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from Former Official Website
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| May 1997 Tornament Update |
The Italian Open didn't go as planned, but drawing 2-time French Open champion Jim Courier in the first round is never an easy task. Jim played well and I lost 6-7, 4-6. The year is broken up into segments and now I'm in the last leg of my French Open preparation. Whenever I lose I try to get something positive out of it. The good thing about this loss was that it enabled me to get four days of practice at Roland Garros -- where the French Open is played -- that I wouldn't have otherwise had. Getting acclimated is an integral part of my preparation (the balls, court surface, surroundings etc.) Since Rome's courts balls and court surface are different, this stop over in Paris was a good idea. Even though you at home see a red clay court at Monte Carlo, Hamburg and Rome, they can and do play differently. Monte Carlo's court is probably most similar to Roland Garros. Rome is faster and more slippery and Hamburg the ball doesn't come up as much (that could also be because of the cold weather). So getting acclimated here in Paris is something good that came out of my early loss in Rome. I do need some match play to help me prepare as well and since Monte Carlo and Rome didn't help as much as I would have liked in that area, next week in Dusseldorf, Germany, will help. I'm playing the ATP World Team Cup. Again the court is slightly different, but I'll get some good matches and hopefully along with my other U.S. teammates be able to win the event! Michael Chang, Alex O'Brien and Jonathan Stark are on the team and Tom Gullikson is the captain, so it should be a fun week . This is a very prestigious event so a victory here would be a great way to go into the French Open! |
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-----Pete Sampras |