OLYMPIC TENNIS TOURNAMENT

August 20, 2004

Ivan Ljubicic

Mario Ancic

IVAN LJUBICIC: Well, Croatia is small country, so I think it's huge. And for me, it's great honor because I don't feel like I had any big results in my career yet, even if I am this high ranked. But always with middle level of results. For me, it's great present, you know, to recognize all of what I did in my career and in my life, all through what I went through, which was not easy at all.

MARIO ANCIC: I think this medal, if you look like end of career or something, this gonna be -- I think we gonna cheer this forever. I mean, if I remember, I almost know every single medal winner in Croatia - doesn't matter which sport. So to be in that kind of group, it's unbelievable honor. And I think whatever we did, whatever we do later on in our career, we will always, you know, we won a medal for Croatia and that's just huge honor for us because we love to play for it. We enjoying. And like I said, it's great honor.

IVAN LJUBICIC: Maybe. Maybe they should, yeah. Definitely they should. They are doing it in the US Open. I don't know why they are not doing it anywhere else. It's much easier.

MARIO ANCIC: It was more interesting.

IVAN LJUBICIC: No, but I think this is more right. In one tiebreak, anything can happen. But I think in the end, if you go this long in the end, the team or the player who is playing better wins in the end, you know, because both teams had chances. I think we had little more. That's why I think we won in the end, because in the end of the day, after a while, you have to take one chance if you have many.

MARIO ANCIC: It was more like in the end mentally tiring, I think. But you also cannot forget that he played like doubles, singles, doubles, singles, doubles two days in a row. Okay, I was little bit more fresh but also we played 9-7 in third against Llodra-Santoro, 7-5 in third against Damm and Suk, and three sets yesterday. All together during whole tournaments we play all three sets, and all three long sets. It wasn't like we lose 6-1 or something, it was always long. I think especially for him it was tiring, but we are fit. We played a lot of singles, doubles, and there were no problem fitness level at any stage in this match.

IVAN LJUBICIC: Yeah, he send us a message saying he lost hundred years of his life watching this match, and of course he's happy for us. At least something that we did what he did. At least little bit.