NASDAQ-100 OPEN

March 24, 2002

Alex Corretja

ALEX CORRETJA: Well, we've been talking many years about that. We always said it's because we work pretty hard. We spend a lot of time practicing. We have, I think, a good atmosphere between the Spanish players, we have good coaches, good fitness coaches, we have good conditions to practice in Spain. Of course the players, they help each other. When you are young, they try to help you to improve your game. And one of the reasons is because probably we work harder than the others.

ALEX CORRETJA: No. I see myself as one of the proud guys to be there, and of course it's nice to be at the top of the game for some time. But right now, I'm not the highest ranking, and is Ferrero there. But no matter if it's Ferrero, it's Moya or myself, the good thing is we all belong pretty well each other.

ALEX CORRETJA: Well, it was a great match for me because it was probably the first match I really felt myself fighting on the court for the last six months. So it's something -- it's some good news to see that I'm back again to be ready to fight. And no matter if you struggle, but if you there, at least maybe you're able to play better the next day. But if you don't like to fight, as it happens to me, for example, last week, then you are not able to play another match. So I think it was good to play in good moments, pretty tough ones, second-set tiebreak. Then I came through and I think I played pretty well in the third set as well, even if he probably fall a little bit down with his focus.

ALEX CORRETJA: Yeah. I mean, I knew if I was going to a third set, I would have a really good chance to beat him because, you know, these kind of matches where you are up the whole match and you cannot close them up, then it's difficult for the opponent, you know. So it was good for me to see that I get back into the tiebreak, and then I won it. Then third set, just broke him easy in the first game, in the third game. So it seems like it was clearly that I was going to win pretty easy that one.

ALEX CORRETJA: Well, it's never easy to be there so many times, so many years, so many weeks, so many days. So it's not a special reason. It was just that I can't just be 100 percent in all my life and all my career. And I adore the things in my head, and I wanted to enjoy living my personal life probably more than tennis, professional one. So but if you spend some time thinking about yourself like to enjoy some other things, maybe you forget to practice as much as before, and to do your kind of routine. So if you lose that, you're like one more on the tour. So the difference is to do something different. If you don't do that, you are one more in big group.

ALEX CORRETJA: No. Well, since I would say since middle of December I start to practice again pretty hard. But I only play like Australia, and of course I didn't have that much time to practice. I lost first round. Then I play a little bit in Davis Cup. Then I stop again for three weeks for practice. So I would say that my career is kind of starting like in Scottsdale. So I haven't played much because since last September, I haven't played tournaments like really concentrate, you know. I lost like four first round in indoor season. And I think for me it was just that I didn't have that much time to think about tennis. I was little bit outside. So right now it's great to see that at least I am fighting again.

BENITO PEREZ-BARBADILLO: You know he got married?

ALEX CORRETJA: I don't want to feel like that was the reason because I was losing. Then I feel bad. It's just more my person that I needed to be a little bit more relax. And of course I got married, it was great, it was nice party, and something impossible to forget. But that wasn't the reason that I didn't win matches. I want to clarify that.

ALEX CORRETJA: Probably. Sometimes, yes. But right now I feel like I'm hungry again and I'm trying to be back at my best shape. That's the most important thing. A few months ago I didn't feel that way. I wasn't hungry. I wasn't as motivated as I am right now.

ALEX CORRETJA: We stay in Canary Islands.

ALEX CORRETJA: Ten days, something.

ALEX CORRETJA: December.

ALEX CORRETJA: Well, the only thing I'm looking forward to is to go and play my doubles today. I mean, because I cannot go longer than that. I fix like small goals for my personal right now. Because, you know, when you don't play as many tournaments as I didn't play this year and last year at the end of the year, it's difficult to go really far away. So I would like to go step by step and don't think too much about all the tournaments in the future.