TMS - INDIAN WELLS

March 13, 2000

Hicham Arazi

MIKI SINGH: Questions, please.

HICHAM ARAZI: Yeah, definitely it's my best win since the beginning of my career. It was great to beat him after he beat me in Australian Open. It's a good revenge.

HICHAM ARAZI: No. I did exactly the same, but in Australia he was playing a great tennis. I couldn't do anything. I played great also. Today he was not playing as good as in Australia. So that was the difference. He made a lot of double-faults. He made a lot of forced --.

HICHAM ARAZI: Unforced errors. So I took my chance. For me, I played good. I serve well. I had a good percentage of first serves. It was a good match for me.

HICHAM ARAZI: I was not thinking too much about him. I was thinking more about myself, you know, staying calm and try, you know, to do my best until the last point. That's what I did, and it was worth it.

HICHAM ARAZI: No.

HICHAM ARAZI: No, no, no. It comes a lot of times this story, but it was more my coach was reading the poetry.

HICHAM ARAZI: No. Happens to me once or two times, but he do it more. Never happens, you know, before the match.

HICHAM ARAZI: I don't know. You know, there is many things going in your mind in the third set. He came back, you know, in the match. Yeah, it's true you have to hold your serve. You have to put a lot of first serve in, otherwise he put pressure on you. I was serving . For me, I think it was good that I start serving, you know, in the third set. I don't know. I don't know what it was. Maybe he give me some points, you know, some important points in the third. A lot of things, you know, happen. I was fighting also good. I was playing some good point in a good moment. I was serving good in a good moment. That was the key, I think, the serve.

HICHAM ARAZI: You know, it's pretty difficult. He was playing like he's playing all the time, like very deep, you know. He's playing very close on the line, so it's very difficult to make him run. He's hitting very hard. So I was not thinking too much, you know, just trying to keep the ball inside the court, and that's it.

HICHAM ARAZI: Just relax, you know, with my friend, play a little bit also golf. I don't know. Just listen music and watch TV. During the tournament?

HICHAM ARAZI: That's it. Practicing a little bit.

HICHAM ARAZI: Maybe. Yeah, sometimes I lose my mind (laughter). The regularity also on the matches.

HICHAM ARAZI: That is also a mistake.

HICHAM ARAZI: No, I don't speak six languages.

HICHAM ARAZI: English, a little bit, I try; French; Arabic; I also understand Italian, speak a little bit; and Spanish also.

HICHAM ARAZI: Yeah, but I'm not very good on it. My friends, the other Moroccans, they are speaking better than I do.

HICHAM ARAZI: Yeah, I don't know. It's just a coincidence. I lived all my life in France. I was practicing in France. I start with my father who is like a tennis player, yeah, teaching tennis. Karim Alami was practicing in Spain, and sometimes also in the States. Younes also practice in the states. Yeah, just coincidence. I didn't know them very well when I was young. I was just doing my thing. I don't know. That's it.

HICHAM ARAZI: In Morocco?

HICHAM ARAZI: No, no. That's why they going all the time like outside.

HICHAM ARAZI: It's still a little bit messed up. Why, I don't know. I don't have too much contact with them. I go like two or three times a year there in Morocco. I don't know what's happening there. It's not happening too much.

HICHAM ARAZI: No. The Federation send me a fax when I'm in quarterfinal in Grand Slam. Maybe today, I don't know.

HICHAM ARAZI: I lived there until two.

HICHAM ARAZI: Yeah.

HICHAM ARAZI: Yeah, I was going when I was a kid all the time there in vacation for like two months, till 17.

HICHAM ARAZI: No, no. My last tournament was in London, then I took two weeks off.

HICHAM ARAZI: For sure, I mean, I have a lot of confidence now. But for me it's not good to have too much confidence. It's better to be the opposite, you know, to get in and think that I'm bad player, then after on the court I can do some good stuff. If I get in too much confidence, it's not good (laughter).

HICHAM ARAZI: That's a confidence again, huh? That's the third round.

HICHAM ARAZI: I lost twice against him. Tough matches, but twice.

HICHAM ARAZI: In the third set?

HICHAM ARAZI: I feel it, yeah, just at 5-3 when I was serving for the match. Before that, no, it was okay.

HICHAM ARAZI: I don't know. I think I try like to play like all the time. I didn't understand too much.

HICHAM ARAZI: Against Andre, you don't have to go to the net because he pass well. You don't have to serve hard because he's returning hard. You just have to play and then you see (laughter). If you're in a good day, he's a little bit not too much like in, then you have a good chance to win, if you stay there in the match.

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