PARIS, May 4: American Ivan Lendl showed that he had not lost the desire to win when he clinched his 93rd career title in Hamburg on Sunday, beating Germany's Michael Stich 7-6, 6-3, reports AFP.

The 33-year old star may have slipped to number eight in the world, but he hasn't lost the burning desire to win.

Those who watched Lendl lose to the unseeded Marc Goellner in the final at Nice last month will know that defeat still hurts the ex-world number one as much as ever.

As the tricky Goellner gradually reversed Lendl's early dominance, you could almost sec the dark clouds of anger and frustration descending.

You wouldn't want to have bumped into him in the dressing room.

"I ve always seen like that," admitted Lendl during an interview In the French sports-magazine L' Equipe" on Monday.

"I can't help it. Even when 1 play games with Marika (his three-year-old daughter), I hate letting her -win. It Is a problem for me.

Tve always wanted to win every game, whether the other player is better than me. When I play golf with professional players, I want to play as well as them. I can’t stop myself being like that."

He still has ambitions in tennis, although he admits that in the twilight of his career he has little left to prove.

Td like to win one of the Grand Slam — including Wimbledon, of course, or any of the others.

"I know my chances of winning Wimbledon get smaller every year, but you never know."

Docs he think of retirement?

"I'm ready for life after

tennis and the thought of quitting doesn't scare me. I know I want to have a full family life, but I can't say that I'll be .doing this or that. What Is important to me Is to be the best father I can be for my children.

"But I still feel in good condition and I could stay at this level for another three or four years.

"Even when I was injured I still did cycling and weights. I'd gel up at six to take Marika

' to school, and then do some training.

"If I don’t train In the morning, then I feel lousy for rest of the day. I need the exercise. It’s like a drug."

The game has certainly changed since Lendl dominated men's tennis, winning eight Grand Slam titles and holding the number-one spot for 207 weeks from 1985 to 1988.

The big thing at the moment is power. Guys started serving really hard, sending bullets down the court, and now everyone is really going for their returns as well."

Of the new players, it is clearly America's Jim Courier who has impressed him most.

"It’s magnificent watching Courier because of his power, the energy he transmits. In

Australia, Jim seemed totally in control. He whacks every ball, and when one lands short. It's a real massacre.

"I think that's beautiful, when the power inside someone is so strong that everyone around can see it. can feel It."

"Because of the way the game has changed. it's become much harder to stay at the top. I think that even though I'm no longer number-one. I'm probably a better player now that I was five years ago.

"But I also think that this kind of tennis could become a problem, especially for the fans. Most points are now settled in the first few shots."

Golf Is likely to take up much of his time when he eventually decides to quit tennis, but Lendl will not be happy just to hack around the courses near his home in Connecticut.

"I'd like to become really good. It would require a lot of work, and would be a focus for my competitive energy. Golf would be a good transition. I ll probably take part In some club tournaments.

"I tried to enter a tournament once but I failed to qualify. But I didn't mind because it was in the middle of the US Open."

Ironically, Lendl has become a crowd favourite since he stopped winning regularly

When he was at the top of his profession, he was never as popular as Jimmy Connors or John McEnroe. But today the fans respect his achievements and share his desire to win another Grand Slam title.

At Wimbledon, where every year he states his determination to win and every year he loses, he has become something of a cult hero.