U.S. OPEN

September 6, 1995

Andre Agassi

ANDRE AGASSI: I will give you some good quotes, nobody wants to stick around.

ANDRE AGASSI: Yes.

ANDRE AGASSI: Well, you know, I mean, Korda is a very kind of streaky player and what happens is that you go out there and you expect inconsistency and I think when things were rolling really smooth 6-4, 6-2, I kind of thought he was going to go away which was a mistake. I didn't quite put the nail in the coffin, and he gets up a break early in the third, and, I think, that enabled his game to start coming more alive because he likes playing with that confidence and, he is a great front runner, and he manages to just kind of take the third set right away from me, and next thing you know, it is two sets to one when the match was completely under control, you know, 19-minute third set and the next thing you know, you are in a dogfight. I didn't quite adjust to that level of competition initially. He was still rolling with his confidence and got up on me and that is when I realized that, you know, geez, if he wins this set, it is not going to be even because he is going to have all the momentum. Next thing you know, I am behind the eight ball. I just had to pick up my level. I had really no choice, and it should never have taken me that long, but it did. I got through it. For that, I feel good.

ANDRE AGASSI: You know, I certainly can't expect myself to win easily every time, and, I think, it is ridiculous for anybody to expect that for me. I will say, though, there is a big difference between playing in the quarters against a guy who has been playing -- improved himself over this tournament, versus playing second round against a guy that, you know, really just kind of was leaving the match up to me by just retrieving the balls tree and I was missing; keeping us out there. That is why I was disappointed. When that match was over, I was bummed. You have save the fuel in the tank. You only have so much. You can't waste it early in the event. I managed to shake off that match. I was more frustrated to get this match over in a way. Saturday is another day.

ANDRE AGASSI: I don't have any specific plan because I think every time it is different. There are times when you have to dig down by just making sure you don't miss shots. There are times you got to dig down by not being tentative and going for more bigger shots. You know, today, I think it was just a question of not making the errors. I think that I was making a series of errors there that allowed him to then get the lead and start coming up with winners. And I just felt like at that stage, I was telling myself if he is going to beat me or get to the gift, I am going to make him earn it and make him hit a lot of balls.

ANDRE AGASSI: I think there are different ways that people dig down. I mean, really digging down is one way of -- a definition of what dig dig down is one thing. How people go about getting themselves to do it is different. Johnny Mac, for example, used to get upset; that used to help him dig a little deeper. You know, others, you know, would maybe joke around with the crowd. I have been through that stage of my career where that really helped me.

ANDRE AGASSI: Now, I mean, I have done different things. I have gotten pissed off out there in order to dig a little deeper. I have joked around to relieve some tension, to loosen up to play a little bigger. But more than anything, it is just forgetting about anything except that one particular shot; that is tough to do. You know, it is tough to forget about the fact that you are up 2 sets to Love and you are down 4-1 and going to the fifth digging down forgetting that -- forcing yourself to focus on each ball as it comes.

ANDRE AGASSI: I definitely thought -- being from Vegas, you know, the odds are something that I think about. I knew my odds weren't too good to win that fourth, so part of me was trying to prepare myself for the fifth. By the same token, you don't want to let the fourth just slip away. But more important than anything, I was just trying to get my level of confidence back to where I felt like it should be, so I can give myself the best chance possible in the fourth or the fifth.

ANDRE AGASSI: No, I wasn't too concerned with energy. I feel pretty strong. I mean, there was a quick few sets. It wasn't like it was really fatiguing tennis. I have played a lot more difficult matches as far as physically, so, you know, I didn't care if it went 7-6, 7-6, the fourth and the fifth. I wasn't planning on getting tired.

ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah. It is going to be some great tennis. I feel like Boris is obviously playing well, and any time you get to the semis of a tournament, you are going to bring out the best you got, and I certainly am going out there expecting it. It should be some great tennis.

ANDRE AGASSI: Well, I mean, bottom line is it doesn't matter who you are playing, you don't want to let anybody back in the match. The difference is that a guy like Becker, if you let him back in the match, he is experienced -- he knows how to win, so it is not like he is going to, you know, -- he is just going to take the gift and say thank you, and not give you any.

ANDRE AGASSI: You know, there are some -- the Grand Slams, in my opinion, are the reflection of what kind of quality year you have had. And I will say the two disappointing points of my year have been losing the match in the semis of Wimbledon, you know, the way I went about it, being up a set and two breaks and also, you know, getting injured in Paris was very disappointing because I really felt like I had a shot. You know, so it happened and, you know, I think I have shaken it off, I mean, I played, you know, the clay season and the grass season and didn't go quite according to plan, but I think that is the important thing is what you do with it. I managed to have a great summer regardless and to put myself in the position to win here, so, you know, it comes down to a couple of more matches; we will see if I have what it takes.

ANDRE AGASSI: Probably -- I would have to say probably the one we played in Davis Cup back in 1989.

ANDRE AGASSI: I beat him 7-6, 7-6, lost 7-6 in the third after serving for the match at 6-5, 30-15 had a long point; I came in to his backhand. He hit a chip ball short crosscourt. I hit a drop volley that he never should have got to. He got there. He threw up the lob. I jump up; it just clears my racket. I chase it down. It lands on the line. I throw up a lob. We have another long point after that and then he ends up winning it. He ends up breaking my serve beating me 7-6, beating me 6-3; then we come back the next day because it was like one o'clock in the morning and I break him to serve 4-3 in the fifth and he ends up breaking, holding, and then playing a great game to break me for the match. So the match was a five and a half hour match over the course of two days, you know, in a big Davis Cup environment. It was just incredible tennis. I felt like we both played extremely well.

ANDRE AGASSI: No, I have forgotten about that match - put it out of my mind.

ANDRE AGASSI: 4-5, 15-30.

ANDRE AGASSI: I just hop in my car and I drive from the city out here and I just show up. I will be ready to go. I mean, I have been around long enough now to know how to play big matches and it is going to be a big match and nothing anybody says beforehand is going to change anything that happens out there. So we will just talk about it afterwards.

ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah, I played after him so I was waiting there a while. Yeah, it was a good match with Patrick.