NEWSWEEK CHAMPIONS CUP

March 10, 1999

Marcelo Rios

MIKI SINGH: Last time Marcelo Rios was here, he just won the Indian Wells tournament last year. This year he comes in under a little bit different circumstances. He's missed just about all the year with a back injury. This is his second match of the year that he just played. His first match was on January 12th against Andre Pavel, when he sustained a back injury in the second set, forced him to retire. Today he's a 6-1 winner over Cedric Pioline, will play the winner of the Clavet/Martin match.

MARCELO RIOS: I've been feeling pretty good after four months I haven't play. Maybe my back, to serve, is bothering me a little bit, so I don't have the power. But there's no more pain. That's good news. Just for my serve, I don't have enough power just to push. I try to serve good, but I think I'm moving pretty good and I'm feeling pretty good from baseline.

MARCELO RIOS: I've been playing with a brace right here for three months (indicating). I just took it off three days ago. I don't have, like, a lot of stability right there, so sometimes I'm not very coordinated to hit the ball. I think that's going to come along the more serves and more matches I play, the better it's going to get.

MARCELO RIOS: I've been two months doing exercise and try to get the power of the back really strong. Each day been getting better. Right now I have no pain. Maybe get a little bit sore after the match, but it's sort of different pain than I used to have.

MARCELO RIOS: Yeah, pretty much. I think I've got to take care of that. My lower back, I'll have less chances to start hurting again. I've been doing it every day.

MARCELO RIOS: I've been practicing the last days, try to play as hard as I can. I didn't have any pain. I've been just going for it. Maybe a little bit in my serve, I've been not going that much for it. But from baseline I tried to move. I think I'm really a hundred percent.

MARCELO RIOS: For sure. I've been thinking about coming back. Before play you say, "Yeah, I'm right here right now." Think about I was two months without playing for a match and waiting for it. But it was really like feeling pretty good going to play, really motivated, try to play every ball as hard as I can. I was anxious to go and play on the court.

MARCELO RIOS: After not been playing for four months, I didn't have really a plan to go on the court. I just went to see what was going on. But once you're winning, once you win a set, you start having a little more confidence. I started a little bit back in the court trying to see what's going on. But I think that's normal, not playing matches in four months, just going to play Pioline, I think he's a tough player. He's pretty tough.

MARCELO RIOS: I think all the players have chances. I think I'm in third round playing good. I think each match I play, I'll start playing better.

MARCELO RIOS: Right now, it's only tennis.

MARCELO RIOS: The ATP have nothing to do with my treatment. I've been with Dr. Altcheck. He's in New York. He works with baseball players. I've been seeing him a lot. He's giving me exercise. I was in New York for two weeks. I think it's been helping me a lot in getting ready for this tournament.

MARCELO RIOS: Yeah, for sure.

MARCELO RIOS: Well, I can't say nothing. Like I was back home first, then I went to New York. I flew to Australia, try to play. I've been most of the time in Bradenton, then to New York. I went to Bahamas to see the Davis Cup of Chile. That's it. Back and forth from New York to Bradenton.

MARCELO RIOS: For sure. You used to do something all day, play tennis. Once you can't play tennis, you see that you have not that much to do. But I think I took it more like a rest. I've been playing for five years and not taking that much rest. I think three months of rest was enough.

MARCELO RIOS: In the beginning I was doing some water exercise, swimming and running in water. The more I'm doing some exercise with weights.

MARCELO RIOS: I took injections at the beginning, just to take off, like, the pain. I was having a lot of pain, so the injections, pain relief. But now it's more exercise. I still can't run still. I don't make any sprints or start running. I've been only doing exercise, doing some weights.

MARCELO RIOS: I'm not thinking that much of getting my record back or trying to win tournaments. I think once you're injured really bad, the only thing you want is to go into the court and do as much as you can. I think winning a match like this, not playing for four months, give you a lot of confidence. Just looking forward to play good and try to recover my tennis right now.

MARCELO RIOS: Well, I think tennis is really competitive. Even if they couldn't do it, I think there's a lot of players coming behind them that they're really close. Everybody's playing good right now.

MARCELO RIOS: To be No. 1?

MARCELO RIOS: Yeah, for sure. Like playing a match, you know if you win, you're going to be No. 1. I think you got to be pretty tough mentally, play as hard as you can. Sometimes you can't do it. Like I say, everybody play good. Maybe you have one match to go. The guy that's playing against you can be pretty good.

MARCELO RIOS: Yeah, for sure. I always like to play here in the States. I think the tournaments are really nice. Palm Springs is a great city, yeah. I think I like it a lot.

MARCELO RIOS: Well, I'm going to try. I'm just getting feeling much better; we play Davis Cup in two more weeks. I got to see what I'm going to do. I would love to play. If I play a lot of matches, I can't go that hard at the beginning.

MARCELO RIOS: Well, I think we have chances. We got two young players that they playing pretty good. But I think maybe not this year; maybe in a couple more years.