WIMBLEDON

July 6, 2001

Patrick Rafter

MODERATOR: First question, please.

PATRICK RAFTER: I don't know. Still hasn't really sunk in yet. I don't want to get too carried away with the whole situation. I still have one more match to go. Sort of relieved and excited at the same time.

PATRICK RAFTER: No. I mean, funny games. Not over until the last point's played. Not too many matches, maybe one in a hundred, one in 200 matches that you play something like that happens, it turns around for you. Just got to hang in every match. That's pretty well what I did. Got very lucky, yeah.

PATRICK RAFTER: Well, once I broke, you know, it was a 50/50 ballgame, and I knew that. I knew that if I kept serving aces - which I sort of found I had to do to try and hold serve - that I would have a chance to definitely break his serve. And I got that opportunity.

PATRICK RAFTER: Well, I think the big turning point in that match was the 15-40 game that he had, had that pretty easy forehand. I guessed the right way. I knew if I lost that game, the match was over, as simple as that. Being down double break against someone like Andre, it's not going to happen. You're not going to come back from that. So I knew that. That was a big turning point for me.

PATRICK RAFTER: When you're on the court, it's difficult to know how well you're playing and to gauge it. You're just concentrating on the match. From a spectator's point of view, it might be easier for you, for you guys, to sort of judge the match and how it went. But, you know, I don't want to get carried away. I've got another match to play. Don't want to lose sight of that.

PATRICK RAFTER: I think the fourth set, you know, that's when the points didn't go his way. You know, they were close, though. I think that was sort of 50/50 anyway, whether in or out. I don't think they were definitely clear-cut out. They could have been called out and I would have accepted the call. The turning point was not then. I still think it was -- what affected him was that lady who reported him. You know, I think just let it go. Only one person heard it. It's not that big a deal.

PATRICK RAFTER: Well, Goran, you've got to get his serve back. There's no secret about Goran. And Tim and I play pretty similar games. It will just be who can deal with the pressure better on the day.

PATRICK RAFTER: Well, going through that fifth set, I was struggling to hold serve. The last couple I did okay, held them pretty comfortably. Andre was holding his serve very easily. He was serving very well and playing very well. Just thought, "Just got to hang in there, see what happens." I got the first point of his service game. I thought, "Here we go, we've got a chance now." I played a couple of really good points. That's what I needed to do. I was aggressive, and I stayed aggressive. And it went my way. Could have very easily not gone my way.

PATRICK RAFTER: Listen, I don't want to look around. He was shaping up after to hit a ball in that direction after the match. You know, listen, I'm sure he's very upset. He had his chances. As I said, I thought it was a little bit unfair of that lady to report him . I guess she took the rules a little bit seriously. (Lights go down in the auditorium.) You guys look great (laughter).

PATRICK RAFTER: Watch the footy tomorrow.

PATRICK RAFTER: Bloody oath.

PATRICK RAFTER: No. It won't help me at all to stay calm. I'll be watching the footy, wishing the boys all the best. Pretty exciting match.

PATRICK RAFTER: I can't remember what I did last year. No, pretty cheap to change my routine of what I've been doing on my days off. I'm not about to change that now.

PATRICK RAFTER: I haven't thought about it much at all. It was one of those occasions that happens. Never really that big a deal. Right now, I don't know, I'm in the final again. I'm going to have to probably think over that situation and get some positive thoughts out of it.

PATRICK RAFTER: I don't think -- as I said, I sort of answered this question, and I don't think he was really affected by the lines calls. He got up, he was cruising in the fifth. The line calls were in the fourth set. I think it was that lady that really got to him in the end. Nothing was going his way. I think he pretty well snapped.

PATRICK RAFTER: He played a pretty loose game at 7-6. After about the second or third point, I thought, "He's a little bit upset here." He was a bit hacked off. I could tell then that that lady had played a bit of an influence on the match.

PATRICK RAFTER: Against Andre?

PATRICK RAFTER: No. You know, a lot more aggressive on my groundstrokes. I was aggressive, like last year. I had to be. I had to take my chances and give myself opportunities, and hopefully get the right bounce of the ball. And it worked the same way.

PATRICK RAFTER: I was pretty confident the match wasn't going to go on that long. I was pretty sure there was going to be a result within the first few games. I didn't think it was going to go much past 10-All, anything like that. You're playing on pure adrenaline.

