TMS - MADRID

October 16, 2002

Alex Corretja

ALEX CORRETJA: He beat me on clay in Hamburg, but this was a different surface. Today has been a different situation. I felt very concentrated, focused. The match was on my side, although it went through different stages, but I've been very focused.

ALEX CORRETJA: I wish I had this pressure, in fact. I think there's still a slight possibility for me to go there. If I play very well in Paris, it's a real possibility. But I have to go match by match. The important thing is to find my form on the court. We are a bunch of players competing for those points.

ALEX CORRETJA: Yes, it's true. I said that for me it was one of the most uncomfortable players of the circuit. On clay, when I was at my best level, I couldn't play with him. It was always on hard courts. I think his style adapts better to this surface than mine. But my return has been good, and my serve has been good. For me, when I needed the points, I had them. From his side, he's not playing the best tennis of his life. As everybody else, he has his moments.

ALEX CORRETJA: He has shown to everybody what a big name he is. It could be like a final for us. It won't be easy for either of us. The results are very stunning. Big names are out of the tournament. Passing through makes you feel very confident.

ALEX CORRETJA: True. If you play a foreign player, you have more support of the public in Spain. I hadn't seen such support from the public in the initial rounds in a tournament, even in Spain. In Madrid, we've had that. Tomorrow I think both of us will be supported by the public. We'll see who will win.

ALEX CORRETJA: Indeed. For the first time in history, there are three, Albert, Carlos and Juan Carlos, have had chances to qualify. It would be great for Spanish tennis if the three could qualify. That would be a great example for all the young players today. It shows that Spanish tennis has great possibilities. Now we are at the end of the season and we're still all there.

ALEX CORRETJA: I'll have to play aggressive and try to be smart on the court. I know how Juan Carlos plays more or less. He knows how I play. The good thing is that in Kitzbuhel, the last time I played with him, I beat him. That was on clay. That's different. It's given me great confidence because the other two times I had lost against him.

ALEX CORRETJA: It's very sad. But this is tennis, this is sport. Albert, he's done his job. It's better that it happened to him than to anybody else, because he's got a very high ranking. If Albert doesn't get to the Masters, then Johansson would probably get there. I saw him in the locker room. What a different sensation. "You won a great match." I said, "Yes, it's true, but I would rather change myself for you. You have a passport to Shanghai and only an injury that really prevents you from playing, but you're in a very good position."

ALEX CORRETJA: Well, what you want to do is to win. When you are losing, the public is supporting you. They want you to increase your level. If you see the results in Stuttgart, the circumstances are more favorable here. In Stuttgart, you wish you had the same conditions. Here you play with a good surface on the central court.

ALEX CORRETJA: I'm grateful with the ATP that they made this page for me and the people who worked on it. Yesterday I was visiting it and seeing all the interviews, articles. I was gladly surprised with the work that has been done. I'm not a fan of computers, but I was very impressed. For people who want to learn more about me, it's a great gateway. Nowadays, you can even have a mobile phone making pictures of you. For public people like me, we have to be careful. I want to really thank you, like I was with you the other day because of the Internet, and Benito, as well, I known you for a long time, you do a great job. I never met you before, but right now I think we're going to be close friends, maybe more than I know. I hope you're going to take care of me, so thank you.