	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

US OPEN

August 29, 2001

Wayne Arthurs

NEW YORK CITY

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. You have a very precise game. Is that difficult with that shadow coming across the court?

WAYNE ARTHURS: Yeah, it's a little more difficult for a serve-volleyer especially. You have to adjust pretty quickly when that shadow's coming across. Makes it a little more difficult, yeah.

Q. For those of us who didn't see it, was it the grandstand court?

WAYNE ARTHURS: Yeah, it was the grandstand.

Q. You never looked to be in your top form. Do you know any reason why?

WAYNE ARTHURS: No, no reason why. Probably lack of matches and a little lack of confidence, I think. Not much happened out there. Just didn't make enough break points at the vital times, and that's the way it's been going sort of since Wimbledon, which is a bit frustrating.

Q. Your serve percentage was fairly low first two sets?

WAYNE ARTHURS: Serve was terrible.

Q. Got some good momentum there in the third set. Seemed to be coming out strong, and you just missed?

WAYNE ARTHURS: Yeah. Again, but I lost my serve again at 5-4 up, which is -- I mean I don't know how many times I lost my serve. I don't do that very often in matches, and it makes it hard for me to win if I'm losing serve.

Q. Did he play well?

WAYNE ARTHURS: He returned very well, yeah. I mean, then again, I'm serving second serves at him every time so that makes it a lot easier to return.

Q. Wide serve to the ad court was very effective for you down the stretch because you weren't getting the highest percentage on the flat serves.

WAYNE ARTHURS: Yeah, I really don't know. I'd have to look at the stats to sort of look at that.

Q. He was serving 3-1, you had 15-40.

WAYNE ARTHURS: Yeah, that's right, yeah.

Q. That was a big chance?

WAYNE ARTHURS: Again, if I played a few more matches probably, I would make that shot. Just nothing's coming off the middle of the racquet.

Q. At one point you were beating yourself over the head.

WAYNE ARTHURS: Had to do something.

Q. Was that the execution?

WAYNE ARTHURS: Just the execution, I think.

Q. The rest of the year, obviously Sydney for Davis Cup.

WAYNE ARTHURS: Uh-huh.

Q. Then what are your plans? Are you playing any tournaments?

WAYNE ARTHURS: Quite a few, actually. I go through Asia for a couple weeks then back to Europe for about five weeks.

Q. That was a lost opportunity, a winnable match because the courts are a bit quick. You should have had more effect with your serve, etc.

WAYNE ARTHURS: Yeah, definitely. I thought I had a very good chance of winning - according to the court's surface - and I played well here last year and a couple years before. So, yeah, it's pretty disappointing to play that badly, actually.

Q. Lleyton was saying yesterday that once Pat takes his long break or retires at the end of the year, it will be up to you to step up and fill the void. How do you feel about that? Do you feel you have a good few years left in you?

WAYNE ARTHURS: I don't know.

Q. Is it a bad day to ask you about this?

WAYNE ARTHURS: Maybe a little bit bad. My elbow has been a little weary also the last few months. And hopefully there's a few young guys in Australia coming up and you're gonna meet them soon.

Q. It obviously looks like you'll be called on to do a bit more Davis Cup next year?

WAYNE ARTHURS: Yeah, definitely. I'm available, for sure. But our No. 9 and No. 10 players in Australia, sort of ranked 250 plus, which is not very good. (Inaudible). So we certainly need someone to come through, and hopefully Philippoussis is back at some stage.

Q. Is the elbow going to be better through rest?

WAYNE ARTHURS: Yeah, I think so. It's been a problem for me for a long, long time now. And I'm not getting any younger, so these things are a little bit more hard to manage at this stage.

Q. Lleyton also said that he felt there were perhaps too many Australian men playing, concentrating on doubles instead of getting more into the singles.

WAYNE ARTHURS: Yeah, I would say that. Yeah, there's a few young guys. Ilie, I mean he's got a lot of talent and probably should be playing more singles than focusing on doubles. But comes down to our financial decisions for those younger guys, not getting enough support from home and have to travel all the year, make a bit of money in doubles and try and go back and play singles without sort of a coach on the side, it's very difficult.

Q. What do you mean "not getting much support back home"?

WAYNE ARTHURS: Well, it just seems that sort of when you haven't made it by 16, 17, sort of you're out on your own. And it just seems that players that we've had sort of the last few years, except Lleyton, everyone's sort of come through early 20s. Like Pat, wasn't until about '95, he wasn't much good really.

Q. Rafter even said something close to that. Before he had this ascension in the late '90s, he came up, there was a lot of promise, then there was a tailing off period. He was asked, "Do you feel the pressure?" He was like, "Not anymore mate."

WAYNE ARTHURS: Yeah, it's much more pressure when you're trying to make it than when you're already there.

Q. What are you saying?

WAYNE ARTHURS: I don't know what the solution is, but I think there should be some looking after some guys sort of between the ages of 19 and 23 or something. Maybe that's when Australians seem to sort of come through - unless you're a phenomenon like Lleyton.

Q. Who are good examples of the folks that missed out of that?

WAYNE ARTHURS: Someone like Ben Ellwood. I mean, he was as good as Philippoussis at that age and sort of went a bit different ways and sort of got lost. Even someone like Nathan Healey, he has a lot of talent. Someone that just needs a bit of direction somewhere along the line.

Q. (Question regarding the draw.)

WAYNE ARTHURS: Definitely. Bloody tough draw from what I've heard.

End of FastScriptsâ€¦.

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297