Estoril Open 2003 News and Events

Jarkko Nieminen
© Joao Lagos Sports

Finland's No. 1 player Jarkko Nieminen took time out from the Estoril Open to answer your questions before flying off to prepare for the Tennis Masters Monte Carlo. Here is what Jarkko had to say... Q: Why are there so few Finnish tennis players on the tour, and only one really good one? Is the support in Finland not good? - Dave Frolik

JN: Tennis is not very popular in Finland, it's mainly winter sports, so there aren't that many tennis clubs around like Sweden has, and that's why they've had so many good players for a long time. I think when we get some bigger players, that's when the young kids will start to play tennis, and hopefully we'll have more success in the future.

Q: The start of your season has gone well, but do you like it even more when the clay season comes into the picture? - Teemu Varpola Finland

JN: I like playing on hard courts as much as I like playing on clay, but last year I was playing really well on clay, I had a good start to the year and some people thought that I'm a clay court player. But before that I always had as good or bad results on clay or hard courts.

Q: Last year you had a great clay court season which started in Estoril. This year, do you feel pressure coming into the clay court season as you have quite a lot of points to defend? - Markus Ojala

JN: No because this year I've had a much better start to this year than I had last year, I've already had some solid results and got some points from the beginning of the year, so that's why I don't feel any pressure.

Q: On your homepage I can see that you will play every week until Wimbledon. Why do you play so often? - Anon.

JN: That's not true. I have a lot of tournaments until Hamburg, and after that I will have a week off and play Roland Garros, so I will have a few weeks off before Wimbledon.

Q: What surface suits your game the most? And which grass tournaments you plan on playing this summer? - Miriam Koning

JN: I will play Queen's this year. I think my game is pretty well suited to any kind of surface, so long as I'm playing well. If I practice on grass, I think I can play well on it.

Q: How much time do you spend in Finland in your hometown? Is it at all possible for you to be home for a bit longer time than just a few days? - Kasia

JN: At the end of the year I can stay longer, but otherwise the whole year I go back and forth. Pretty much the whole year I play in Europe, apart from the trip to Australia and twice to the States, but otherwise I stay in Europe. If I lose early, then I try to go home and then come back. It's nice to spend time with friends and family.

Q: What would you consider a 'minimum plan' for this season? What kind of success would mean that you would consider this season as successful? - Kasia

JN: My only goal is to be better than last year. I finished in the 40s, so I was satisfied with that, but it will be a good goal for me to finish higher than last year.

Q: When it is very hot and the match lasts long what do you eat during the breaks? Bananas? Chocolate? - Anna-Riikka Carlson

JN: Well I have sports drinks and if it's a long match I try to eat something, like bananas, but otherwise I just drink a lot.