PATRICK RAFTER: Yeah, I think things just went very quickly for Andre. He's probably a little bit still rattled from the decision of what the lady said. I played, you know, a couple of okay points, put a little bit of pressure on him. And he was still thinking of other things. Then he tried to fight back. Probably a little bit down over it.

PATRICK RAFTER: I don't know. I guess that's more fate, isn't it? I don't know if anyone deserves it. You just go out there and see what happens. I don't feel -- I didn't come off and say, "He should have won that one, so I should have this one." Didn't flip a coin over it. I don't really, so...

PATRICK RAFTER: I guess so. I guess you feel like you're more of a contender now. With Pete, you know, you might be 40 on, 60 off. Now you're definitely 50/50 opportunity. That's always a nice feeling going into the final.

PATRICK RAFTER: I don't really have a preference either way. You know, both have got very different games. They're going to serve and volley. Don't really know. Doesn't really worry me that much. It's the finals match. I'll just accept whoever's there. I don't have a preference.

PATRICK RAFTER: Oh, I don't know, mate. I'll wait and see (smiling).

PATRICK RAFTER: I've been in the situation a lot. I've had a lot of experience at it. I'll just look to my bench and my group of fans and friends and focus on them, if that's the case.

PATRICK RAFTER: Well, I don't know. I hope I get in that situation again. It would be a nice position to get into. Well, I was saying "relax" last time. "Relax, relax." It didn't work. Maybe I might say, "Choke, choke." See what happens (laughter).

PATRICK RAFTER: That I don't know.

PATRICK RAFTER: I'll take any Grand Slam, anything, you know. They're all very difficult to win, and they're all very prestigious in their own little way. Wimbledon has always been something that's been pretty exciting for a lot of Australians. It would have been great to have won the Australian Open, as well. Don't get me wrong. I think Wimbledon has always been probably traditionally the most exciting for us to win.

PATRICK RAFTER: Yeah, he does. I think he's going to coach Sampras next year if I don't win it (laughter).

PATRICK RAFTER: No. It's best-of-five sets. When it's best-of-five, I know there's time to work things out and to try different things.

PATRICK RAFTER: Yeah, sort of went backwards and forwards a little bit. The game sort of went up and down a little bit from both of us. You know, even in the fifth set it was all over the place. Five-setters are very different to three-setters. You've got time to experiment with things. When Andre comes out pretty hot, you know you're in a bit of trouble.

PATRICK RAFTER: I'm just playing it like any other Slam. I don't feel any pressure to win it. From that point of view, if I miss again, which it may happen, I'll always come back for Wimbledon.

PATRICK RAFTER: I've actually found it hard to find it. I looked it up every now and then. I've read it a couple of times. Yeah, I don't know, I looked the other day and I couldn't find it. It was probably there, I just didn't see it.

PATRICK RAFTER: Oh, the cricket team.

PATRICK RAFTER: Me or the Aussie team. Well, after their last performance, you know, I guess I do. You know, they'll be fighting hard, the Aussies. They know what it takes to win. I don't know, mate. I don't know.

PATRICK RAFTER: Yeah, I'll try to send a fax or get a message through to them. We've been talking about it for the last couple of weeks here. It's always something pretty exciting for us. I'll probably give George Gregan a call and wish him all the best.

PATRICK RAFTER: No.

PATRICK RAFTER: I did?

PATRICK RAFTER: Even if you didn't get a fax from them, I know they're thinking about it, because Wimbledon is a big event. You know, I know all Australia's behind me. It's always good. Always nice.

PATRICK RAFTER: We're a pretty proud country, I guess. You know, we're a pretty good sporting nation. I remember last year, getting phone calls from Greg Norman, as well. I've had that a lot from him. From actors, all the Australian people. They're always thinking about it. Even if you don't get messages from them, they're always thinking about it. I know I'm always thinking about other people in big sporting events, as well.

PATRICK RAFTER: Just give it a go and see what happens, you know. All you can do is just do it and see what happens want. When you walk off, you hold your head high, "Bad luck, gave it my best shot, lost 6-4 in the fifth." I go in, here I am talking with a big smile on my face.

PATRICK RAFTER: They don't give a shit (laughter).