US OPEN

September 4, 2004

Sargis Sargsian

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

SARGIS SARGSIAN: Yeah. It's exciting.

SARGIS SARGSIAN: I'm tired, but, I tell you, my legs, they going to hang in there, I think. I think I'm mentally tired, you know, with all this stuff. But just for me the most important thing is my legs.

SARGIS SARGSIAN: You know, it's just such a relief. Such a close match, you want to win so badly. It's one of your biggest matches. I don't know. It's an amazing feeling, I tell you.

SARGIS SARGSIAN: I'll tell you, no, definitely not. Definitely I didn't think it would be a match like this. It's hard to beat Massu's match. We probably did today. So I don't know.

SARGIS SARGSIAN: I tell you what, when you -- it's like you're in a different world when you win these matches. You don't even always smile. Like right now, I'm talking, I feel like it's not me talking, you know, it's just the words don't come out. It's a weird feeling.

SARGIS SARGSIAN: Gosh. I don't know, it's tough to describe.

SARGIS SARGSIAN: I just -- the first two sets, I didn't feel like I was playing my best. So that just kept me positive, you know. I always felt like if I would find my game, I would have a good chance to win, even though I was down two sets. So it was like the whole first three sets, you know, I felt like I was in a search of my game. And I was lucky. I picked it up, my game, in the third and fourth.

SARGIS SARGSIAN: It's like a dream, you know, to play against such a legend on such a court, on such a big tournament. I don't know. Hopefully I play good. Hopefully we have a good match. Hopefully he doesn't kill me (smiling). I don't know. Hopefully I'm fresh for that match.

SARGIS SARGSIAN: Yeah. I've spoken to him every day. He's actually been unbelievable helpful to me. After Massu's match, he helped me out with some electrolytes, with some pills to recover, which he's been using. He's just an amazing friend. I actually spoke to him five minutes ago. He says he's going to help me out tomorrow also, even though we play each other. I don't know.

SARGIS SARGSIAN: Maybe. Maybe it is a reason, but I don't think so. I mean, I don't know. You should ask him why. I mean, because we are friends - I've said this before - because we are friends, it's because he wants to be my friend. He is Agassi, everybody wants to be friends with him. To me, he's like a big brother, you know. He's an unbelievably nice guy. He's an unbelievable friend, as good of a friend as you can possibly have. I just look at him as a big brother. The way he talks to people, the way he treats good people, the way he treats bad people, the way he talks, the way he behaves, just I don't know. He's -- I love the guy.

SARGIS SARGSIAN: His heart. He has an amazing heart.

SARGIS SARGSIAN: It's good practice (smiling). The intensity's as high as it possibly can get. It's the best practice you can get.

SARGIS SARGSIAN: I don't know. I don't know.

SARGIS SARGSIAN: They're very friendly people. They're the kind of people that, let's say if you're a guest or something, you will be treated -- I say they will open the best bottle of wine for you. They will not drink it themselves. It's very, I don't know, very good people.

SARGIS SARGSIAN: Agassi.

SARGIS SARGSIAN: I don't know. I mean, I don't know. There's so many. It's hard to say. It's only Armenians, play for other countries. Armenian who is playing for Armenia?

SARGIS SARGSIAN: Do you want me to say me?

SARGIS SARGSIAN: We don't have one that really stands out. Put it this way.

SARGIS SARGSIAN: Yes, I do. Actually my coach, who has been coaching me since I was 7 years old up until I came to the US when I was 20, he lives in Burbank. I have a couple other very close friends who also live there. I played a challenger there actually before. I've been there a couple times. So I know a lot of people. I do speak to them sometimes, once in a while. I do have a lot of contacts there.

SARGIS SARGSIAN: I'm sure. I'm sure.

SARGIS SARGSIAN: I think so. I think I have good genetics. I think that's the most important. I was born lucky. I'm very fast on the court. I have a body that doesn't get injured a lot. So, yeah, those are the most important: the speed and endurance, which I have worked on it before. And with my game, too, I definitely need to do some runnings. It's definitely one of my weapons, my condition.

SARGIS SARGSIAN: What's the coolest thing he said about tennis in Armenia?

SARGIS SARGSIAN: About me? I don't understand the question.

SARGIS SARGSIAN: Yeah. He's a great guy, too. I've spoken to him almost every day here. He's actually been helping me out a little bit with the tickets for my Armenian fans. Him and Jim Curley, too, they've been amazing.

SARGIS SARGSIAN: Oh, yeah. I tell you this, this tournament, I always played unbelievable, for some reason the last four, five years. Even like this year is a perfect example. I've had, I consider, a pretty horrendous year. I really struggled. But coming here, you don't even -- like I didn't feel like I was coming here in a good condition, like I was in a good form. But just the atmosphere in the city, which is my favorite city in the world, and this tournament and my fans, I don't know, it just clicked. I just start playing good.

SARGIS SARGSIAN: No, no, no. I want to win badly. I'm not going to feel bad. Yeah, I'm definitely going to give my best and I'm sure he's going to give his best, too. If I lose, then I really hope he wins the tournament. But if I win, I'll be happy.

SARGIS SARGSIAN: Which of my matches?

SARGIS SARGSIAN: Probably today's, this match against Mathieu was more exciting than the other.

SARGIS SARGSIAN: Yes, the end was so close, you know. Like 5-All, having so many chances to break him, then going down to 5-6, I think two or three match points down. Just finishing up on the tiebreak. Was just...

SARGIS SARGSIAN: The way it happened, we were both going to play the tournament in San Jose. At the time I knew his coach, Brad Gilbert. I knew him. We kind of both had like a week before, the week before San Jose, we weren't doing anything, so we got together in San Francisco to practice. So there was this first just getting together to practice and get ready for San Jose.

SARGIS SARGSIAN: It was a long time ago. '97 maybe.

SARGIS SARGSIAN: Yes, they've been here every day. My grandfather, he's 102 years old.

SARGIS SARGSIAN: Yeah, the Masourian family, they live there. But their father, Minas Masourian, he lives in New Jersey. He's my biggest fan.

SARGIS SARGSIAN: Yeah. He's not my grandfather by blood. But what happened, when I came to US, I was staying with the Masourian family in New Haven. So they're like my American family. I speak to them all the time, I stay in contact. So their father, I consider him as my grandfather. He played tennis himself. He was from Iran. He was the champion in Iran. All his life has been tennis. He's Armenian. He loves it.

SARGIS SARGSIAN: Minas Masourian.

SARGIS SARGSIAN: Oh, yeah, he was there, actually. He was driving like eight years ago.

SARGIS SARGSIAN: He was there, yes.

SARGIS SARGSIAN: It's pretty good, I tell you.

SARGIS SARGSIAN: Oh, for sure.