US OPEN

August 28, 2000

Jeff Tarango

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Jeff?

JEFF TARANGO: No. What's up?

JEFF TARANGO: What's the issue?

JEFF TARANGO: Top-ranked?

JEFF TARANGO: Yeah. Well, the whole doubles issue, I think that I'm not into cutting jobs at all. I think that the system is in place and, you know, it's what it is. I think that the doubles guys that are surviving as doubles specialists are really good players in doubles and they deserve their ranking. But I think that they're not really exploring all the possibilities. I think that the tournament directors want to be able to sell the top singles players for more matches than just one a week. And I think that it would be better to double the size of the draw and give the -- all the players that are in the main draw of singles the right to play doubles if they want. And, I mean, let's say they might not always want to play, and that will leave byes in the draw. So it won't be an extra matches issue. But I think it would be a nice way for both the tournament directors and the ATP Tour to expand a little bit and increase the amount of jobs.

JEFF TARANGO: No, I think -- first, it would be great. But I also think that the reason why we have doubles, and the most important thing about doubles is that it really helps players round out their game. I'd like to see a Zabaleta and a Gaudio and a Koubek and these younger players coming up that are very talented players play doubles to improve their games and become more rounded players. I don't think that, you know, people realize that Pete Sampras and Andre played a lot of doubles when they were younger. And they wouldn't be, you know, three-quarters of the player that they are if they didn't play doubles. I think it's really important that these younger players play doubles, not just necessarily the guys in the Top 10. I think it's important for the game that these guys learn how to volley, the transition game, aggressive second serves, a lot of different things that they're not learning because they're only playing singles.

JEFF TARANGO: Well, I'm really excited to be in the Olympics. Well, I've been pretty much politicoed out of the Davis Cup a few times, and it's been pretty upsetting, when I felt like I could have really made a big contribution to the team and maybe pulled out some matches that, you know, we could have used. And, you know, this Olympics is really going to give me a chance to fight hard for my country. And I feel like after twelve years of playing on the tour, being around the top, you know, 50 for almost the whole twelve years, that it's a nice icing on the cake for me.

JEFF TARANGO: How many guys out of the top 50 aren't playing?

JEFF TARANGO: So I think it's 48 out of 50 are playing. So I think it's more an individual case. I think that the Olympics is one of the most special things going on. All the athletes there are really special. I think that it's a really individual case with Pete in that he puts so much out there on the court for these Grand Slams and it's such a -- you know, it's a real physical grind. I've never had the pleasure of playing seven five-set matches. I'm sure I would be ruined for a good two or three weeks if I did play. And I don't think that it's -- I mean I think Pete could play the US Open and the Olympics back-to-back, but I think he would have to quit after. If we want Pete Sampras to play his last matches at the Olympics of his whole career this year, then, okay, Pete Sampras play the Olympics. But I think he's making a wise decision. I don't think that he can ask himself to come in here and really try to win the US Open that he missed out on playing last year and then turn around and say he's going to win the Olympics. It's not realistic. So he's prioritized it. You know, I think Andre, is, you know, turning out to be Iron Man because he really wants to win this tournament, but he also would love to defend his Gold Medal. So I think he's in the toughest position, and we'll see how it works out. I think it would probably be the most unbelievable effort of all time for him to win -- it would be harder to win the US Open and the Olympics back-to-back I think than to win French and Wimbledon back-to-back.

JEFF TARANGO: That's what I think a lot of guys are discussing in the player's lounge -- in the locker room. There's all this debate about the ATP pulling points and not having points, and every guy I talk to is going anyway. They don't really care about this whole squabble with the ATP and ITF and everything else. They want to go and play the Olympics; they want to be a part of the whole thing, and they're really excited. I haven't heard one guy say that they don't want to be a part of the Olympics. Pete went and he was a part of the Olympics. I think he really enjoyed it. He said he'd like to do it in Greece the next time, even though it's on clay before the US Open. So I think that it's really an individual case with Pete not playing. It takes a lot maybe away from it, because it's like not having Carl Lewis, but you're not having, you know, Johnson in the 100 meters. So it's the same. But I -- I'm not sure that he has ever enjoyed going down to Australia for the Australian Open, even though he's won it a few times. So it's a grind. I think he's done enough grinding in his career; he deserves a little break.

