GREAT AMERICAN INSURANCE ATP CHAMPIONSHIP

August 6, 1997

Thomas Muster

Q. Do you think this year you are finally putting away the assertion that your are just a clay court player? A long time to con?

THOMAS MUSTER: Yeah, but years before I have paid attention to play on clay and this year -- I mean, it is sort of the change over the last three, four years to become better on this surface. But, I still cannot play enough. My knee always hurts and my hips start hurting after a while if I play too much. I just can't play for too many weeks. That is still a problem that I am always going to face that. Turning 30 this year, it is my 13th professional year, I play guys ten, eleven years younger. You play week by week, especially on this conditions, I mean, it is quite hard. And, on clay you got specialists, they are really specialists, they do nothing else, but play on clay all year. It is hard to beat them every week and every match you play. They are not going to really go -- I mean, look what Mantilla is playing on clay, but he is not going to really move forward in the ranking. He is not going to step in the top five. There is no way, unless he wins everything on clay, if he doesn't step on hard court.

THOMAS MUSTER: I couldn't since 1989. I always loved to play on hard courts. I always liked to play on grass. That is things people never understood. Not be able to do it because my health is not going to hold up. My hip is going to hurt. I cannot bend my knee and I am getting muscle problems and inflammations all over. That is the problem I am facing playing on these surfaces. Grass is the worst because I have to bend my knee so far and I can't. Sometimes I am running to drop shot, I don't know how to get to the ball because I cannot bend my knees, sort of sliding into it and that is--

THOMAS MUSTER: Well, I mean, I could have been better on hard courts years ago. I played in 1989 before my accident. But, I am very happy even with that problem that I have been No. 1 and what I achieved with it. Maybe I would have never have done it without that accident because it just -- I mean, that accident gave me a lot of will power and a lot of confidence. Maybe I would have never achieved that.

THOMAS MUSTER: He is one of these persons just like Corretja really worked hard at the beginning of the year and he just sort, you know, all of his wins, but, to be at the top level -- to be recognized as a top player, you have to do that for years. We have seen many guys winning the French Open and disappear. We have seen guys playing well for six months, a year, and then they have never achieved this again. But, he is a very talented player. He is a very hard hitter. I mean, he has a lot of things to improve still, even at that level which makes him dangerous. If he would be a really solid player today, then I would say, well, I don't see anything he can improve. That he can improve anything in his game and that makes him quite dangerous and he is young. If you look at this generation he is one of the better players. He is a good personality. We have got players like this. That is good for tennis. It is really great. New players come in and they create something.