WIMBLEDON

July 5, 2000

Vladimir Voltchkov

MODERATOR: Ladies and Gentlemen, Vladimir.

VLADIMIR VOLTCHKOV: I don't know if I have realised it yet. I mean, I'm happy. I'm happy with the way I finished the match. It just feels great. I guess I just keep I hope rolling.

VLADIMIR VOLTCHKOV: Well, I definitely knew John when he was playing. I watched him on TV. I was too young then. But he was somebody that you would always like to watch because he was a great entertainer on the court. He had his own way of playing. I started I think two days ago, somebody said, "If you make semis, then you'll tie his record." It was again a good boost for me. I kept it in my head also.

VLADIMIR VOLTCHKOV: He's lefty, I'm righty. He's serve-and-volleyer, I probably stay at the back more. I guess there is no really comparison. It's difficult to compare the styles of game or anything. I guess the only thing we have in common now is this result here.

VLADIMIR VOLTCHKOV: I hope and I'm pretty sure it will be very nice. People are supporting me. The president of the association is here. I'm sure it's going to be great.

VLADIMIR VOLTCHKOV: To play Pete, the guy who won the tournament I think five out of last six years, maybe more, I'm not sure, to play him in the semifinals of Wimbledon, what else do you wish for? I mean, it's like a dream come true now. Now I can say it, yes. Before this match, it was a chance that you should take. Now it's just you go out there and you enjoy every minute of being on Centre Court, playing against him.

VLADIMIR VOLTCHKOV: Yes.

VLADIMIR VOLTCHKOV: For some reason I felt that Wimbledon had something special for me. Of course, there's another three Grand Slams. All of them are great tournaments. But since I won here as junior, and that gave me another hope that I guess this is going to be my Slam; this is where I have the best chance to do well. It turned out to be right.

VLADIMIR VOLTCHKOV: I guess it's pretty simple. The surface suits my game perfectly. I like to hit the ball flat. I like to have the ball pretty low. I have trouble playing the high shots. On the grass, the ball really stays low. I'm going for my shots. We practise indoors a lot. I guess a combination of all that is the result.

VLADIMIR VOLTCHKOV: That's a good question (smiling). I mean, we're talking about probably the greatest player of all times here. It's difficult to find any weaknesses. Pete is a kind of a player who, if he's in a good mood, he can play unbelievable in any part of the game. I just hope to go out there, to play my game good. If it's good enough to make a competition for him, I'm really happy.

VLADIMIR VOLTCHKOV: Every match is a different story. Of course, every tournament is a different story. But, of course, winning here as a junior, it makes you feel -- you just know that you can play on grass in the men's tennis, as well. I guess four years passed since that time, a lot of things changed, and I can't really say that something like winning there gave me like unbelievable boost for doing well here.

VLADIMIR VOLTCHKOV: This is the thing. I guess I was expecting results quicker. When you expect something to come, then perhaps you put too much pressure on yourself. You start to do some things wrong. You really have to, I think, really learn to get better every day from match to match, really concentrate on making your game suitable for a high level. Once you know that you can play some shots, once you know you have the game, it's just a matter of time of arriving to the level where you think you belong.

VLADIMIR VOLTCHKOV: Is there a reason for that?

VLADIMIR VOLTCHKOV: Yes, there is a reason for that. I don't have a clothing company. Whatever I have, I had some stuff left from last year, I had these shorts I guess. The shorts actually were from Marat Safin, because I came here without any new clothes.

VLADIMIR VOLTCHKOV: I guess shorts and tops did their job pretty well.

VLADIMIR VOLTCHKOV: We're renting a flat here. Max Mirnyi originally rented the flat first. He said, "You're welcome to come." He was playing Nottingham in the week of qualifying. We moved in there. He came back from Nottingham. We stayed together. We had a good company there - him, his father, my father, me, another guy. We really enjoyed it. Max left back home to get ready for Gstaad. We still play in that statistic.

VLADIMIR VOLTCHKOV: I entered the tournament next week in Bristol, in England.

VLADIMIR VOLTCHKOV: The thing is, I had a difficult financial situation before coming here. I couldn't really afford. Let's say, if I lost in the first or second round, I probably would go back home, practise on synthetic grass, then back for Bristol. Again, things change (laughter).

VLADIMIR VOLTCHKOV: I can say that I didn't do a great job on my serve. With the rest of my game, I'm pretty satisfied. I mean, come on, I came here to play quallies, was hoping to win a few matches, to make some money to travel. Now I'm here in the semifinals. I cannot wish for more than that. But again, if you start to think that you're playing Pete, what you can possibly do against him, then of course the serve was not good today. I was not satisfied at all. But, again, I'm feeling my shoulder a little bit stiffer. I'm just going to take whatever it takes, make some massage, try to relax, get it ready for the match coming up.

VLADIMIR VOLTCHKOV: No, not really. I was not a approached by those people yet. Nike was kind enough to give me two pairs of shoes for my match today. I had one pair of shoes from adidas as well last week.

VLADIMIR VOLTCHKOV: To be honest, they both feel good. But when you go on the court, you don't really think about which ones is better. You go out there, whatever you have with you, you try to win.

VLADIMIR VOLTCHKOV: I'm sure after already winning a match in the quallies, you can afford to go to restaurant, if you want. My dad is a really good cook. Really, we stay at home most of the time. We just go out for a walk. I went to see Gladiator four times already (laughter). I prefer to spend my money there.

VLADIMIR VOLTCHKOV: I don't know. I really don't know how much now. You have to open up I think the player's guide. It says.

VLADIMIR VOLTCHKOV: I'll think about that after I'm done here. I don't know yet.

VLADIMIR VOLTCHKOV: I think a the amount of money, if you earn some money, really shouldn't change a lot of things in your schedule. I think it's very important to be the same person as you were before. If you do something one way, it makes you play better, I guess you have to keep doing it the same way. When some things start to go wrong, then you have to start to change something.