WIMBLEDON

June 30, 2004

Sjeng Schalken

THE MODERATOR: Sjeng Schalken.

SJENG SCHALKEN: Yeah, he caught me there. But I think he had a very good serve also on that point. But I had my chance, obviously, when I was serving for it myself. But I missed the first serve. The second serve, he made a really deep return, and I think he hit the same forehand again on that point. So he did it twice on set point. His favorite shot is, of course, the inside-out forehand to my backhand. I caught him on that one a lot, but he didn't do it there.

SJENG SCHALKEN: Yeah, I rushed it a little. I thought, "Andy is down and out there," and then I missed it (smiling). Normally I never miss that one.

SJENG SCHALKEN: I think so. But today I think it was very even also in the tiebreaker. The only thing is, it's a little dis-balance in the whole match because I have to play every point from the baseline because I don't have a big serve, and he has a huge serve. So, of course, it's an advantage for him. But that's his talent. I have a lot of respect for how he can do that. You can see in the match that I was on top of him every time we were in the rally. But he can handle the pressure so good. He keeps on serving very well - even second serves - just to keep, yeah, me off him all the time. I think his serve is very solid. It's very big and very solid. He doesn't give a lot away. I don't give anything away from the baseline. Yeah, now and then, but you can't play without a mistake the whole match. But, yeah, he was just a bit better. He was the serving guy and I was the guy in charge on the baseline.

SJENG SCHALKEN: Yeah, I have to play perfect, and actually I did almost all the match. But when I'm playing, if I'm serving, I have to play a rally, and he is good in the rally also, so I have to play over a hundred percent all the time. I managed to do it almost the whole set -- the whole match. But, yeah, still, I was a very happy man that I was -- actually, I felt like I was the boss on the baseline. I didn't have that feeling the last three times when we played. He was better also from the baseline at that time. So I felt comfortable. But still you have to get in the rally. On the big occasions, he lets me play also. He will stand also there and makes his balls all the time.

SJENG SCHALKEN: No, I don't think for me -- for me, it was fine. I think it's very good if the people are into those matches. They are here for those big matches.

SJENG SCHALKEN: No, not me, no.

SJENG SCHALKEN: I don't know. You have to ask Andy.

SJENG SCHALKEN: Yeah. Maybe he had to also. He had to go for the big one. But it's so solid. He can hit 125-mile-an-hour serve like I hit a 90-mile-an-hour serve. I feel comfortable. I'm sure I'm going to make it, pop it in at 90 miles an hour. He pops it in at 125, so...

SJENG SCHALKEN: Yeah, that hurt me, of course. That was a big one down the T.

SJENG SCHALKEN: I think it has a lot of power. I think my serve is accurate. I hit the lines. If he would do that also, then I don't have any chance.

SJENG SCHALKEN: If you have it both, like Pete Sampras or Richard Krajicek. But the power Andy has, the ball's coming at you. You don't have any time to react, so that's something very special. He's serving every time over 130. And I played some big-serving players this week, like Todd Martin and Thomas Enqvist, they serve 125, and if they have a really big serve, they serve maybe 130. But he's serving every time over 130. So that's his power. As long as it is in the box, it's fine, because you can't return it.

SJENG SCHALKEN: I played Andy three times, and I stayed a little behind the baseline, but I feel very uncomfortable because my best game is when I try to be at the baseline. Because once I get a chance, I can play really quick. If I stand a little bit behind the service line, even with the return, I just put myself there. I think that one meter doesn't help me anything because the ball is going away so quick.

SJENG SCHALKEN: No, I don't see a big weakness in his game. But that's why he's No. 1 or 2 in the world. At the moment he's No. 2. He doesn't have a weakness, I think. The good thing he does, and he does that much better than when I beat him one time, that was three or four years ago, he lets me play all my shots all the time, and he's tough. When he used to play, he wanted to go for it a little bit more. But now he's just going for it in the service game with his serve, and the rest of the game is very solid. So he's doing very good.

SJENG SCHALKEN: I always lose in the quarterfinals, so the guy who wins. So that's an easy question (smiling).

SJENG SCHALKEN: Yeah, I played Pete Sampras also a couple times. But Andy's serve, 125 miles an hour with kick, it's amazing. Because I played Enqvist, he's serving 125 flat, and I have troubles with that, and he puts kick on it also. It's an amazing serve.

SJENG SCHALKEN: His second, yeah.

SJENG SCHALKEN: I thought Pete had the best.

SJENG SCHALKEN: Yeah, maybe. One of the best. Maybe I forget a couple guys.

SJENG SCHALKEN: Yeah, well, I'm friends with many players who are still in the tournament, and Andy is one of them. Yeah, he's somebody who deserves it because he is just like Federer and a couple other players, always at the last four in the Grand Slams. So it's big achievement. If you're always there, at certain points you start winning now and then, like he did at the US Open.

SJENG SCHALKEN: Yeah, it's 1-0 Holland, okay.