GREAT AMERICAN INSURANCE ATP CHAMPIONSHIP

August 8, 1996

Andre Agassi

ANDRE AGASSI: I thought he played extremely well.

ANDRE AGASSI: Well, I think that, you know, it is always tough to put somebody away to play that well for the whole match and I played a really good game to break him and then this time when I got the break I stayed very intense about it. I didn't take it for granted; maybe got a little bit careless end of the first.

ANDRE AGASSI: I think it affects everybody. It is not easy to gauge your eating or your resting. I mean, your mind is always on the match. You feel like you may play any minute. But it turns out you are thinking that for hours.

ANDRE AGASSI: I think no more than anybody else. I think once you get out there it is nice to get your blood moving and start doing what you have waited so long to do all day.

ANDRE AGASSI: I think so. I think I got a little careless at the end of the first and I needed to, you know, establish myself again out there and I got a little angry and then I managed to use that in a good way, which is good.

ANDRE AGASSI: Last week. (AUDIENCE LAUGHTER)

ANDRE AGASSI: I think in my getting angry out there is not really in and of itself -- it doesn't really have a bearing. It could be a good thing. It could be a bad thing, but today was a good thing. I mean, I felt I wanted to win the match. I was trying to get angry to get myself back into it again.

ANDRE AGASSI: No, because I have had -- my state of mind has been both extremes. I have had those kind of reactions, see what I am saying?

ANDRE AGASSI: Well, I have gotten pissed off and I didn't give a shit too. Like, just me getting pissed off doesn't mean it is good. It doesn't mean it is bad either because I have also gotten mad when I have been really playing well and fighting hard.

ANDRE AGASSI: Not just based on getting mad, but today was a good one. It was a good mad. I got mad in a good kind of way (AUDIENCE LAUGHTER).

ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, it happens pretty often with me, it does. I mean, I wouldn't really care to really admit that in one sense, but in another sense it is hard to deny it. It does happen a lot.

ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, I am pretty good about it. Really, if I set my sights on winning the match, you know, I might stay focused. I might get pissed off, who knows? But that is what it boils down, if you really have that intensity when you get out there, sometimes that reflects in a little bit of a temper or sometimes it reflects in real focus, you know, it is tough to know what the variables are going to be that day.

ANDRE AGASSI: I felt a little unfocused at the end of the first set only. I felt real strong until I hit the doublefaults at 5-4 and got kind of stubborn there because I went for a good second serve Love-15 and missed a second serve; went for it again and went for it again, so I was kind of just disappointed, I lost my range on my serve. Maybe got a little bit careless just at that stage of that, though.

ANDRE AGASSI: I feel pretty strong, actually. I feel like I am hitting the ball really clean. I feel like I am moving well. I am just excited now to get into the big matches. That is what I want to do. Quarters, semifinals, you start -- get a few those under my belt and I will be right where I want to be going into the Open.

ANDRE AGASSI: Clay. Clay is very tough. He is a good clay court player. He is also very talented.

ANDRE AGASSI: I am excited to play Indianapolis. I haven't played in a few years. I think to get back would be a nice little memory for me, and, you know, there is always such a strong field, certainly that is very needed at this stage to prepare for the Open.

ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, that definitely really clogged up the schedule hard. It is a strange time of year, you know, to play French, Wimbledon, Olympics and U.S. Open all within the span of a few months. That is a lot of tennis. But you have to kind of pick which ones are most important and you got to know that if you do well in one, you might not do well in another just based on the fact that they are so close together and so much tennis and this year I didn't have that problem. I had a lot of time, you know, off losing in Paris and Wimbledon, but now, you know, if I go all the way here, go all the way next week, now you are talking about the same idea, you know, Olympics, Cincy and Indy, now going into the Open, that is a lot of tennis too. So anyway you look at it, to add anything into the schedule, period, is a lot of tennis; not to mention adding it to the summertime.

ANDRE AGASSI: You got to remember too that I wasn't just coming off of just the summer. I was -- I mean, from the Open before is when it didn't stop for me. On top of all the winning, it was a lot of things I was doing with my Foundation; a lot of things I was doing for appearances and responsibilities that I had and the little time that I did have off then I went through the Open and -- Australian Open, and Palm Springs, Key Biscayne; then we flew over to Palermo. I mean, it just never slowed down and after Wimbledon I just got away for a week, which helped me a lot, and went through the summer, but I think it was a combination of it all. So I wouldn't be as concerned seeing how my year has been this year to play that much tennis. It might actually be good for me. By the same token, I don't think it is necessary to -- I don't think it is a horrible thing to not have that -- all that tennis in there. I mean, it would be a nice to have a bit less stressful of a summer schedule; especially with the respect that you want to give the Open.

ANDRE AGASSI: There certainly has been no toll on me; just the frustrations and the grind of trying to get myself to where I am now, yeah, but I would -- somebody told me if I win this one and the next one how would I feel about it going into the Open. I said I would feel pretty good.

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