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THE LIPTON CHAMPIONSHIPS

March 19, 1999

Marcelo Rios

KEY BISCAYNE, FLORIDA

ATP: Marcelo Rios, defending champion press conference before the tournament. We're going to do a quick interview in English, then we switch into Spanish. Questions in English, please.

Q. How is your health?

MARCELO RIOS: I think I'm feeling much better. I've been having no pain the last days. I think I'm pretty good now to play.

Q. Were you surprised last week when Carlos was the one ? When everybody said a lot of players had a chance to become No. 1, Carlos suddenly lifted his game. Were you at all surprised by that?

MARCELO RIOS: I never thought about it. I was not even thinking about who was going to be No. 1. I just was playing. I came back in that tournament, just was concentrating in my game. I knew he was No. 1 Monday. I didn't know anything about the tournament.

Q. It was difficult for you when you became No. 1, with all of the pressure, all of the new attention, was it not?

MARCELO RIOS: I think every time you became No. 1, anybody that's become No. 1, it's difficult. I don't think there's no way to give you anything. I think he did the same as I did. Every No. 1 have done the same things. Everybody have play a lot, doing good. If you're No. 1, it's because you deserve it.

Q. So why is it hard once you reach No. 1?

MARCELO RIOS: I'm saying it's hard to reach No. 1. Everything you do, you want to be the best. To reach that is pretty tough.

Q. But most people say it's harder to stay there than it is to get there. Do you not feel that way?

MARCELO RIOS: Yeah, for sure. Once you No. 1, the thing is to stay on the top of the game. For sure, it's hard. I think it's a lot of good players hanging around. To be No. 1 for a long time is pretty tough.

Q. Moya had a good quote. He said he has a lot of points to protect. He said if he did it last year, why couldn't he do it this year. If you make it to No. 1, if you deserve it, if you work that hard, then maintaining it would be just continuing doing the same, right?

MARCELO RIOS: I think it's different. If I was No. 1, I can become No. 1 again if I defend my points or do better. You have bad times. Not always you defending all your points.

Q. How much confidence do you have this tournament?

MARCELO RIOS: I haven't played for a while. I think I've been practicing a lot. I've been feeling pretty good. I think I'm mentally prepared. I want to go on the court and play some match.

Q. Do you have sweet memories when you come back here? It was here where it all began for you.

MARCELO RIOS: For sure. I think you can't live in the past. You can't think about what you did. I think you got to look forward and try to do better than that. For sure, you think about it, what happened last year. But I try to look forward.

End of FastScripts....

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