	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

MEDIBANK INTERNATIONAL

January 11, 2006

Peter Luczak

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, I. ANDREEV/P. Luczak 6-7, 7-6, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Peter.

Q. Another close one today. Are you feeling after this week you are able to compete better with guys you do want to compete with in and out each week as you qualify for more matches?

PETER LUCZAK: Sorry. Can you repeat that?

Q. Yes. You had another close one today. Do you still think you've had a good week and can you still draw confidence from how you've performed and being able to play with those guys week in, week out, as you qualify for more events?

PETER LUCZAK: Uhm, yeah, it was a close one. I had chances - serving for it in the second, and I had a couple matchpoints in the third. But, yeah, I mean, the guy, he's 26 in the world so, you know, I'm 150, so normally you don't get that close. But it's a big advantage, I've been training in the summer last two months, he's come straight from Europe from the winter. So it's a big advantage for the Aussies, but unfortunately I just couldn't get the job done today. But, yeah, I can get a bit of confidence. You know, it's always tough when you have matchpoint, so I just got to get over the disappointment first. Then maybe tomorrow when I'm thinking straight I'll be able to get some positives out of it.

Q. With the impending thunderstorm coming, was that a distraction at all? Did it affect your concentration?

PETER LUCZAK: Not really. I mean, I can't say anyone had the advantage at that stage. We were both going pretty even. So, you know, I came out and I had 15-40 on his serve, so I had two match points. So I guess may have been advantage me because he had to come out, serve. If he loses that game, it's all over. But, no, I don't think it was a disadvantage.

Q. How do you get over a disappointment when you have matchpoints? Do you try to go over the match a bit in your mind and then let it go completely?

PETER LUCZAK: Yeah, but -- that's what you try to do, but it doesn't always work. Like I know tonight I won't be getting any sleep. Just those matchpoints, they just keep going over and over in your head. Like you're trying to go to sleep, but, I mean, you just think what can you do different on those points.

Q. In the first set on a couple of the big points, you seemed to come into the net a couple of times. Is that something you can perhaps do a little bit more of? You seemed to win those points when you were attacking.

PETER LUCZAK: Yeah. Yeah, maybe. Sometimes when guys stand far back like Ivo did to return, it's not a bad play to, especially on these bouncy courts, put a kick serve in and try to come in. But he got on to a few in the second. I guess I lost a bit of confidence. He passed me on a couple of those, so I guess I stopped doing it. But, yeah, I think I used to do it a bit more, but maybe I can put it into my game just as a mix-up.

Q. Is there any particular moment in the match, a match or a point you wish you had done differently?

PETER LUCZAK: Yeah, I mean, you always tend to think of the matchpoints. But that first one was 15-40, he made a first serve, it was to my forehand, I just shanked it out of the park and I just had to make him play. The next point I made a return, but he just played a good point. And I guess at 6-All in the tiebreak, I wish I had serve-volleyed that point. He hit a couple of good deep backhands, and then my backhand up the line hit the tape.

Q. You said against Xavier that a couple of times your mind started to wander and you looked forward to the next match. Were you guilty of doing the same thing today?

PETER LUCZAK: No, I actually didn't see who's in the next part of my draw. I'm not sure who Ivo plays now. My mind was fairly good today, I thought. Like I was trying to stay in the present as much as I could.

Q. There's another case where it was a close match and you only just got there yesterday and today you didn't quite get there. Do you feel like you're playing the big points as well as you possibly can?

PETER LUCZAK: Uhm, the only way you can start playing those big points well is from confidence. Like you could be hitting the ball great in practice, but if you haven't got matches under your belt, you're not going to -- you're just going to naturally tighten up. So, you know, I don't know if I have to go back and play some weaker opponents, or I don't know. But it's hard to play those big points well when you haven't won a lot of matches.

Q. Has the last couple of days changed your perhaps goals for the year? You're seeing you can actually match up with some of the big guns, Xavier and also Ivo. Has that raised the bar a little bit in terms of what you want to do this year?

PETER LUCZAK: I haven't really thought about that yet, yeah. I'm not sure.

Q. What are your plans now before heading to Melbourne?

PETER LUCZAK: Yeah, I'll try to get a flight back tonight, just jump on the Internet, try to get a flight. I'll probably take a day off tomorrow, just do some stretching, maybe go for a light run. Then start hitting, probably have two hits on Friday and Saturday, then taper off on Sunday.

End of FastScriptsâ€¦.

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297