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TMS - CINCINNATI


August 10, 2000


Thomas Enqvist


CINCINNATI

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Can you talk about playing two matches in one day?

THOMAS ENQVIST: Yeah, I mean it was a while ago you play to qualify, but that's usually what you do then. I was feeling lucky today. I had a good two pretty easy matches. I mean easy if you look at time-wise. So I didn't really feel tired in the second match.

Q. How did you feel coming into this tournament? How did you feel?

THOMAS ENQVIST: I felt good playing-wise. I played two good matches in Toronto, but then I got problem in my foot so I had to withdraw in Toronto, and I was not sure if I'm going to play this week or not. But the foot feels better and I was lucky to get through the first one, so I feel good.

Q. What's the problem?

THOMAS ENQVIST: I have a piece of bone that's loose in my wrist and that bothers me last week in Toronto and it was a question mark if I'm going to take it away right away or if I'm going to try to play this summer through the US Open and the Olympics, and I decided to, you know, give it a shot and for the moment it's good.

Q. What's the problem with the foot?

THOMAS ENQVIST: I have a piece of bone that's loose.

Q. In your foot?

THOMAS ENQVIST: In my foot.

Q. In your foot, not in your wrist?

THOMAS ENQVIST: Right, no sorry.

Q. Right foot?

THOMAS ENQVIST: Yeah.

Q. So at some point you may have surgery on this?

THOMAS ENQVIST: I have to take it away, yeah. Hopefully I can do it the end of this year instead of doing it now in the middle of the season.

Q. Were you thinking this week about not playing for the rest of the year?

THOMAS ENQVIST: No, not really like this. It goes pretty quick, if you take it away. You're maybe only away a month or something. But it's a bad time to do it right now. I actually had it one time before, so I know you can play with. Now it doesn't give me any problem today.

Q. You're feeling okay today?

THOMAS ENQVIST: Yeah, so hopefully it can stay this way.

Q. Is it on the bottom of your foot?

THOMAS ENQVIST: Right up here.

Q. Okay. Playing two matches in one day is probably the worst thing that could happen?

THOMAS ENQVIST: Well, the foot like this is not a problem. I don't feel it, anything now. But as long as the bone stays and doesn't shift, it's no problem.

Q. How important was it to have the first match go pretty quick?

THOMAS ENQVIST: Well, I think you don't see -- of course it's important because it was very hot out there today. But in this kind of field you don't expect any matches. You just concentrate on the first one and you when you get to the end of it, then you have the next one to concentrate on. Of course it helps that it was really easy, the first one. So you can get ready for the second one.

Q. What's your theory, a lot of the Europeans who haven't done well here in the past are doing quite well this week at this tournament. What do you think the reason is?

THOMAS ENQVIST: I don't know. This is one of my favorite tournaments actually. I usually play pretty good here.

Q. I wasn't referring to you, just some other people.

THOMAS ENQVIST: I don't know. You have to ask them about that.

Q. Why do you play well here?

THOMAS ENQVIST: I think this tournament, this surface and this time of the year is a good time for me. I like to play in the hard court season. It's a surface that I think suits my game the best. And usually in the past years, I've done pretty well here.

Q. So when you show up at a place where you've done pretty well do you come in feeling differently?

THOMAS ENQVIST: Yeah, I think you feel more positive when you come to a place that you know the surface and conditions suit your game and you have been playing well there in the past. I think all players feel like that.

Q. How would you describe this court as compared to previous years?

THOMAS ENQVIST: I think it's about the same.

Q. About the same?

THOMAS ENQVIST: Yeah. They use a different ball now. They use the Wilson ball. I think, if I remember right, it's usually ...(Inaudible.) I think it's a little bit different because I think Wilson is a little bit faster, a little bit harder. But that's the only difference.

Q. So would you say it's like fast, medium?

THOMAS ENQVIST: It's pretty medium.

Q. When you get to this point, do you look at the brackets? You know you're the highest seed left in your part of the bracket, you look at the other guys, Andre's out. Do you look at the big picture?

