WESTERN AND SOUTHERN FINANCIAL GROUP MASTERS

August 14, 2003

Guillermo Coria

GUILLERMO CORIA: It was not a complete injury. I was really tired from the three weeks that I had, and we got there Monday night so I didn't have any rest and I was feeling some pains all over my body. So it was safety. I was feeling okay before the match, but I didn't want to take any risks.

GUILLERMO CORIA: A little bit. But on the other side, today, tennis is really, really very competitive. Everybody can beat everybody. It's been happening during the whole year, these upsets. So between the players, it's almost normal.

GUILLERMO CORIA: I am not in a position to make a judgment over there. I have never won a Grand Slam, so... I think the top guys like Federer and Ferrero, I don't think that they come here with the intention of not winning it. I think they're coming to win the tournament. They are battling for the No. 1, so I think they're really taking this tournament seriously.

GUILLERMO CORIA: Even if the score was 2 and 1, I felt that it was a pretty tight match. I had a couple opportunities at the beginning, I took those opportunities to break Youzhny. I think he was a little bit disappointed at those moments. And then I just kept there, and Youzhny was a little out.

GUILLERMO CORIA: I feel that I'm getting used to hard courts again. I've had really good matches and good tournaments on hard, too, so I feel that I can play good hard court tennis. I'm really confident about getting as far as possible here and getting really, really in shape for the US Open. But I want to become a good player, and I feel confident that I'm gonna play good on hard courts so...

GUILLERMO CORIA: Yeah, serve is very important not only here in hard court, but here it's really important. As much free points as you can get on your serve, it's better. So I'm working a lot on the serve. Plus, you have to be really confident when you serve because it's tough to break the other guy. So that's a key point, too, to be a good player all over in every surface.

GUILLERMO CORIA: I'm trying not to think about being No. 1 in the race. I'm trying just to go one step at a time and not feel the pressure of being No. 1 in the race. I'm obviously trying to do my best.

GUILLERMO CORIA: They both are really tough players. Mirnyi is the kind of player that doesn't give you any rhythm, so it's tough to play him. You have to be really focused and really concentrate, and you have to return good. Arazi is a very talented player. He seems to be coming back. He hasn't been playing much, but he's been playing really good here. I think that both matches are gonna be tough.

GUILLERMO CORIA: I'm not surprised. I think Argentinian tennis players, the ones that are here in the third round, they all have really good tennis - maybe tennis to be in better rankings. They had during this year really good matches. Gaudio beat Ferrero many times. Argentinian tennis is really picking up. Every player is playing confident about playing on every surface.

ALBERTO MANCINI: Maybe I can explain a little bit more that.

ALBERTO MANCINI: I think in my generation we all retired very early because of injuries. There was a gap there that was not filled. And then his generation start coming up. There was some kind of investment from the Argentinian generation in his time, so I think it's paid off now a little bit. There are a lot of personal - how do you say? - Beside Argentinian, we always had really talented players. Now, with these two, three guys that started to win, it happened like Spain, you know; each one pulls the other one and says, "If he can do it, I can do it." I think that's what's happening now.

GUILLERMO CORIA: Yeah, I think maybe around the world is like that. In Argentina my success has really shocked a little bit everybody. But anyway, if it doesn't, I'm not thinking about being the only one, I'm just trying to win things just for myself and feeling good about that.