U.S. OPEN

September 8, 1995

Alex O'Brien

Sandon Stolle

ALEX O'BRIEN: I mean, you watch the match; they just make so many returns, and their second shots are really tough. So they put a lot of pressure on your serve. Neither one of them served unbelievable, but they just put every single ball back in play. And I think that Woodbridge might be one of the best players in the game because he can do anything with the second ball; can dink it; lob it; hit it; he just knows the game game. He just played a lot. They have a little bit of experience over us in that second set.

SANDON STOLLE: They are not a team that is going to hit you off the court. They are a team that is going to out think you. I mean, and they have a plethora of shots that they can use against.

ALEX O'BRIEN: Cornucopia.

SANDON STOLLE: -- yeah, against teams. That is what they do because they know that is what they have and you get into a quick exchange with them or something like that, you know, it is not like they panic. They feel like they are in control and all of a sudden, you know, they throw something else in that you are not used to seeing. So they are definitely not one that is going to hit you off the court. You are always going to have an opportunity to be in the match a little bit. If you don't take the opportunities, they are going to roll over you. They are not going to give you too many opportunities. That is why they are the Championship team.

ALEX O'BRIEN: I think Eltingh and Haarhuis, I have never played them before, but they don't scare me as much as the Woodys do because the Woodys just -- it is like a standard saying they hit these shots that you don't expect to be coming. You are going into an exchange where you are hitting mock 10 reflex volleys and they hit a dink, so you are just -- you just kind of freeze. Eltingh/Haarhuis, they play more where they just come at you. Eltingh is a great athlete and Haarhuis is a solid guy, so they just kind -- they play pretty much straightforward. Don't you think that is the case? And the Woodys, I mean, I don't know, they have won 6 million Grand Slam titles. There is obviously a reason why they've won 6 million. I think it is because they kind of figured out how to play the game even when they are not playing well. Mark couldn't find his serve in the court today, but they just seemed to make for it somehow. Maybe that is part of my problem when I play them because I give them too much respect. But they play well.

ALEX O'BRIEN: I think it is good for tennis. It is something that people are getting into and I think it puts a lot of pressure on those guys. You can tell Agassi is playing pretty tight, I think. I don't think he is playing his best tennis and Sampras seems a little just kind of edgy, I mean, I think it is putting a lot of pressure on those guys, but I think it is great for the game.

SANDON STOLLE: What is that?

SANDON STOLLE: Would we watch it?

SANDON STOLLE: I mean, probably. I think they both -- once they get to the final, they both Love playing one another that they feel all the pressure is off them and they Love going out and play one another because they bring out so much of each other's game because they both have different styles of tennis which matchup well to compete -- for them to compete against one another. They can pull off some unbelievable tennis. That is why I think, you know, the pressure is really for them to get to the final. Once they get to the final, I feel like they both are just going out swinging. They really don't feel tight in the final.

SANDON STOLLE: I mean, I think it does.

ALEX O'BRIEN: I can't say I get too excited about it.

SANDON STOLLE: I am not going to get excited about another someone that is playing.

ALEX O'BRIEN: We are playing the game too. We would like to be there. I think everybody likes to see a Sampras/Agassi match, but I don't like go rush to the TV or rush out to the court to watch them play. It is fun. It is great to watch those guys play. They are both unbelievable athletes and unbelievable shot makers. If TV happens to be on and I am walking by, I don't think I'd find out what time it is going to be on or...

SANDON STOLLE: I definitely -- you definitely watch some of it. I know, whether he does or not, I mean I am not going to sit there for the whole match, but I will watch bits and pieces of it just-- because some of that tennis is, you know, no one else plays like that, right now, anyhow. I think every month the game is just, you know, getting, you know, guys are still catching up to that level, you know, they have raised that level and now guys are, you know, raising their level of tennis, that is why I think the depth in men's tennis right now is huge. If you take the way the schedule is, if you take maybe a couple of months off or you get injured, it makes it that much harder to get back into the game because the game's level is getting bigger and bigger at the moment.

ALEX O'BRIEN: I think it is big. I mean, I Loved watching Johnny Mac play. I don't know if he is listening right now, but I mean, he was someone that I loved to watch because he was a great shotmaker. He had all the shots. And even, you know, watching some of the older guys play, I mean, I wasn't around when they were playing their best tennis -- well, yeah, but, you know, even now, I mean, in '50s and 40's, they can still make some shots. It is still like slow motion, but it is still nice to watch.