THOMAS ENQVIST: No, you learn from it. A lot of tournaments are like this. All the players out there now, anybody can beat almost anybody. You have to be 100 percent in every match to win. If that's not the case, you know that you have to be prepared to win. It doesn't matter if somebody is out.

Q. Have you had any other injuries this year?

THOMAS ENQVIST: No, it's been okay. I think in the beginning of the year I had this problem with my elbow in Australia. After that, I've been fine.

Q. Are you just trying to stay healthy?

THOMAS ENQVIST: I've been having a little bit bad luck with the timing of my injuries. I think a lot of players are injured. In my case, I haven't had a lot of injuries but the timing seems very, very bad. A few times, I mean big tournaments and then I don't have anything for the rest of the year. So hopefully, if I get injured, the timing is going to be a little bit better.

Q. How do you just feel now going into tomorrow's match recovery-wise from today?

THOMAS ENQVIST: I feel good. Yeah, I feel good. I hit the ball well and I look forward to tomorrow.

Q. Do you get more confidence from the fact that you could go out with a little injury that you had coming in this week and be able to win two matches in one day?

THOMAS ENQVIST: I think it's -- obviously I was really disappointed last week to have to withdraw in the third round there. You appreciate to play this week. I didn't really expect it in the middle of last week. It's a lot of fun to play this week. Hopefully it's going to stay like this.

Q. How close were you to not coming?

THOMAS ENQVIST: Well, I always have to go. When I withdraw from Toronto it didn't look good. Luckily, it's an injury that comes and goes. ...(Inaudible).

Q. Did you take any days off?

THOMAS ENQVIST: Yeah. I took three days off.

Q. And just did nothing?

THOMAS ENQVIST: Just practiced a little bit. Nothing drastic.

Q. When did you start to feel like it was pretty good?

THOMAS ENQVIST: Sunday afternoon it felt pretty good. That was the first time I...(Inaudible).

Q. I was reading a little bit about how you got interested because of Borg, you hit with him when you were younger. Talk about the first time you met him, the first time you hit with him at some point.

THOMAS ENQVIST: Yeah, I hit with him -- I was 14 or 15. I remember that very, very good.

Q. Tell me about that.

THOMAS ENQVIST: I know his old coach a little bit. He called me up and asked me if I wanted to hit with Bjorn. I think I couldn't sleep for two nights.

Q. They called you?

THOMAS ENQVIST: He called me, the old coach of Bjorn, who I knew a little bit and he asked me if I wanted to hit with Bjorn. It was one of my biggest thrills I think.

Q. He had already been a hero of yours growing up?

THOMAS ENQVIST: Oh, yeah. Yeah.

Q. So what was that day like when you got out there?

THOMAS ENQVIST: It was a lot of fun, yeah.

Q. Were you scared, nervous? Was he nice?

THOMAS ENQVIST: Yeah, he was very, very nice. He inspires you I think. He inspires you to go on, practice harder. It was a nice moment.

Q. Did he give you any particular advice?

THOMAS ENQVIST: Not really. Not really. But I just hit with him. I actually hit with him two times after that so it was a lot of time.

Q. Did you sleep that night?

THOMAS ENQVIST: Yeah. (Laughing. )

Q. Do you still -- do you talk to him on the Tour at all?

THOMAS ENQVIST: When I see him but I don't know him that well.

Q. You don't call him up?

THOMAS ENQVIST: No, no.

Q. Did you see him at Wimbledon?

THOMAS ENQVIST: I did not, no.

Q. Is he a reason that you're playing?

THOMAS ENQVIST: I think one reason for sure. Tennis was a huge thing when I grew up. I watched every time I had a chance to watch him on TV or just watch tennis. He was a big sports hero in Sweden when I grew up. Me and my brother are big sports fans so he was one of my heroes for sure. That's why we get into sport.

Q. Would you have played another sport do you think?

THOMAS ENQVIST: I don't know. He was a big reason why I think for sure.

End of FastScripts…

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