JEFF TARANGO: Well, you know, I think that -- I mean for me, I have special sports that I just always watch besides tennis because tennis is my profession and the other sports, you know, are maybe hobbies or things that I really enjoy. And to see these individuals and how they train and the nuances and the differences between the sports, for me, is really special. And, you know, I'm always amazed when Johnson is running up my sand dune hill in Manhattan Beach and he runs it like it's not even there. It's a hill like this, three feet deep sand, he runs straight up, and it takes me a minute and 18 seconds to get up it, he's up there like in like 25 seconds.

JEFF TARANGO: Michael Johnson, he's an incredible athlete. But he probably couldn't serve and volley, you know, and I'm sure he's tried to serve and volley. So I think that all of the athletes kind of appreciate each other for different reasons, and it's just a great way to get together and appreciate everybody else's different sport and honor everybody else's different sport.

JEFF TARANGO: Well, I kind of figured it out by my ranking, but, you know, there was obviously -- we had to find out officially that Pete wasn't playing. And David Brewer called me and said that -- asked me if I would like to be on the team. I said, "Yes." He said, "Okay, then. You're on."

JEFF TARANGO: I think it would be interesting. I'm not sure all the countries could be represented. Because if you had a team format, let's say four players and one doubles match, there's not -- there's only probably 15 or 20 countries with four -- I mean top-notch, top 200 or 300 players in the world. So you'd have to maybe have a smaller draw or it would -- I mean a 32-draw would, I guess, go pretty quickly. It would be really exciting. It would feel a lot more like I was playing for my country. As of now, I think I could draw an American in the first round. And to me, that would be a bummer. I think they should definitely put all the countries in different quarters.

JEFF TARANGO: Well --.

JEFF TARANGO: This is the first time that they've gone on ranking and performance for representing your country. So I felt like it's the first time, you know, that the USTA or whoever is selecting these honors for playing for your country has gone by let's say the book on it. And there's a lot of different reasons why a lot of people do what they do, but, you know, the selection process was cut and dried for the Olympics, and I completed and qualified for it. So I felt like it was more on my shoulders than my performance. And believe me, I was extremely tired. As soon as they said, you know, you've qualified, it was like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. I've hardly been able to play. Just in like the last week and a half, I've really been able to get motivated to try and get something going. And, you know, hopefully I can really be ready for that event. You know, I'm not the type of player that can really sustain a high level for more than two or three weeks at a time. So, you know, it could -- I could get lucky down there and hopefully, you know, do everyone proud here in the States.

JEFF TARANGO: I think the Olympics is different in that sense. But I mean let's take this tournament, for example. I don't think tennis is really keeping up with the times. I think that tennis, as far as -- needs to be a little bit more digital. There's no reason why these lines can't be electronic and the tournaments can't strive to be as perfect as the players and the athletes are trying to be. All I hear about is first-serve percentages and break point percentages and, you know, passing shot percentages and second-serve percentages. But I never hear about, you know, any linesmen losing their jobs for bad line calls. If we make mistakes on the court, we're sent down to the Satellites and we start all over. I think that tennis needs to be a little bit more with the times and be perfect. It can be perfect; it's no big deal. These tournaments are making $150 million a year, they can afford it. This facility is fantastic. I think the players love the locker room down here. The grounds are a lot more fan-friendly. I think the tennis is really going on the right way. But I think we're really shortcoming ourselves by not having electronic lines. I think all the players in the locker room are griping about the line calls here this week already, just in the first day every guy is going, "Can you believe this out there." There was four overrules in my first game today. It's a little bit crazy. And I think guys, when you're travelling 42, 43 weeks a year and you keep -- the same damn problem keeps happening over and over and over again, it drives most people crazy. And so you get a little bit of attitude like that. I think the Olympics is a very special case, and that everybody is going to be trying their ass off to make good calls and everybody's going to be trying their ass off to try their hardest and fight their hardest. I think it's going to be a really unique tennis experience.