COMPAQ GRAND SLAM CUP

December 3, 1996

Boris Becker

BORIS BECKER: I enjoyed it very much. How could you not watch it? It was all day on television. I had a few friends on the French team. I guess, it was very dramatic and emotional. I guess it brought a few fans back for Davis Cup competition.

BORIS BECKER: No. It was good for me to be able to play very soon after Hannover. It was a great match, but I lost after all at the end of the day. First you are exhausted and you are glad you have a week off. A couple of days later, I was rather frustrated I had lost. And, I wanted to start practicing as soon as possible and focus on this tournament.

BORIS BECKER: It's not easy after a break of several weeks to play again in a major tournament. The first round is always something very difficult, even if you are a very good tournament player. However, I admit I didn't see too much of this match. I only knew the score. I had to play right after. These are the things that happen. It's happened to me.

BORIS BECKER: Not at all. I can't say a word about this.

BORIS BECKER: No. Only briefly in the newspaper this morning.

BORIS BECKER: I can't give any comment. I wasn't there live. I don't always believe what I read in the newspapers. I know no news about this.

BORIS BECKER: No. I would like to carry on playing a couple years. I'm not sure I have the same ambitions.

BORIS BECKER: Well, there are differences, of course, starting with the crowd. There are not many great events in Hannover, so, people are very excited, enthusiastic. And, they are a bit pampered here in Munich, it would appear normal. The best tennis players drop in every year here. In Hannover, it was the major event of the last few years. This is why everybody was there right from the first minute in Hannover; whereas, you have to warm them up here in Munich. The way I saw it last year, it's going to come from match to match, increasingly. There was very good atmosphere as of the semifinals last year. As far as the surface is concerned, it's a major difference because we are talking about Supreme here and hardcourt in Hannover. The main difference is the altitude. We are playing at 450, 500 altitude sea level. The ball flies longer; a bit faster. As compared to last year, we don't have the same ball anymore. The balls are not as fast as they used to be. There are some baseline rallies now. If you want to know more about the differences, both are indoors, of course. Two winning sets in the beginning. I can't depict any additional differences, but everything wasn't perfect in Hannover from the first minute. There were a couple problems that had to be solved behind, back stage. This is the seventh time this tournament has been organized in Munich. Maybe you want to know the atmosphere in the hall, we have to wait and see. You'll be able to tell after the week if you want to compare Munich and Hannover.

BORIS BECKER: My advantage certainly was that he is not one of the best servers, so you can find your rhythm. You can play tennis. And, you have a chance when it comes to returning the serve of your opponent. That was good for me; not to have somebody like Goran Ivanisevic or Todd. I was lucky to have somebody who makes his points from the baseline or by good volleys, not 25 aces. But this doesn't mean it was easy. It doesn't mean it was just a warm-up. It was good in terms of finding my rhythm.

BORIS BECKER: I do not want to talk about this here. It's not the right place to do this. I just played Jason Stoltenberg. I'm going to play some further matches, I hope. What I do outside shouldn't be discussed here.

BORIS BECKER: No. The only time I change my racket is if I feel it's going to tear, then I do it whether it's my service or not.