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REPUBLIC NATIONAL MONTE CARLO OPEN


April 25, 1998


Richard Krajicek


MONTE CARLO, MONACO

Q. Did you think you had him?

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Yeah, I mean, through the whole match basically. First set I thought, How much longer can I miss these easy volleys? Then at 5-4, I didn't miss them. I was able to break him. He played pretty decent. I played not so good. 2-1, unbelievably easy volley to go 40-Love. Overhead at 30-All. Basically in control the whole match. Then at 4-2, he even starts going to the net. I really didn't know what I had to do anymore. I just let him off the hook. Yeah, just missed a couple of shots from the back maybe. But the thing today was that I volleyed the worst I can recall, I mean even worse than against Tim in the fourth set of Wimbledon last year. Pretty bad.

Q. Your attacking style, serving and volleying, it's showed what can be achieved on this surface. As you say, but for those errors, it wasn't your style or strategy that was at fault, was it, today?

RICHARD KRAJICEK: No, I don't think so. I think I mixed it up well. I cannot come in all the time. I started coming in a little bit less maybe in the third set because he just jumped on top of the return with his double-handed backhand. I kept him guessing a little bit. It wasn't the style of play. A couple of times high volleys, just any kind of volley, I wasn't sure if I was going to win the point. I mean, normally I feel pretty good at the net. Today, I know it's clay, so the ball should come back a little bit more often, but that was a shame. Just didn't perform as well at the net as I should. I should have put even more pressure on his passing shots. I have a better chance of making a volley if he's missing them also. If I was volleying a little bit better, maybe he was going for more, he maybe would have missed a couple more passing shots on top of it.

Q. The score actually looks quite similar to last year's quarterfinal, 6-2, 6-4 the last two sets. But was this, in your mind, a lot bigger chance for you?

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Yeah. I think last year after the first set, I think we were even in the third. Now I was 4-2 up. I should have double broken him at 4-2 to go 5-2 up. In the whole match, I felt tennis-wise - maybe the end of the second set, but then I was already concentrating on the third set - but the rest of the match I felt pretty much in control with my game, I was dictating the points: I was the one that who was coming in, I was the one making the play in general. I had the feeling that most of the time he had to come up with the big passing shots or I missed a relatively easy forehand or just a relatively easy volley for him to win the point. So I thought it was either he hit an unbelievable shot or I did something stupid is basically how he won his points. That's why I felt more in control. Score-wise I was also in control in the third set.

Q. Did you get tight at the end, Richard?

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Tight?

Q. Yes.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Well, maybe at 4-3. At 5-4, not really. But at 4-3, yeah, you know, it's getting closer. I knew I was just one more game away from new balls. Yeah, I really felt that was it is biggest game of the match for me. I thought if I would be make it to 5-3, then one game, new balls, I thought I was going to serve it out. Yeah, I think I was more tight than the rest of the match in that eighth game of the third.

Q. Did you get nervous?

RICHARD KRAJICEK: That was the previous question.

Q. Richard, looking ahead at the year a little bit, what's your grout preparation before Wimbledon? Halle, Rosmalen?

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Other way around. I come to England a little bit later. Third tournament on clay and you ask me what my preparation is for grass (laughter).

Q. You are going to play Rome?

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Yeah.

End of FastScripts....

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