THE LIPTON CHAMPIONSHIPS

March 23, 1995

Jonas Bjorkman

Q. Were you thinking it was over?

JONAS BJORKMAN: No. Not over, but it was not so far away at least, so -- but it happened before that I lost matches when I was up 5-2, so I was still thinking that little hope that I could make a turnover also.

Q. What did you say to yourself; I have to attack more; I have to --

JONAS BJORKMAN: No, I think I changed my game to more just keep the ball in and if Mats want to win the points then he have to attack and go up to the net, so it was more that I stay back and try to put the ball in.

Q. The ball was in, but not by far, you played a lot of lines?

JONAS BJORKMAN: Yeah, but that is how the game goes, I think, everyone is playing close to the lines and if you want to win the points; then you have to go for it. And if you put it just in the middle of the court, then you probably going to lost the point, so you have to go for it.

Q. When you were growing up, did you know Mats?

JONAS BJORKMAN: No, I just met him a few times. He knows my dad well and his brother has been playing ice hockey with my dad, so it is more that when I have -- when he has been home and I have been same time, I have been with my dad, he has been coming and saying hello most. When I start to play better and coming up on the Tour now, then I know him as good as I know all the Swedish players.

Q. When you play Mats, do you feel he cannot hurt you with his power?

JONAS BJORKMAN: If he cannot hurt me?

Q. Yeah, the feeling we have from the stand that he has not enough power to hurt anybody from the baseline except waiting and passing?

JONAS BJORKMAN: Yes, that is maybe true, when he played in '88 he probably had a little bit more power and now he may be have to wait more that the opponent is making more mistakes and -- but, you know, he is still not giving away so many points. I mean, it is the same like it was when he played before, you know, he never missed any easy points and it is tough to play Mats because you know that he always put the ball back and especially his passing shot is still there like it was '88, '89.

Q. Were you a little like expecting to play early; did that bother you?

JONAS BJORKMAN: It was quite hard. You were prepared when Sabatini had 5-1; you were warming up a lot; you were out there running and try to be prepared for the match and then everything changed and you have to go there and wait and try to eat again after they split sets, so it is maybe not so used to it that it goes like that; that it takes a long time, so it was tough to keep the concentration for the match, but I think it was still good.

Q. I came in late, forgive me if this has already been asked. How do you compare this win over Mats to your win over Stefan Edberg?

JONAS BJORKMAN: I think the match against Stefan was more -- that was one of my best wins, I think, because I played almost 100% perfect and today I think both me and Mats were struggling a lot and it was tough with the wind and I think the win against Stefan, I think, that one is, at least, one or two steps higher for me.

Q. What has been for you to be so far in a big tournament like that, after the U.S. Open, did you feel at any time that it was only one time that you can succeed being in a big thing?

JONAS BJORKMAN: That it should only happen once?

Q. Oui, tres bien.

JONAS BJORKMAN: No, I have been playing a lot of the top guys and I have been close most of the time and I know that I have a good game to go up high on the ranking, so that was -- I mean, of course, a surprise that I made a good result there, but I have to say that I have been waiting for that result because I think I have been working hard and I know that I have a good game to go up high on the rankings, so...

Q. How will you celebrate your birthday now?

JONAS BJORKMAN: I will probably have some treatment because I play tomorrow again, so, but then we are going to -- we go out and have a nice dinner and try to relax a little bit and then it is a new day tomorrow and I have to be prepared to play a good match again.

Q. I know you have been disappointed with your play in doubles with Jan. Does this success you have been having in singles kind of make up for your disappointments in doubles?

JONAS BJORKMAN: Yeah, that helps a lot. So far we have just been winning one match except the Davis Cup win and we lost a little bit of the confidence in doubles, and it is always good to have a lot of good wins in singles because that keep you still up there and thinking positive and that is maybe the problem for Jan he has been losing a little bit in the singles also, so he is maybe a little bit negative at the moment, so that is maybe the change between us, but it is so close in doubles and we just have to keep going and hopefully we have a big win sooner or later and maybe we are back to the play that we did last year.

Q. You guys aren't thinking about splitting up; are you?

JONAS BJORKMAN: No, we are not going to do that. We are so good friends and we know that we can play well and it is not -- I mean, if you win four tournaments; plus the world champions, then it is not the problem that we are not working good together. It is more that we lost the confidence a little bit and that is important in doubles.

Q. Do you think your experience in the singles court is going to help you with your doubles?

JONAS BJORKMAN: Yeah, at least me, we still have a lot of confidence when I do so well in singles, so I will try my best to push up Jan to the performance he can play for and then I hope we are going to do well the next time in Davis Cup or even after that in Asia.

Q. Has your dad learned anymore English since he has been here?

JONAS BJORKMAN: He is at least not afraid to talk English even if it is not as good as some other dads or, maybe, but it was -- they didn't learn English in school at his time, so he is trying his best at least.

Q. What are your thoughts on the semis?

JONAS BJORKMAN: Never played Medvedev before and if Pete wins, I played him twice and I lost last week against him and it looks to find his game that he had last year, so it will be tough, but I played well last week and I was up a break in second set and I had some good chances to take the second set, so I am the underdog and I have everything to win. I am just going to go for it and see how long that can work.

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