U.S. OPEN

September 8, 1994

Michael Stich

MICHAEL STICH: Unbelievable. No, he was just -- put it that way, I was serving very, very badly today my serve didn't help me at all and every time I served well with 120 miles an hour, he just like played a return like I played third serve and sneaked in after first serve and played a volley and stuff like that. I mean, all the credit to him. He didn't give up. I was up two sets 2-Love, up a break in the third and he just kept fighting and he had a lot of chances, he had a lot of break chances. I don't know how many, but he could have won probably the first two sets as well and I just played two good games and stayed in there. But he didn't give it to me and I really had to earn it and it was very tough.

MICHAEL STICH: Tell me how he does it.

MICHAEL STICH: No, normally when I serve like that the people just either hit the fence or hit it in the net. I haven't seen anybody who just takes it inside the baseline, just comes in. What I said before, before I played him, he must be playing really well, he was in the quarterfinals and to beat Stefan the way he did shows he likes to play against serve and volleyers. He, himself, made very few unforced errors at the net and just very tough to get by him. I found a way, sometimes just with a lob and that would -- that's what probably gave me the match at the end. I started to lob a little more and he didn't know really what to do. The last set, fourth set I think we both returned unbelievable passing shots all over the place, we weren't even serving that bad. The serves weren't that slow, but it seemed to be easier to return than to serve to him.

MICHAEL STICH: Don't tell me that. All the time I'm having a great time, I'm enjoyed myself and I'm very tired right now. I'm happy I won and I have a match to play on Saturday.

MICHAEL STICH: No. What for? I'm just in the semifinals. Two more matches to go if I want to win the championships and first one is on Saturday, and I have to really play better than I did today if I want to win that one.

MICHAEL STICH: Like 12:00 at night -- no, I would like to have as much rest as I can get. I don't know if there is a night match. I think they're playing it-- following it up by mens, ladies finals and mens. Right now I'd rather prefer to play second match, but if I have to come out on Sunday it is a disadvantage, but I just play this match and to be prepared as good as I can.

MICHAEL STICH: Obviously, pretty good. You know, that was -- that game, I thought that I have a very good chance to break him there, because the whole fourth match was returning very well, starting to pass really well, and just that on that side I played on the deuce side as well. Every time he goes down the middle, the court is not even, so a lot of bad bound bounces came up. I missed the ball once a half meter and the ball goes sideways, up, down, whatever, and you know, I played so great, every time I had advantage, I played every perfect shot I could, then, and every time I wanted to get the brake point I couldn't do it. And he had his chance in the next game and I started serving a little better toward the end of the match. And the last game as well, I mean, I played a couple very good short passing shots and returns, and I think I was just returning good in the fourth set.

MICHAEL STICH: Let everybody think Agassi is supposed to win. I like that.

MICHAEL STICH: Not lack of concentration, I was just getting a little tight, obviously. I mean, it was the third set, I had the chance to go to the semifinals and I served very bad in that part of the match, especially in the tiebreak. I played first seven points and just lost it, just gave it to him and, you know, I was just getting so intense with my serve, I tried to do extremely well and just went totally the wrong direction. I started to just pull it and just, you know, not getting up for the serve, just getting down hitting a lot of doublefaults and those are the points you don't want to give anybody. These are free points. He doesn't have to work for them and I tried to get lot of first serves in, it just didn't work. But in the fourth set, I just told myself, just relax, you know, just take it easy you have two more sets to play if you want to win and just, you know, forget the first three sets, just is if the match starting all over again and I think it worked well helped me to relax a little bit and just feeling a little better on the court.

MICHAEL STICH: I don't have to prove it to anybody, it's just the system is the way it is. I didn't create it. The ATP created the system. There has been people like Boris said I didn't deserve to win the top five. If there's a guy who plays one semifinal and doesn't play two slams at all, lose the other one in the first round, he doesn't deserve to be in the top ten as well. Couple guys who shouldn't -- I honestly admit I shouldn't have been number two for the first six months because I did very bad in the Grand Slams. I should have probably been number six, five or four something like that, somebody else should have been higher there,. But you got to understand that you don't have to just play four tournaments a year. You have to play consistent, solid throughout the whole year to be in the top of the rankings, and that's what I'm doing. I had a very good year so far, and I'm playing well and that's -- I mean, it is not coming from nowhere that I'm, like, in the top five, for quite a while now, and just by saying because I played bad in the Grand Slams, God, if I win ten tournaments and lose first round every time at the Slams, if somebody wants me to be out of the top ten, then, the system doesn't work either. The system is the way it is and I'm just taking advantage -- I'm playing tennis, I'm playing as much tennis as I can, my body can do it, because I love the sport.

MICHAEL STICH: I haven't thought about it yet. But he guts it out, he's in semifinal, he's a good competitor, been on the tour long, long time and he knows he's in the semifinals and has a chance to go to the finals. I have to play really well, better than today to win.

MICHAEL STICH: No, I mean, if you're playing well it's easier to block it out than when you're playing badly. I just came here and told myself it is a tennis tournament, just play every match, match by match and I didn't take any time to think about these other things, you know, I just went out, I enjoyed myself, I played good tennis, and the crowd was great today. They wanted to see probably fifth set, I didn't give it to them, fortunately, I was happy about that, but they cheered for Bjorkman, and the thing that gives a good atmosphere to the game and that's what it's all about I enjoy it even if they're not against me, but in favor of the other guy. It's good to have that atmosphere.

MICHAEL STICH: Yeah, I've been in a semifinals before, so it is not like the first time something like that. I know what it takes to win this kind of tournament. And the -- everybody told me you have a good draw and you have to win this match. I knew it was going to be tough, but those kind of matches where you say, I didn't play well, but I won it and I'm just happy about it-- but I'm very happy about it, I just can't show it. I'm very tired and I want to go home and concentrate on the next match.