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EUTELSAT MONTE CARLO OPEN


April 22, 1996


Stefan Edberg


MONTE CARLO, MONACO

Q. Stefan, you talked about the number of matches you're playing this year, which is much fewer than last year. Is it just court time leading into the French Open?

STEFAN EDBERG: Well, I think, like anybody else, I need matches. It has been a little bit better in the past month or so. I won a few matches in Scottsdale; played a few matches in Key Biscayne. That's a big help. That's really what I need. I've been feeling a bit better than the last month and a half, and the tennis has been better, so the more matches I can get, the better it obviously will be. I'm sure about that.

Q. Did you like the conditions today?

STEFAN EDBERG: Uh-huh, I did. I won, and I did like them. It was good to me today. It was a little bit of a surprise this morning because I've been here for ten days, and the weather has been really wonderful. This is really the first day when the weather hasn't been great, but I think it calmed down a little bit from this morning. It was no problem.

Q. Maybe you like the slow court?

STEFAN EDBERG: Oh, yes. I have more time then.

Q. Is it a little strange, you're still very competitive, but people keep giving you things, "thank you for coming; this is the last time." Is it difficult to balance that? People obviously want to say thank you and good-bye, but you're still here.

STEFAN EDBERG: I mean, why not? They can do that after the first match, that's fine. Obviously, you feel better after you won your match than losing. It's really after the tournaments. I'm not putting any pressure on them. It's just they've been very nice so far. You know, it's always nice to have a little memory, like the picture which I had today. It was really beautiful. It's something you can hang up on the wall and it's useful to you.

Q. You've been given something each tournament since the beginning?

STEFAN EDBERG: Pretty much, yes.

Q. Are you going to keep everything?

STEFAN EDBERG: Yeah. I mean, I've had very useful things so far. I'm going to keep it. It's a memory, too, so I think those things, the older you get, the more you probably appreciate them.

Q. What is the worst thing you received?

STEFAN EDBERG: I really haven't had a bad thing. I may be due soon.

Q. Stefan, don't you regret that you have announced this is the last year because of the pressure you put on yourself?

STEFAN EDBERG: No, not really. It probably was a lot worse in the beginning of the year when everything was new. The last couple of week, it's been no problems at all. Coming in here, that hasn't been a problem at all - I feel.

Q. You don't feel pressure?

STEFAN EDBERG: No. I feel less now. I've sort of got used to it. I've prepared, in my own mind, what I'm doing this year. I think, me, as a person, I'd rather know what I'm doing, be sure of what I'm doing. It's fine at the moment.

Q. But all what they are doing to you, do you think it's going to be hard just in case you decide it's not going to be your last year?

STEFAN EDBERG: Well, it is my last year. Yeah, it is. I keep my word, so I feel like this is really it. You can't go on forever. That's my opinion. There's other things in life.

Q. What will you be doing afterwards?

STEFAN EDBERG: Well, that's the new question that keeps coming up every week. I will sort of hopefully stay in touch in tennis in some way or another. I'll do a few different things, which I haven't decided exactly what I'm going to do. I'll have a little bit of time, too, to walk around the house; think about things; what you want to do, because it's good to have a break, but then you really need to occupy your mind or your body, whatever, to do things, which I used to do. I think I'll be all right.

Q. Are you going to spend a lot of time in your house in the south of France?

STEFAN EDBERG: Probably more than last year, which was four or five weeks.

Q. Will you be gardening?

STEFAN EDBERG: I mean, I'm not quite sure exactly. I'm probably keeping my residence in London, as for now. I might be traveling a little bit; enjoying life. I really decided -- I haven't decided what I'm going to do. I think by the end of the year, I'll have a much clearer idea.

Q. Are you going to change your diet; drink some beer or Champaign?

STEFAN EDBERG: More on the menu, yes, certainly. Hopefully not too much. Maybe I'll change as a person.

Q. Stefan, it was said of Pat Cash when he came back after injury, dropped down in the rankings; that he was the most dangerous floater since Jaws. Do you think with your present ranking, you can be a real danger to people?

STEFAN EDBERG: Yes, if I'm playing well. I still have the ability to play good matches. On any given day, I think I can give a lot of people trouble. That's true, I think.

Q. Last year. Do you think you can still come back among the top 10 by the end of the season?

STEFAN EDBERG: It's still possible. It obviously will be a lot harder since I had a pretty bad start at the beginning of the year. It doesn't take much. You get onto a roll; get into a few finals; it can go very, very quick. It's not that's impossible, but it will be harder now, yes.

Q. Any special purpose for this year, tournament-wise?

STEFAN EDBERG: I think I'm really waiting for a good week here to come. I think, you know, if I at least win a tournament this year, I'd love to do that; have a good French Open; a good Wimbledon; US Open - that's important to me. Also I'll try to play the best tennis I can and see how far that will take me.

Q. What does a good tournament mean for you now, winning it?

STEFAN EDBERG: I think a quarterfinal or better. That's the way I look; then it's fine. It's always great when you get into the final, final four, at the Grand Slam.

Q. Are you scared about retiring?

STEFAN EDBERG: No, no.

Q. Have you improved your French?

STEFAN EDBERG: Yes. I've got a big vocabulary now. Instead of six words, about eight, nine.

Q. If you spend more time in France, you'll have to improve your French?

STEFAN EDBERG: I'll leave the hopes to my daughter.

End of FastScripts....

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