difficult to be -- to play good singles and be in the doubles tournament too. Playing doubles, you spend some energy which is you need for your singles the next round.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I am sure it will be the same, but we expect more people to come and watch Davis Cup final. They never saw Andre. They never saw Pete and everybody is looking forward to it.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Of course we want to win Davis Cup as a team badly and we are going to try to do best as we can, even with the best team in the world with the best players, Pete and Andre.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Yeah, I think so.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Usually the clay court, the chances are little bit better than playing on the carpet or supreme because Chesnokov, he can -- that is his best surface and I beat Andre twice on clay, so I think the chances are 50/50.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I talked to him last week. He is pushing himself hard. He is looking forward.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Rome indoors?

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Of course. First of all, all the Italian people there, when you go there, they really serve -- they support the team very good. We are expecting something big, but it is really still a little bit too early to predict anything. First of all, I have to play good year, Davis Cup and hopefully I will have some rest after the Grand Slam Cup and before going to Australia and I have to be ready for the next season. .

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I would say that is my best friend. The racket is the most important thing that you can have.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I think everybody misses him, but there are a lot of players that can play great tennis here - Jim Courier, Michael Chang. To be honest, I cannot predict who is going to win the World Championship. Anybody can.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I know Thomas Enqvist six, seven years. He is a dangerous player. I am sure everybody is really looking forward to this World Championship.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I was not disappointed with the season, but I was kind of sad not making Frankfurt, but this year I am very happy. I am playing well. I am playing very good tennis. I am at the World Championships again; Davis Cup final. Can't complain for this year. Won four tournaments. Did well in the Grand Slam tournaments.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I wasn't sure if I was going to make it, but I was thinking about it. Since I made it, I was really happy to be one of the eight best players to come here.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Medvedev was here two years ago.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I think the Russian team, the Davis Cup team they build the tennis in Russia. I think now the tennis is on the first spot in the sports in Russia. More than football; more than ice hockey. You should see the stands when you are playing Davis Cup, always good crowd, 15, 20,000 people standing to watch. And they really want to see something special - like they were really happy that Boris came to the semifinal and Michael Stich was there and they are looking forward to Andre and Pete there.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I am not interested in women anymore because I find nice girlfriend since two months.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Yeah.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: As you know, I am travelling a lot. I am playing a lot of tournaments. When I finish my professional tennis career I will do something else - that is for sure, but now I want to focus on the tennis.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I would say, yeah, I see it a little bit different. It is almost impossible to walk in the streets because everybody recognize. Everybody asking for autographs.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Yeah.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Yes. Well, I am not going there often to my country now. So...

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: This year I would say one month.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: You can't compare those two things. To win here, it is nice, as you are winning the Davis Cup final. Davis Cup final is your team; you bring the trophy to your country. Here, you are playing for yourself.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: It is two different things. I just don't want to say anything.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I felt I could do it, but I didn't know it was going to happen that quickly in four years time. I knew one day maybe, six, seven years time I could be a good player, but not very good as I am right now.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: My coach was telling me every time if you will keep working hard, everything will go your way. And we did that job together, so we didn't waste the time for nothing.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: First satellite in 1992 when I had no money and we had to stay in some shitty, shitty place, you know, without shower and everything and here I am right now, I am staying in a nice hotels with everything, so just amazing how things change quickly.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I just want to be well known. When I finish my career, let us say, like John McEnroe where you go, you just ask the name, do you know John, everybody will say "yes." Because he has done so much for tennis, and that is what I want to do.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I was young at that time. I was a teenager. For me, it was very exciting to win the satellite. By winning that satellite, my confidence was growing by winning the matches and everything.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I would say that the chances are 50/50 against the United States.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: The court will be clay, very slow.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: For sure, we have more experience than last year. Of course, I have more experience with Davis Cup than I had last year. But I think it is going to be very difficult for me to play the final in Russia in front of 20,000 people.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: These are good questions. Hopefully when my professional tennis career is over I will be going to live somewhere -- maybe somewhere on the island where the people cannot find me - with my family; with my wife and kids. I will be well known in my country, but that is the life. I cannot escape it.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I would say have to be physically more stronger, but I think right now -- I am trying to improve everyday. I am doing some things.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I had some problem with my knee two, three weeks ago, that was a very good sign for me that -- next year I am going to play five or six less. Just to watch out for my body.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I don't know. I haven't checked myself. I am going to do it here after the World Championship.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I don't know. I am definitely going to check myself out.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Nobody knows. Even I don't know.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I think they respect the sportsmen because we make money by doing something; not like we are trying to steal money from somebody else; you know what I mean?

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I am saying that that was accident; that one of the -- I really don't know -- nobody did it on purpose. Obviously it hurt the tennis image in Russia. Maybe it was a little disappointing for the Federation, but they did a good -- it was an accident.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I was really upset with the condition of the court on Friday day because I almost twist my ankle playing the second match on Friday. Everybody was complaining. I was complaining,. Chesnakov was complaining. Everybody was complaining. It was really dangerous to play on that court on Friday.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I would say it would be a huge thing.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Tennis image now,, I was saying before, is better than ice hockey, better than football. Lots of supporters from the government, everybody is really in favor of the tennis.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Tennis is a very famous sport all over the world and all the people they play tennis, they really watching for -- they are really getting into the tennis.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: We had a nice party after we beat Germany. I am sure if we win it will be great.