EUROCARD OPEN

October 31, 1998

Jonas Bjorkman

Q. What is your feeling of the performance overall today? You were a break up in the second.

JONAS BJORKMAN: Well, I got off to a bad start, I would say. I changed my game, played a little bit better in the second. Had some chances, but I really served bad today, didn't have any power at all in it. I mean, against Ivanisevic, who is one of the better returners in the game, you need to get some free points. That was the difference. He was serving better than I have seen him for a long time. He got the free point at a good time. So I think that was the difference. At the end, I couldn't really manage to stay on top of him. I had some chances, I just didn't take it.

JONAS BJORKMAN: Yeah, I still have to be happy. I am in the semifinal of a Super 9 in Stuttgart again. Even if I haven't played my best tennis this week, I am still there, one of the last four guys, so with the result I have to be very pleased. With my game, I am definitely not pleased. I think I could play much better than I have done, but that is the way it should be. If I could have a semis of a Super 9 without playing good, I would be happy. As long as you fight and go out to try your best and win the matches, even if you don't play good, that is perfect. Then you just have to try to improve a few things for next week in Paris.

JONAS BJORKMAN: Well --

JONAS BJORKMAN: I am very professional, a perfectionist. Even if I win matches, I am sometimes not even as happy, maybe I should be. So that was maybe at the time that I wasn't really pleased my game, even if I won some matches, I wasn't pleased with it. That is something I need to work on. I need to be more relaxed. A win is a win. Even if it is ugly, it is a still a win. While other guys have to go to next tournament, I am still going to be here. So that is something I am working on and try to improve. I think I have been taking down my goals a little bit since the summer.

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