U.S. OPEN

September 2, 1995

Stefan Edberg

STEFAN EDBERG: Well, I needed to take some chances today I felt and, you know, I got off a little bit to a slow start a little bit which didn't help my game. After being down 5-1 I had a good period for the end of the first set, beginning of the second set, but I blew all the chances that I had in the second set because I had a good chance to level at set-all once he got the second set. It was pretty much one-way track after that. Then he started to relax and play a lot better because he wasn't playing great, and after 5-1 he was a little bit missing a few and I was trying to mix it up.

STEFAN EDBERG: I felt that I had opportunities. I had breakpoints to go 4-Love. I had game points to go up 4-1 and I had breakpoints again. So all the chances that I had in the second set, I didn't take one of them. And suddenly he was ahead 4-3 with a break and after that I didn't have much of a chance. It was over.

STEFAN EDBERG: Well, he is very solid now. His greater strength is obviously return of serve, and he is playing with a lot of confidence; especially when he gets ahead in the match. He is taking the ball very early and he makes you work very hard. And I, as a serve and volleyer, I need to be very, very sharp, serving very well. I didn't particularly serve well enough today, and that let me down a little bit because that was the only chance I had was serving well and mixing it up, coming in a lot and breaking his game up, but it didn't quite work.

STEFAN EDBERG: I was very frustrated because I felt the second set to begin with was my set. I felt I was in charge and doing all the right things; suddenly 20 minutes later I was down with a break and that was very frustrating. And after that, he started getting really confident, taking my serve on the rise and just hitting winners from all over and it is very hard to play the best player in the world when he gets confident and he did once he got on top of me.

STEFAN EDBERG: When I walked in I felt like it was a semifinal or a final because it is a tremendous crowd and it is not very often early like this you play in front of a crowd like that. And I just wish it would have been a tougher match out there and even the people to have some more time to spend out and see a better match than it ended up being. It had potential. If I sort of got to set-all, things could have been a little different.

STEFAN EDBERG: Well, I think on a hard court I would give the edge to Agassi. Definitely. But Boris is always a threat when he is on top of his game.

STEFAN EDBERG: Well, it needs plenty of work, playing hopefully a lot of matches and I need to have a little bit of a breakthrough, winning some good matches. That is what I think it is going to take.

STEFAN EDBERG: You can work so hard physically, prepare yourself mentally, but you need to win the matches out there. That is what it all comes down to. I played two good matches here. Today I played okay. I need to perform a little bit better than this. That is what it is going to take.

STEFAN EDBERG: Definitely on the team, I think, yes. But, you know, it is still 14 days to go and we pretty much know what the team is going to be like. We are not 100% sure who is going to play what.

STEFAN EDBERG: That has been a little bit of a problem for me. Maybe I lost a half of a step and it makes me make a few more mistakes than I did before, and especially if you are playing somebody returning as well as Agassi, then you need to be very, very sharp. I can -- I am playing a lot of good service games, but you need to play them one after one. Maybe I am playing three, four service games; then I have a half game and can't afford to have that.

STEFAN EDBERG: I didn't think he particularly played very well today. He played well in the third set, but apart from that, he made quite a few mistakes. But what he did good today was playing the point that matters, that is where he was far better than I was.

STEFAN EDBERG: Yeah, it is. Yeah, when you think about it, at the same time I have been very lucky because I have had had injuries. Probably have had fewer injuries than the normal tennis player, but it occurred at the times of the year -- had been at times I haven't been feeling great going into a Slam, but it really hasn't been a case where it has been a close call. I have always been ready for the Grand Slams - I don't know why, but it is quite a nice record to have, because it is not going to be beaten for a while, I think. But we will see.

STEFAN EDBERG: Well, I have said it before, I didn't enjoy it that, coming here in the beginning. Things have obviously changed after you are winning it, even a place where you don't like to not to be in, turned out not to be a bad place. I enjoy coming here. It is far better than it was before.

STEFAN EDBERG: No, I always felt that being responsible as a top player to play all the four Slams whether you are not in shape or whether you are in shape or you are healthy, that is where everybody should get together. That has always been my feeling.

STEFAN EDBERG: I think getting back in the top five is going to be very difficult. Obviously it is possible, I think, if I can get into the back 10, that would be my first goal because those top five, it is still another level going up there, so I am sort of just thinking about getting into the top 10, that would be my next move.

STEFAN EDBERG: It is not that I am playing very poor. I am playing still lots of good matches, but I need to be a little bit more consistent and I need to have a few good results because once you have a few good results you are going to start believing in yourself. That is what is lacking out there when it comes to the crucial point. Before I knew exactly what to do and I did it. Now I know what to do, but I am not doing it. I am just missing it, but it is by that much. (indicating inches) a lot of volleys close by that, and that makes the whole difference out there.

STEFAN EDBERG: I think it will be pretty close call because the court is playing sort of a little bit quicker this year than it did last year, I feel, and if they had to play -- I wouldn't give anybody an edge at the moment. It will be a very close call.

STEFAN EDBERG: Well, I have been to Vegas once before, 1984. I really enjoyed being there for a week. It probably IS going to be a little different crowd with what we have seen before. Maybe -- it is going to be playing at Caesars Palace, I mean, I would just give them the advice to bring a lot of money to Vegas.

STEFAN EDBERG: Yeah, I think it would be great for him to play in his hometown and it will be great if he is there for us to have the opportunity to play him there.

STEFAN EDBERG: There is still tennis left in me, I believe so. I have had a bad spell, but it is, like I said, there is always a way out of it, and got to keep on working. That is all I can do.

STEFAN EDBERG: Going to Australia? Definitely going to Australia next year, that is the way I feel, so I will probably be there.

STEFAN EDBERG: The streak, I mean, I think once you reach 50, I think you have done a good job - to be a little modest -- just keep playing. It is going to be there as long as I keep playing.

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