U.S. OPEN

September 6, 1992

Carl-Uwe Steeb

CARL-UWE STEEB: He is playing-- if he is continuing to play like he is, I think is he going to reach the top of his game soon. He can play better than today. I think what was good in his game was that when he needed it, he was serving very well. Like twice in the third -- in the third set, it was 6-5 for me and he was serving Love-30. He was hitting two big serves and same thing at 4-3, for me, 15-40.

Q. When you say "more aggressive" you mean in terms of serving?

CARL-UWE STEEB: No, from the baseline. He was playing much -- hitting the ball much harder than last week. I never-- today, I mean, I always had to expect that he is hitting a winner and coming in after good shot. Last year he was playing it in. After three, four times he tried to hit a winner and set it up. But this time almost on any shot he was hitting offensive shot.

Q. Do you think he has his mind back on tennis now, back focused on it?

CARL-UWE STEEB: I think so.

Q. The first question in German can you say it in English?

CARL-UWE STEEB: It was bad luck for me that I got the bad call, and last game on 30-All I mean also I -- he got some bad calls, but I got it today I got it on very bad situations, so it was unlucky.

Q. In the tiebreak, according to the miles per hour thing, his serves were the fastest in the match. He seemed to really take control. You talked about him playing the big points. Is that partly, do you think in his head, as a champion of Wimbledon and the U.S. Open that I am going to win this point?

CARL-UWE STEEB: Well, that is his game. That is his game. When he was playing his best tennis, he was on Love-30 or Love-40, he was coming up with two or three goods serves and today, it was like that, and he has, I think, that is what makes him strong.

Q. What do you figure his chances of winning the Open are?

CARL-UWE STEEB: Boris chances?

Q. Yes.

CARL-UWE STEEB: It is tough to say. There are a lot of good players here. I mean, I am sure he can win it, but there are a lot of other players playing very well. Even the next round, Lendl, I mean -- did Lendl win?

Q. Yes.

CARL-UWE STEEB: Lendl is very strong at the moment. So you can't predict or make him favorite for the tournament.

Q. You would be surprised if he won?

CARL-UWE STEEB: I wouldn't say that also. I mean -- I would say like five, six guys could or seven guys could win at this time, and I think also a big part is how he takes the hard matches like today. Like today if he is coming out two days after and can do the same thing physically.

Q. Thank you.

End of FastScripts....