Richard, how are you doing at the moment?
Yeah, I'm doing all right. It's been
6 weeks now since I've had surgery. It's going into the right
direction.
Of course I also have lots of time because I will just miss Key Biscaine
and after that, there
won't be any tournaments for a while. So, that's a hole of two weeks. Instead
of the 8 or 9 weeks
that it normally takes, I suddenly have 11 weeks.
So that's why I'm taking things slowly a little and I can just notice the
rehabilitation. I haven't had
any misfortunes yet. If you have to work on a certain schedule you can
get into trouble. I haven't
had that yet now. No fluid and just no complications or other surprises.
But in general you only do running, weight training and stuff like
that at the moment?
I am not allowed to go running anymore because it was the second time I
had surgery to
this knee, to the same meniscus, and I've only got about 3 mm left of it
now, and I have to be
a bit careful with that.
That's not really a punishment, not being allowed to run, right?
No, well, I actually have to say I used to kind of dislike running, but
now I actually kind of
enjoy running.
I feel like I just don't really have the pressure anymore of having a good
ranking. I have
already sort of proved myself when it comes to my ranking of course, in
the past few years.
So, you're really going for the tournaments now?
Yes, and I feel like if I want to win Wimbledon or a Super 9 tournament
I just have to be healthy
and then it doesn't matter that I missed a couple of months. I'd rather
just be completely fit instead
of playing 3 or 4 matches and getting bothered by my knee again then.
But it still sounds like you really want to play tennis again. So you
are still very motivated to play tennis again?
Yeah, of course I've also had my low points, but after Paris last year
I had 2 tough weeks and
then I had some time to think and then I just felt like: I'm not ready
yet to throw in the towel and
I just want to go hard at it and so that's what I did. I was also ready
for Australia, well, that throws
a spanner in the works then, but my motivation did not suffer because of
that.
You never had any doubts during rehabilitation like: "I just hope I'm
fit enough and mentally strong enough to get back to the highest
level", or did you never have any doubts about that?
No, not really. The only thing that might have been an issue was: "Do I
still really want to travel
every week from one place to another just to get a good ranking again?"
So that's why that's
not that important anymore now.
I now look at my schedule and I'm ready for those tournaments but if I
would want to have a good
ranking again, I might have to play other extra tournaments and I don't
feel the need for that.
Of course it could have been a great deal worse. It must be good at
moments like this to live in Holland again. During all those other
rehabilitations, you were still living in Monte Carlo. Then you still
have to separate private things and rehabilitation, then you still
have to make choices in that and of course that's a lot better now.
Yeah, last time I was just internal in Papendal and then there you are.
Of course I didn't have
a residence here.
I do think everything was very well organized, but still, you are in a
hotel room all alone, and
that does make it more difficult. It is a bit more fun now. I see Emma
a bit more often and Daphne
too of course and in the morning we take Emma to a crèche.
And I'm sure Daphne also won't mind it now, during this period?
No, that's right. And once in a while we can also do more things together.
Yeah, I guess in the
end that is a positive thing in a bad situation.
I guess you are kind of having a taste of the normal life now.
Yes, I guess so.
Richard, you have already told us you will miss the first two
tournaments of the new Masters-series. Could you please explain
in short to the people at home what that means, these new rules?
I don't know it that well myself yet, since I haven't really been on tour
but what I understood
is that you are obliged to play at least all of the 4 tournaments, all
9 tournaments of the Masters
and 5 other tournaments, and you can choose those 5 tournaments yourself.
So that's actually
your other 5 best tournaments, those will count.
But if you miss a tournament from the Masters series or you miss a Grandslam,
they will still
count, even though you didn't play.
So, you are actually getting punished now for missing the first 2
tournaments, even though you were injured?
Yeah, I suppose so.
The reason the ATP did that, is because the ATP would like to see
all the top players at the big tournaments.
Yeah, so that's how they oblige you to play. You don't even have to subscribe
yourself. It just
happens automatically now.
I still have a sort of personal question. Do you still think sometimes
when you're on the court: "So many points, so much money", when
you are playing, especially when you're at match point at the big
tournaments?
Yeah, especially the points, although that is kind of weird because money
of course also plays
an important part. I have to say I never really feel nervous because I
think: "I'm playing for this
much money now."
But points are always equal to ranking and in the end ranking is equal
to money.
And of course the everlasting fame of a Grand Slam title. That just is
the best thing there is.
That's the crowning glory of my work. When you play against someone like
Washington, like
I did in 1996, who is not really a grass court player, then you do feel
tense because you know
this might be the only chance for a crowning of your work, and you don't
want to ruin that.
Then you really feel tense and then you won't think about money or points,
I do know that.
He Richard,we're standing here playing pool now. Of course this
this is a whole different place than the place you would have liked
to be this week, right?
Yeah, Indian Wells is a nicer place to be of course. Not just because of
the weather, but also
for my work.
For the past few years you've played well in Indian Wells. Is that a
tournament you like to play?
Yeah, I haven't played there very often, last year I reached the quarter
final, but it's really a good
feeling to be outside, especially after those European indoor tournaments
where you are
inside a lot and it's cold there, and in Indian Wells the weather is just
good and you get
a lot of fresh air and it's in the middle of a desert so you really feel
like you breath in healthy
air. Well, maybe not. It could of course be that there's some sort of factory
around there, but
you just feel ready again to really go for it for the rest of the year
and that's sort of where the
ATP season starts.
Of course there is the ITF with their grand slam tournaments and then there's
the ATP. The
Master tournaments are kind of like the showpieces of the ATP and it's
always nice to play well
there.
It's also the amount of points you can get when you want to go up in the
rankings and when it
comes to tournament titles of course these are the best besides the Grand
Slams.
Ok, come on Richard, what are your names for the semi finals?
I think Agassi will meet Kiefer and I think it will be Kuerten against
Hewitt.
And what about Sjeng Schalken, our countryman?
I think he can reach the quarter finals.
But then he has to play against Kafelnikov in the second round.
yeah, but last year Kafelnikov lost here big time and apparently this is
a court that doesn't really
suit him. He probably thinks the court is too slow.
And what about Rafter?
Rafter can win a couple of matches, but I don't think he can beat Kiefer.
Last year he also lost to
Kiefer here and he was in better shape then and now he has just come back
from an injury and
Kiefer has been playing at quite a high level lately, so I think I would
have to pick Kiefer, but
I don't know how Pat's shoulder is doing so he could loose in the first
round, or he could meet
Kiefer in the third round but I don't think he will get any further than
that.