RCA TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

August 12, 1996

David Wheaton

DAVID WHEATON: I just actually a little bit injured at the beginning of this year for a couple of months. I was out. I had an Achilles tendon problem; just was never really healthy. I think a lot of times I really wasn't 100% prepared to play. Just physically and mentally just because I didn't know how much I was going to be able to do and -- but I think now I am starting to feel a lot better physically and mentally. I think that if I can continue to play well and just play my hardest out there and play aggressive that the mental side will come back, I think, too.

DAVID WHEATON: Beginning of this year. March and April I was basically out. Lost quite a few points. My ranking dropped a lot and then when I came back, I haven't done anything spectacular. I have won a match here and there, but hadn't done anything that would warrant my ranking going back up a lot.

DAVID WHEATON: Definitely. I mean, the difference on the Tour between winning and losing is very small differences now. It is just each match is really closely contested, I think, and I think the player that is stronger mentally, usually is going to win those real close matches and I think just a few times this year, either for concentration reasons or just physical reasons, I just haven't been able to pull through in some close matches. Lost a lot of three-set matches and just got to sharpen up a little bit.

DAVID WHEATON: No, I mean, I think when I went up to 12, I played really good year that year. I was in the 30s and 40s, and I think that is pretty good, actually being in the 30s --

DAVID WHEATON: Yeah, I was injured a little bit here and there, but I think -- I haven't been plagued by injuries my whole career, anything like that. I had a few year here and there. I just think that, you know, the computer is very accurate on where you are going to be ranked depending on your performances, so for the -- I think last year at this time I was ranked 25 or 30, so I have dropped quite a bit. It just matters how you do and who you beat and just for a while there I wasn't, you know, this year I just haven't had as good results as I had in past years.

DAVID WHEATON: Actually I am in the qualifying this year, so I am probably going to have to play qualifying next week.

DAVID WHEATON: Since 1988, yeah.

DAVID WHEATON: I think so. I think that is kind of what the plan is. If I can play some more matches, that would be great.

DAVID WHEATON: Yeah, with Ken Flach. We have played a little bit since Atlanta. We played a few tournaments; got to the finals of Atlanta; played Wimbledon. Then he got hurt a little bit. Now we are kind of teaming up a little bit for this tournament and U.S. Open.

DAVID WHEATON: I think so. I think as long as if you are pushed, it is great as long as you win. You don't want to get pushed so hard you lose. I think definitely he was serving for the set so that was -- I was happy that I was able to break him back and get tiebreak and win it. I thought I played just a little bit early in the second set for -- kind of the middle of the second set didn't play as quite as consistently aggressive as I have been playing in the first set, but I was happy to win just overall.

DAVID WHEATON: I think he is about my age, but I have never really seen him play - either played different tournaments or so forth. He has got a good forehand and he is able to hit a lot of winners from different areas of the court, so I had to stay away from that side.

DAVID WHEATON: Few times. We have had some very close matches. It will be a tough match. We were about the same age grew up in the juniors together. I know his game well. He knows mine. Looking forward to a real battle because he is a good competitor.