AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 14, 2003

Wayne Arthurs

WAYNE ARTHURS: The leg's actually very good, actually. Other parts of my body are a little stiff, but that's the price you pay for not having played a match for two and a half months.

WAYNE ARTHURS: Yeah, it was. I really had no clue how I was going to pull up during the match, and I was actually surprised with the way I felt during the match. I actually felt like I was getting stronger towards the end of the match. My calf got a little bit tight, but no real problems with it. Physically, I felt very good.

WAYNE ARTHURS: Very close, actually, yes. The doctors actually gave me no chance of playing. I surprised myself by being here, in the first place, and I suppose it's a little bit of a bonus now that I've won a round as well.

WAYNE ARTHURS: It was strange, because I really didn't know how to go into the match. After being two-sets-to-love down, I thought, "This is another Australian Open, and I'm 31 years old. I might not have too many left. I've got to do something here. I've got to dig in a little bit." Sort of maybe thought of some of Lleyton's matches and how he digs in, and that's what I was just thinking about, "I don't want to go out here in the first round. I've had a lot of preparation before I did the injury," and that's all I was thinking about. Yeah, probably to come back from two sets to love is sort of special any time, no matter who you play , and even more special to do it at the Australian Open.

WAYNE ARTHURS: Yeah, little bit. It would have been even later if Alicia hadn't injured herself. It was very unfortunate for her. Having played so well over the summer, it's very unfortunate. But, yeah, to finish 11:30 on a day session is a little strange.

WAYNE ARTHURS: Probably not when I've been playing main draw. I'm sure it has happened at some stage. But, no, that's really good. Hopefully we can win more rounds.

WAYNE ARTHURS: I set my own personal goals. I have those in my mind. But I really thought I had a good chance, having a good summer this year. It's the first time I'd had good preparation coming in and a little bit of time off as well, which I hadn't had with Davis Cup obviously coming into sort of December each year in the last three or four years. So I really thought I could have a good chance in maybe Adelaide or Sydney, one of those tournaments, and obviously would have been nice to be fully prepared for this, which I would have been if I'd played Adelaide and Sydney. I just take it one match at a time now. Good to be in the second round at this stage.

WAYNE ARTHURS: Mentally, I was pretty good. That's the only thing, mentally fresh. But physically, obviously I'd lost a little bit of physical movement after having the injury. I really couldn't do anything for sort of two, two and a half weeks. You sort of lose fitness very quickly, especially when you're over 30.

WAYNE ARTHURS: I've got a few stiff points right at this stage that I'm going to go and see about soon.

WAYNE ARTHURS: Yeah, I had treatment last night.

WAYNE ARTHURS: Little bit on the shoulder as well. When I don't serve for a while in match sort of situations, it gets a little stiff around the shoulder. And the legs, obviously. Little different when you get a little bit of tension through the body through the match play.

WAYNE ARTHURS: No, I think it was just being injured, I think, at this time of the year. It was just getting on my brain a little bit in the first two sets. I knew I had a good chance to beat this guy, and I probably should be beating this guy. It was getting to me a little bit in the first couple of sets. I know it shouldn't have because I had pretty bad preparation coming in. But it's just wanting to do well at the Australian Open, which I haven't really done in the years before, and I was just probably a little tenser myself more than anything else.

WAYNE ARTHURS: Very difficult player to play, actually. I've lost to him a couple of times in the last previous meetings. I might have to think of a bit of a different game plan than last time. But very difficult player to play against, little dinks and stuff. I'm going to have to serve pretty well against him, obviously. Probably, hopefully, build the attack from the baseline and get into the rally and try and dominate the rally a little bit. Otherwise, he could be moving me around a little bit. And not being at full fitness, I suppose it's not a good thing.

WAYNE ARTHURS: My whole game is based around my serve. If I'm not serving well, I'm going to be ranked 350. No, it's always good to be able to rely on that. If I'm not serving well, then sort of pack my bags basically (smiling). It's one thing that comes very natural to me and one thing that I can pretty much rely on every time I step out on the court.

WAYNE ARTHURS: No, actually didn't - surprising. Probably a little rusty in the first two sets, probably wary of how my calf was going to react to moving forward straight off of the serve. But I was a little bit more confident sort of as the match went on and started to serve pretty well.

WAYNE ARTHURS: Hopefully. Hopefully, it does.

WAYNE ARTHURS: A, the Open, is to get through it without reinjuring it, I think, and anything above that's a bonus. Next 12 months, hopefully at least stay where I am and be fit and healthy at the other end.