Thomas Enqvist Q&A - continued
Q: Predict how many Grand Slam titles Roger, Rafa, Novak and Andy will retire with.
Thomas: Well, that’s tough. If you ask me if Roger will break Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slams, I would have to say yes. If you’d asked me one and a half or two years ago, I would have said for sure. I still believe it now but it’s just not quite as certain. At the moment Rafa and Djokovic and Murray and a few others have improved a lot in the last year and they’re giving Federer more competition now. But I really do believe Roger is going to break the record. Rafa I think has improved so much tennis-wise lately so for him it all depends on how long his body holds up. If his body holds up for a long time then there’s just no limit to how much he can win. I think Djokovic definitely has a chance to be a multiple Grand Slam winner. It’s tough to say because Rafa and Roger have dominated the Grand Slams for so long now and they’re still on the top of their games so of course it’s going to be difficult. With Murray I’d say the same as with Djokovic. He has proven that he can beat all the top players so definitely he is in the category of people that can win the Grand Slams. How many exactly is difficult to predict.
Q: Do you think Rafa can do the Grand Slam this year?
Thomas: There is a chance. I don’t think he will. There’s so much good competition around at the moment that it seems almost impossible but he definitely has the mental capability for it. He’s so professional every week and every match he’s 100% focussed. So if anybody can do it, maybe it’s him.
Q: What game plan would you advise Roger Federer to use if he meets Rafa Nadal again in the finals of the French Open? And do you think this time Roger will win?
Thomas: It’s tough to say because I’ve never played Rafa and I’ve never even seen them play live. I think maybe Roger should try and shorten down the rallies a little bit, because I think he plays him at his own game a bit too much. But then Roger is maybe the best player who ever played the game and he probably understands what he needs to do better than me so it’s tough for me to give him advice. But if I had to I’d tell him to shorten up the rallies and maybe take a few more chances, particularly if he serves well. Because he’s so talented sometimes I think he could afford to go for his shots a little bit more.
Q: You were such a good all-round player, good at the net, and from the baseline. Roger also has a great all-round game, and he did once say he would like to win Wimbledon one year serve-and-volleying on every point. Would you like to see that?
Thomas: No-one’s ever told me I was good at the net before! Wimbledon tennis has changed in recent years, and great players adapt and play the most effective tennis for the court they’re on. Winning five times in a row he’s obviously doing something right so why change. Last year it was one ball here and there that decided it and he could almost have had his sixth title, so I think he’s still the big favourite to win Wimbledon this year for me.
Q: What do you think it was that held you back from making it to World Number one, or winning a Grand Slam title?
Thomas: I think I was simply not good enough. It’s as simple as that. If you win it you’re good enough, if you don’t then you’re not. I was close when I was in the Australian Open final, and I felt like I played good enough to maybe have a chance at it but I didn’t so that’s that.
Q: Do you have one single biggest regret from your career?
Thomas: Not winning that Grand Slam title, for sure. I beat most of the players and I had beaten all of the top players. I won three Masters Series titles so of course it’s a regret that I could not put it together for two weeks and have won a Grand Slam.
Q: And your biggest highlight?
Thomas: My Davis Cup wins and my Masters Series wins.