THE LIPTON CHAMPIONSHIPS

March 14, 1994

David Wheaton

Q. Are those socks? What are those?

DAVID WHEATON: These are just the sock liners inside the shoe.

Q. How do you explain going from losing a set 6-0, to winning; actually somewhat in control, maybe, of the second set against Pete Sampras?

DAVID WHEATON: Yeah, I think you know, it's a mental thing; it was a mental turnaround. In the beginning the ball seemed like it was moving fast and he was dominating play. It was 6-0, 21 minutes or something, but I just really -- I just really didn't let it affect me in the second set. I just said that that is over, this set has to begin. I just kind of relied on knowing that you just don't give up; that is just not in my nature. You just keep on going if you give me 0 and 0, that would have been okay; he beat me 0 and 0, but it wasn't going to be in my nature to role over and go through the motions the rest of the match.

Q. Can you tell us a little bit about the injury?

DAVID WHEATON: I had an -- I had some inflammation in my hips, hip joints - that gives me stiffness in the hips. I have actually had it awhile. Had it at least a couple of years. I never really, for some reason, got it checked out. I thought it was just kind of inexplicably stiff there, but, in actuality, it is just a bit stiff; a little bit of a tight hip, kind of joint -- it is just from playing so much tennis, you know, inflammation develops just the way I am made, it can develop in there. I need to keep the area flexible and strong and take some anti-inflammatories when I started to play a lot. But I think most of all, it was really good for me to be home for a long time. I haven't played since last fall. I think it was a blessing for me to be home with my family and kind of get a new look at my career a little bit and come out with a little better perspective than I think I had for a couple of years there.

Q. What were you doing?

DAVID WHEATON: I practiced some and I worked out some with my conditioning coach. But I think I had just spent a lot of time trying to get the right vision set for my career again; kind of like going into the second part of my career, I wanted to -- not like I have all figured out but a chance to really figure out, you know, why I am playing and why did I play before, and what has changed in the last few years and how I want to approach the latter half of my tennis career - not the latter half - not that I am on my way out, but I'd love to play, God willing, 'till I am 35, but I think I had to change-- most of it was not my game. As you can see, I have to improve in my game to keep up with the Pete Sampras' of the world more than my attitude and some changes in character were definitely in order.

Q. Was there actually any surgery or operation?

DAVID WHEATON: No. I just-- I just got a whole battery of tests. I had and MRI-- first, X-rays. I went to Minneapolis, a hip specialist and my regular orthopedic doctor, Dr. Fisher. He conferred with my brother, Mark, who is in physical medicine, a doc. I had an M.R.I. and had a lot of different tests. At first no one figured it out.

Q. It is not arthritis?

DAVID WHEATON: It is not like-- well, it is like if I wasn't playing tennis, I would never know I had this. I would never develop stiffness, but it's the fact that I am a professional athlete; spend a lot of time running around a tennis court, hard surface; it is very jarring and I am tall which adds to the problem. It was a matter of just settling down -- having the whole problem settle down and then being able to start, you know, kind of getting the area more flexible by some really progressive stretching routines and then being able to take some anti-inflammatories to keep the swelling down. It is not something that is going to -- I don't know what is going to happen in the future. It is not like an injury where I tore my rotator cuff or tore some ligaments in my knee. It is a problem that I have to be diligent in taking care of.

Q. Were you being serious with us about sitting that way, crossing your legs?

DAVID WHEATON: Yeah, I try little things now. I try to sit a little different way.

Q. He learned this being a couch potato?

DAVID WHEATON: Yeah, I just try to sit a little -- some different ways to keep it flexible, because my hip is really-- last few years, my hips are unbelievably stiff. I can probably separate my legs a lot of times. It was a problem with my mobility. That is what really suffered when my hips got stiff. It wasn't really that the pain was so excruciating that I couldn't take it. It was the stiffness and I lost my mobility. That really was frustrating for me. I feel like now that I can sense that my mobility has improved a little bit; just by having more flexibility.

Q. Do you consider this a good come back for you?

DAVID WHEATON: I am quite pleased more so than winning matches, stuff like that. I am pleased with the-- I think, as I said, the mental strides. I think I have begun to take that-- like I don't have it all figured out, but I feel like it is a start and I am moving slowly in the right direction. I had a lot of people working with me; just my family has been very supportive and "Team Wheaton," which is like my family and friends, a real loyal group of guys and gals that really support me a lot and that is really nice to have. I know a lot of players-- it is tough because they are out here kind of alone, but it is really a blessing to have people that really support you; especially when times are tough and you are out with an injury but it has been nice. Nice being home with 25 below zero. I have rediscovered hockey and cross country skiing.

Q. Thank you.

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