WIMBLEDON

June 28, 2002

Wayne Arthurs

WAYNE ARTHURS: I was thinking about you counting in the background there, how many in a row I've held (laughter). I was hoping not to. There was one game, I think it went for, I don't know, four, five, six deuces. That was about the only time I sort of felt a bit uncomfortable.

WAYNE ARTHURS: I have just seen the draw. Yeah, obviously a very big opportunity. To play another unseeded guy in the last 16 is the biggest opportunity I've had so far. So hopefully I can make it through to the quarterfinals.

WAYNE ARTHURS: Wimbledon '99 maybe. I had one 7-5 in the middle of that. But I played four tiebreakers then, two against Lapentti next round, and three against Haarhuis, then actually two against Andre. I won a lot of those. I'm winning a lot here. It's maybe an omen.

WAYNE ARTHURS: Yeah, definitely. I'm getting more and more confident as the tournament goes along. So I think I created enough opportunities. And Taylor was just half volleying, at one stage, unbelievable in the second -- I mean in the third set. I thought I had made a lot of returns at him, he was just coming up with the goods every time. I don't think it was totally dominated by the serve, the match, even though it looks like it is.

WAYNE ARTHURS: I really don't know. Could have been the pressure of losing those points, sort of freeing up everything. Apart from that, everything's been pretty much the same. So I think more a little bit of pressure I've taken off myself more than anybody around me has allowed me to play better tennis.

WAYNE ARTHURS: Well, I thought I did play well in that match, and I got beaten by a better guy on that day. He's still in here I think, as well. My confidence tennis-wise didn't go down after that match. I think more just putting pressure on myself and losing that match and everything else that went with it more than actually knowing that I can play tennis.

WAYNE ARTHURS: Feels like Australia out there, so many bloody Aussies in the crowd, it's unbelievable (laughter). No, I don't think so. I don't put any more pressure on myself when I'm back home. Maybe my results have not been as good back home. I don't think playing at home is really a hindrance.

WAYNE ARTHURS: Definitely has a little bit to do with my coach, as well, Brett Larkham. He's just telling me every time I go out there that I'm a better player than I have been the first six months of the year. I've got to believe that. Sometimes I don't maybe believe that I am, for whatever reasons. But, yeah, there's a lot of good people backing me. I thank them for that.

WAYNE ARTHURS: No, just family, all that sort of thing. Also I've had a bit of a physio with me the last two months or so. That's really helped my body. It's not getting any younger. To have that stretching and all that sort of stuff, maintenance after a match, is really nice.

WAYNE ARTHURS: No, no.

WAYNE ARTHURS: No. Slept really well last night. Didn't think about anything. I try not to (smiling).

WAYNE ARTHURS: Pretty nice, intimate. The people at the sides are very close. You can sort of hear everything that everyone says, except for one lady who was a bit annoying at one stage (laughter).

WAYNE ARTHURS: No, no. Maybe down the far end?

WAYNE ARTHURS: I did actually (laughter).

WAYNE ARTHURS: Not so much. I'd sort of done it at the French, made the last 16 at the French, and at the US Open. Hopefully I can go at least one better this time. It's probably my best opportunity to do it.

WAYNE ARTHURS: A lot sunnier here this year (laughter). The courts are definitely favoring me, as well. The weather, the courts, it's a lot faster than I think is normal in the first week. That's definitely helped me.

WAYNE ARTHURS: Maybe I've gone through a little bit more; maybe with the Davis Cup I've grown a little bit through those experiences. It's hard to put a definite article on it. I really don't know. Definitely the weeks before leading up to here haven't given me a lot of confidence coming into here.

WAYNE ARTHURS: Definitely. I think I served very well under pressure today. Yeah, that was a key moment in the fourth set. I came up with three really good serves. Yeah, had to keep him at bay somehow. He was returning really well in that game. I really don't think I played a bad third set tiebreaker, he made one good forehand return. I didn't really do much wrong in that set. Disappointing after having a match point in that third set to lose that set. I kept knowing that he was not real close a lot of the time on my serve, just tried to hold my serve, and just wait for my opportunity.

WAYNE ARTHURS: Yes. I think I should probably show it a bit more, as well.

WAYNE ARTHURS: They're still playing.

WAYNE ARTHURS: That's a difficult question because you know the three guys that are there, maybe not so much myself, but Lleyton and Philippoussis have been there before. I mean, Mark can win the tournament, no problem. There still is a little bit of a gap. That's something that's got to be addressed. The three guys that are in, possibly with Lleyton, in the last 16, that's always been there. I don't think you can sort of take anything from that.