WESTERN AND SOUTHERN FINANCIAL GROUP MASTERS

August 5, 2002

Rainer Schuettler

Q. Talk about the match. Seemed to have an easy time with him out there for the most part?

RAINER SCHUETTLER: No, it was not easy. It's tough out there. It was hot and I lost first round last week so had enough time to practice there in the heat in Toronto. Yeah, I was in good shape and I think that was the difference, that I practiced a lot last week and that I played pretty good today.

RAINER SCHUETTLER: I arrived Saturday morning.

RAINER SCHUETTLER: Yeah. I was in Toronto, practiced one week and then I came here on Saturday, so I had two days.

RAINER SCHUETTLER: I think he improved during the last two years and yeah, I beat him in year in Doah in the quarters so it was the first time. I was pretty confident that here in the heat that I have a good chance to beat him. I started playing good, like aggressive from the baseline, made only a few mistakes, easy mistakes, and I tried to make him run and finally the tactic worked.

RAINER SCHUETTLER: No, with him I mean, I don't see it. I think it's pretty tough because sometimes it looks like he's not trying, but he's trying really hard and you never know. In the second set I was a break up and he really tried hard to come back. And he had a breakpoint but I won the game; I think this was one of the keys. So with him, you never know. Maybe from outside it looks sometimes that he's not trying, but he's trying really hard. And of course he doesn't want to lose. So it is always dangerous to play against him. You never know what is going to happen next.

RAINER SCHUETTLER: One breakpoint.

RAINER SCHUETTLER: Of course and then he was a little bit frustrated, I won his service game and like he tried to go for the shots and yeah, I think he was tired as well. The heat was bad for him as well. So yeah, he tried to go for the shots and I was making only a few mistakes. I think this was the key that I won the game at 4-2.