Subscribe Characteristically he scoffed at the suggestion that he might be in danger of overloading with the French
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Characteristically, he scoffed at the suggestion that he might be in danger of overloading with the French Open and Wimbledon looming."My goal is to make a certain amount of points to stay in the top 10, and playing next week is good, better than taking a week off," he said. The Dutchman was also taken aback to find there was more clay on the court than usual, causing him to adjust his movement to the net to avoid slipping, although he admitted that he had been asking for extra clay all week.If Krajicek's serve was less than reliable, his volleying almost deserted him, particularly in the opening sets "It was a combination of three things," he said. "I just want to continue playing well, and that's it."Fitness and confidence were likely to be factors in yesterday's final, and the unseeded Krajicek's self-belief began to waver when a swirling wind made it difficult to sustain the sting in his serves. He said: "When playing for four weeks in a row you lose a little bit of you muscle tension and your physique goes down a bit."Today finds him back in Austria, defending in St Polten, one of the smaller titles of the 11 he won on clay last year. Muster then took a week off before coming to Rome, resting for two days and then training harder than ever, on the court and in the gym, "to build myself up again".
Just as important for Muster, it served as a timely warning to Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and other rivals that he is warming up nicely for his defence of the French Open, which starts a week today.Were he the type to need omens to bolster his confidence, Muster would like his chances of repeating the triumph in Paris, having already won in Rome and Monte Carlo for the past two years.Krajicek, who failed to impose his serve and volley game with the consistency to tax Muster as much as he had hoped, said: "He's not completely unbeatable on clay, but almost." Two young Spaniards, Carlos Costa and Carlos Moya, are among the few who have proved that - but the fact remains that the Austrian has lost only three of 98 matches on the surface in the past 14 months.Moya defeated Muster in his previous tournament, in Munich, his one defeat in his last 45 matches on clay. Tennis Thomas Muster, continuing to secure the considerable clay-court gains he made last season, successfully defended his fifth title of the year here yesterday and became only the third player to win the Italian singles championship three times. The Austrian's two-hour victory against Richard Krajicek, 6-2, 6-4, 3- 6, 6-3, put his name alongside Jaroslav Drobny and Marty Mulligan as the most successful singles competitor at the Foro Italico. At pounds 3.00 it was easily the cheapest, and yet there was still room for career figures for every man who has ever played for the county, an impressive list. Derbyshire's, Essex's, Somerset's and Surrey's are crammed, as are most, with some fine writing on a huge range of topics. Of the 15 studied, Yorkshire's, edited by The Independent's Derek Hodgson, was an outstanding No 1.
But the others are to be commended and there has to be a photo for second place between the 14.COUNTY YEARBOOKS: Derbyshire 248 pages, pounds 4.50; Durham 96, pounds 6; Essex 304, pounds 6; Glamorgan 160, pounds 5; Gloucestershire 144, pounds 3; Hampshire 192, pounds 6; Kent 296, pounds 4.99; Lancashire 400, pounds 6; Leicestershire 130, pounds 4.95; Middlesex 136, pounds 8; Somerset 256, pounds 6.50; Surrey 160, pounds 5; Sussex 294, pounds 6; Warwickshire 184, pounds 4.50; Yorkshire 352, pounds 9.50.David Llewellyn. But when you see that Middlesex - to non-members - charge pounds 8.00 for far fewer pages and a more sparing statistical section, there is no contest.The bargain of the bunch - the Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire and Worcestershire yearbooks were not made available for this review - has to be Gloucestershire. The advantage of a leather binding is that cock-ups like those of Kent and Surrey (two admirable publications content-wise) are avoided. In Kent's case, the cover shows Dean Headley holding a bottle of lager aloft - but the caption claims the England A bowler is holding the Sunday League Trophy.
Surrey contrived to have a photograph of the Prince of Wales posing in front of some Kwik Cricketers - unfortunately the bright red ball has been frozen in the Royal Box, so to speak.The other counties definitely give value for money, but because of their flimsy covers there is no feeling of permanence and no sense of historical record, unlike Yorkshire Mind you, there is a price to pay, pounds 9.50. The statistical section is possibly the most comprehensive of all the counties, although the Lancashire Yearbook must run it a close second.Where Lancashire - and everyone else loses out - is in the finish. Beyond Yorkshire, Len Hutton is regarded as one of the finest batsmen, but those in the county, or in possession of the outstanding Yorkshire County Cricket Club Yearbook, know differently. Prior to the Second World War, Hutton was a more than useful leg-spinner as well. Amid the welter of cricket publications, the least regarded yet often most informative must be the county yearbooks. And of those, Yorkshire's leather bound, comprehensive volume is leagues ahead of the rest. That is not to say that the rest lack in content; there is generally as much effort and detail across the board, but, somehow, the Yorkshire volume oozes class It is not just because of its quality binding and paper There is a certain something else.