NEWSWEEK CHAMPIONS CUP

March 8, 1999

Jan Siemerink

GREG SHARKO: Head-to-head series between Jan and Michael is tied at 2-All. First question for Jan.

JAN SIEMERINK: Well, I mean, I fall a lot. The way I play, I move forward to the net. Suddenly you have to move to the right or to the left. Michael hit quite a good return. I was moving forward, and suddenly I had to go to the left. So I slipped. It happens a lot. But the way I slipped at the moment, right at that moment, was not the way I was used to because I fell very hard on my hip. The way it looks right now, it is bruised. That means that it's very sore and that every step you take, you feel it. But it's not broken and the muscles are fine, so that helps.

JAN SIEMERINK: Well, the way it feels at the moment, I don't think so. But tomorrow I have a day off. I'll have some treatment for the day. Have to see how it is Wednesday morning.

JAN SIEMERINK: Yeah. But I have to come back tomorrow morning, and the doctor is there also, and see what happened during the night. Then I said, "Well, maybe it's wise to go in the swimming pool and swim a little bit." He said, "Yeah, that might be a good idea." So I might be at the pool tomorrow.

JAN SIEMERINK: Well, the thing was, when you lie there, you always think, "What happened?" You always grab your ankle first, because that's where it started. That felt good. As always, I twist my ankle a lot, but I never have any problems with it, so that felt good. But when I was lying there, then I felt the pain here (indicating to left hip). It was getting sorer and sorer. I thought, "This is not so good." Then I moved to the bench. When he put ice on there, it felt even worse. In the beginning, you don't know what it is. But I could move my muscles; that's the most important thing. So then it's just a matter of, yeah, the step you take you feel the pain, but it's just a matter of, you know, try to block it out. Luckily, I was two breaks up. If I was one break up and I lose my serve, then I would be in deep trouble, I think.

JAN SIEMERINK: Because he didn't see what happened.

JAN SIEMERINK: I had to explain what happened. I had no idea what happened because it went so fast.

JAN SIEMERINK: Yeah, exactly. Because now I have the diagnosis, saw the doctor.

JAN SIEMERINK: Oh, he's slipping in the ranking, but that was because of his injury. The thing is, with Michael, I think he needs a lot of matches also to get on the top of his game. He's not having those matches at the moment. As for all tennis players, you need confidence to play well. I have a feeling that he doesn't have it at the moment.

JAN SIEMERINK: I don't know. I have to look at my own game. I thought like halfway through the first set I started to serve a lot better than in the beginning, and it helped me to win the service games. But I thought that he made more unforced errors than he used to. That was more the case, I think. Has nothing to do with his speed, because I hit a few good shots and he was able to run them down also. When he's not getting there, it means I hit a good shot. I don't think you should look at it that way. It's just a matter of confidence. At the moment he has to win a few matches. That's the thing for him.

JAN SIEMERINK: My best year was last year, and I'm 28 at the moment. He could be right. You never know. You never know. He's been No. 2 in the world. I don't know what his ranking is at the moment, but he's not making the results as we're used to. Like I said, the only thing I know is that a player needs confidence, and he doesn't have it at the moment. When you don't have it, then it's a struggle because the depth in the game nowadays is unbelievable. Everybody can beat everybody.

JAN SIEMERINK: Well, I'm not so happy, of course, with the start I made. I only beat a few players in St. Petersburg, and they were not even ranked in the Top 100. That doesn't matter. Like I said, I won a few matches, and that was good. Like I said, that happened two years ago, as well. I finished the year as No. 15. The beginning of the year, I couldn't win a match. Seemed to happen this year as well. The only thing you can learn of this is try to do your best and work as hard as you can, and hopefully it will come again. I think what helped me also is that I'm more mature than a few years ago. That helps me a lot.

JAN SIEMERINK: Why not? Why not?

JAN SIEMERINK: Yeah, of course. The situation is very tough, especially for the family. The thing is that we were all there to support the family, we were there at the funeral. At the moment that's all you can do. After a while, you have to go back maybe to the wife and see what she needs, what she doesn't need, what we need to do, then we can sit down all together and we come up with something. That's for sure. It's no rush. It all happened a few weeks ago. We don't have to do it right now. I think it's more important to be there, to support the family if they need. When the time is right, we will be doing something for Menno and the family.

JAN SIEMERINK: I think I'll have a few beers just to relax the muscles.

JAN SIEMERINK: That's too personal (laughter). Like I said, we have to see how it is tomorrow, then the doctor have a look at it again. It's going to be very sore, that's for sure. I know that's going to happen. Well, I just have to live with it for the moment. Like I said, the way it feels at the moment, I won't be able to play because it's hurting too much. But when it gets a little bit better, I don't think there's a problem because the muscles and the hip is not broken and the rest is fine.