WIMBLEDON

June 23, 2005

Wayne Arthurs

WAYNE ARTHURS: I don't know what I've done to it . Feels like my Achilles tendon is going to snap off. Pretty sore actually.

WAYNE ARTHURS: End the fourth set. I sort of felt it all the way through the match but it sort of got worse and worse. I don't know, like a little jarring sensation in it. When I was trying to move around, it was actually worse than actually standing still. I'm not blaming that on anything. But it is pretty sore at the moment.

WAYNE ARTHURS: Yeah, it was. But I had enough chances to win the match. I was trying to focus on that, trying to play good service games and hopefully try and find a way to break him. I found the way; just didn't win the point.

WAYNE ARTHURS: Yeah, it was. Yeah, it's very frustrating to lose 14-12 in the fifth set. Just obviously didn't play the big points well enough today, and he took his opportunity when I sort of gave it to him in the 25th game or whatever it was (laughter).

WAYNE ARTHURS: I didn't actually look at the score for quite a while. I couldn't actually tell you from 4-All, 5-All onwards what the actual score was. When you get into that situation, you got to try and hold your serve obviously. If you're not going to hold your serve, you'll lose the match. I was focusing on that, trying to just find a way to break him down. I mean, I just couldn't get a clean hit on the balls on the big points. That's probably what cost me in the end.

WAYNE ARTHURS: Not yet, no. It really does feel like it's on the verge of something happening to it, which is not a good feeling.

WAYNE ARTHURS: Yeah.

WAYNE ARTHURS: Yeah, I'll probably have a week where I don't do anything, all of next week here at Wimbledon. Then obviously it's three weeks' time. Hopefully it's nothing serious. But it is pretty sore at the moment.

WAYNE ARTHURS: Pretty high as a low (smiling). Very disappointing. Obviously, the draw opened up a little bit now with Tursunov winning against Henman. Haven't looked any further than that. Just looking around the other matches, there's a few gone against the seeding. It's a little disappointing to go out in the second round here.

WAYNE ARTHURS: Uh-huh.

WAYNE ARTHURS: No, I don't think so. I think they've got some pretty good backups that are going to come in for Canas. Probably Coria, Nalbandian, I don't know. I don't know the reason why Chela didn't play here. Then Gaudio. They've got a couple good doubles players as well who they can put in. I don't think it puts a cloud over it. I think it's going to be an unbelievably good tie and some good matches on that weekend. Helps us, too, I think (smiling).

WAYNE ARTHURS: No opinion on that (smiling).

WAYNE ARTHURS: Bloody great. Couldn't ask for anything more. There's probably four thousand, five thousand people out there, most of them Aussies. It's like playing at home. It did lift me. I'm just disappointed that I couldn't get over the line for them.

WAYNE ARTHURS: I'm sure they were. I wasn't really watching their beer quota (smiling).

WAYNE ARTHURS: I could imagine. Where is mine now?

WAYNE ARTHURS: No. You hear those sort of things. You try to distance them.

WAYNE ARTHURS: I think the beer was kicking in then.

WAYNE ARTHURS: I hear them. But, I mean, just try and take it all in. It helps. Obviously, the bad comments sort of in between first and second serves are not helpful. But the crowd support is unbelievable.

WAYNE ARTHURS: You try not to, but it's difficult to concentrate. I don't know how long I was out there for.

WAYNE ARTHURS: Four hours. You try and focus and try and look at something specific each time you sit down, try not to listen to everything. But, you know, in a five-set match you're going to have ebbs and flows. After the first set, I was pretty concentrated on what I had to do. Probably came out a little slow in that first set. But he came out firing I think and couldn't do much. I think I served pretty well that first set and he still broke me twice.

WAYNE ARTHURS: Yeah, maybe someone in the crowd. I don't know what I was actually looking at. I think I was looking at the score board on the other court, but I wasn't like taking in what the score was. I was just focusing on that particular point. Something different each time I play. Pretty much straight ahead or something.

WAYNE ARTHURS: No comment (smiling).

WAYNE ARTHURS: Who?

WAYNE ARTHURS: Who do you think?

WAYNE ARTHURS: We would probably have a slight edge, I would think, being on grass. But obviously Nalbandian has proved himself on the grass, and Coria, I think he won today against Malisse, so he's proving himself a pretty difficult customer on the grass as well. I think it's pretty close to a 50/50. It depends who you guys turn up with, I think.

WAYNE ARTHURS: Yeah. Why not? Four guys on our team, four guys on your team.

WAYNE ARTHURS: Well, that's why we chose it. That's the advantage you have playing at home. But I think it's a very close match.