THE LIPTON CHAMPIONSHIPS

March 12, 1994

Stefan Edberg

Q. Good morning, Stefan. The 1992 match helped in the way you looked at this one and were able to handle it?

STEFAN EDBERG: Yeah, in a way it helped because I realized, when I saw the draw and after he won yesterday, it was not an easy first-round match. I prepared as well as I can. I have been here for a few days. But I still felt quite good this time going in. I have been hitting the ball very well last couple of weeks. I am in a lot better shape today than I was at that time in 92. He had the match under his belt. I felt pretty good from the beginning and I played my way and it worked out well today.

Q. Stefan, you kind of waited awhile before you had entered the tournament. Any reason for that?

STEFAN EDBERG: Well, I left it open because I did not enter here and entered Stuttgart, Scottsdale, Indian Wells which is three weeks in a row. I would have been tired. I probably would have gone home and taken a rest, but I felt after Indian Wells that I am hitting the ball well and I am feeling quite fresh. I thought it would be a good idea to play here and get another tournament here because I have quite a good start this year and I am enjoying playing at the moment, so that is why I decided to come here and play.

Q. It had nothing to do with last year's experience here; apart from the weather?

STEFAN EDBERG: It was a rough year last year. I said probably it is not going to happen this year, so I thought it would be okay. Any year can be different. I have played in tournaments where I had a bad year the following year and a great year the last year, so I am looking positive at things.

Q. What is the general impression among the players of the new facility?

STEFAN EDBERG: The facilities are just great. Really done a good job, so nothing to complain about there at all. It is nice. It is nice, this new stadium here. They really had some thoughts before they did it. You have the players lounge upstairs where you can actually look out on the Center Court and it is very pleasant.

Q. Does the good start this year give you a better view at the Slams this year than maybe --

STEFAN EDBERG: Yeah, I feel a lot better this year. Last year was a little bit of a rough year for me. I didn't play that well. I played well at a few tournaments, but this year, even towards the end of last year I have actually played some really good tennis. I have played solid tennis now for four, five months and I feel healthy and I feel eager to do well this year after what happened last year and most of all I am enjoying what I am doing at the moment and it is paying off because I won two tournaments this year already this year which is more than I did in the whole of last year, but the main thing is I am playing good tennis again and I am doing things out there that I normally do quite well at the moment.

Q. Do you also feel like each year time is running out in a sense to do something big anymore?

STEFAN EDBERG: Yeah, I mean, my time is going to come sooner or later, but I am still pretty fresh. I am still physically strong enough to be out. I am strong enough to win another Slam this year. I am playing well enough to have a shot at it at least. You make the best out of it while you can and this could be a good year for me.

Q. Stefan, have you ever entered this tournament playing as well as you are now?

STEFAN EDBERG: It is hard to tell. I don't know. I have played well a few years here; badly a few years; it has been up and down with the results. I am feeling good going into this week.

Thank you.

End of FastScripts....