US OPEN

September 5, 2002

Sjeng Schalken

THE MODERATOR: First questioner for Sjeng, please.

SJENG SCHALKEN: Yes, was -- it was not easy because he started and I thought I was in the middle of a hurricane. He was just hitting his forehand. He was very -- a lot of energy he has. He made some choices I didn't expect. Actually, there was -- everything was going good. I told myself that I was down 7-6 and he again hit second serves over 120 miles an hour, then a dropshot, the weirdest balls. I thought, "If he's going to play like this in my quarterfinal, I cannot make it." But then all of a sudden, yeah, he missed a couple shots and I could get a little bit -- he missed a couple first serves and I felt that I could get more steady, like I used to do. And I know that if I get in the point every time, then he will start to feel the pressure, because if he's not hitting those incredible shots, then I will come to the net. That was actually the game plan. But, yeah, he has one of the biggest forehands in the game at the moment. I didn't know it was that big, because I played Guga and I thought, "Okay, that must be top of the line." But this was so much harder to play against. Yeah... I was a little depending on him, on his mood. Sometimes he was hitting winners, then all of a sudden he hits one ball in the stand, and then he hits three winners again. So that was very, very tough tactically today.

SJENG SCHALKEN: Yeah, it's still not settled down in my mind, because my name is between three very big players. It feels very good. I worked hard for it because I didn't have many -- I had my forehand and my backhand when I was younger, so -- by natural. But I have to work hard for my mentality, for my serve. I don't have the big serve, so I have to be really consistent serve. Yeah, finally, this -- yeah, at this moment, the best I've ever done in a tournament.

SJENG SCHALKEN: Well, normally not. But this time actually -- normally, I'm not nervous, but I got a little bit nervous in the fourth set. The problem was that also in the first and in the fourth set, at those times I was playing against the wind. Yeah, if he gets a shot, then he goes for it and he blows you away. That will happen. Actually, in the fourth set I was a little bit tight in the tiebreak. Then my nervous, I always have to think of my technique because I don't have it naturally. It fell away, actually. But I'm happy that I could pick it up again in the fifth.

SJENG SCHALKEN: Actually, I didn't expect this, to be in the semis. Yeah, actually, I never thought that I would have the game to beat those power players. It feels very good that I actually am with my steady, consistent play, my good backhand and forehand, to get to such a high level now, and two times in a row - Wimbledon I was close and Hewitt had a tough time with me, and now to get here to the semis.

SJENG SCHALKEN: It gave me confidence, but still I thought after the match that I made the right decisions on the big points. I went for it and, okay, he played it better. He deserved to win that match, because he stepped up on the really big points. I played my best tennis and where he played his best tennis, that was the difference that day. But then the hard court season started in America, and I had two not so good tournaments. So Los Angeles and Washington, I wasn't playing like I did at Wimbledon and Rosmalen, the tournament before. In Toronto and Cincinnati, Haas and Moya were just too good for me. I was playing on a good level, so I never expected to beat -- to get so far in the US Open. I was happy to win a couple rounds because the good guys were just a little bit better than me in Toronto and Cincinnati. But now, yeah, you can see what confidence can do if you get further in the tournament and you get your chances and you take them. All of a sudden, I'm in the semis.

SJENG SCHALKEN: I was hoping to keep out of them, so I was attacking him. But, yeah, because I didn't have -- I was depending on his shots all the time. In a tiebreak, you don't want to have that. He goes for his forehand, if he misses it, okay, you get the point. If he gets it, you're returning behind his big shots all the time. I thought I had to attack early, but then he started to serve really well. I didn't have any chance. Maybe he had a lot of 40-Loves and 40-15s in the fifth set. Yeah, all of a sudden we are again in this tiebreaker. There I said to myself, "Yeah, go for it. The first six points, you were with the wind, you try to get advantage of 4-2 or 5-1, then try to sneak out against the wind."

SJENG SCHALKEN: It was a long time ago when somebody served me away. I have a good return, very consistent, and I have long arms. So they have to serve really well, too. They will always get balls back. If I get in the rally, I get better and better. So that was also the case. Last time I played Andy, he felt that he had to serve harder and harder, in Paris indoors. Because all of a sudden, I got my racquet behind some shots and... But the thing is I have to win my service games.

SJENG SCHALKEN: He's a very good player. I didn't expect that he was so explosive, that he had such a big weapon on the forehand side. I thought I could play against the same on hard court like I always do against a typical clay court players. But it was tough because he was -- you know, he was dictating me many times.

SJENG SCHALKEN: Well, that's my natural game. My natural game is on the baseline, and I always hit the ball deep. I don't have to think about that. That's what I get naturally and that's my strongest point. So I try to play on that also, but I have to get the chance. If the ball is coming short, I have to attack immediately, because once I play the ball a little bit shorter, then he turns around his backhand and then I have to run.

SJENG SCHALKEN: Yes. I don't have a good -- I don't have the speed, I don't have that in my arm. I tried it many times but I got injuries, so I better keep it this way. I'm pretty tall, so I can place really good.

SJENG SCHALKEN: Well, I'm happy to be in the semis. I'm not so far yet. I thought that I had -- of course today I had a little chance, we both had a chance to get to the semis. We were fighting hard for the one spot. From now on, it's just -- I'm now a little bit more relaxed than before the quarterfinals. I just see what comes.

SJENG SCHALKEN: Sjeng is a name of the south of Holland. In the west of Holland, you would say "Jan," like Jan Siemerink. In the south, they have a bit of a slang and they call it Sjeng (laughter).