NEWSWEEK CHAMPIONS CUP

March 7, 1999

Marcelo Rios

MIKI SINGH: Marcelo Rios has joined us today. He's the defending champion here at Indian Wells. He also won Lipton the week after last year, and went up to No. 1. This is his second event of the year. He played in Auckland, had a back injury which forced him out of his first match of the year against Andre Pavel. He lost almost two months of the year. This is his second event. He's ready to go. First question?

MARCELO RIOS: Feeling much better. A long time ago, I didn't feel this good, since November last year. But you can't say you're a hundred percent. I'm going to try to play, start slow, just try to rally some balls, try to do my best. But always the first tournament is really tough.

MARCELO RIOS: I just took it out yesterday for the first time after three months, two months. In the beginning, it's pretty tough. You lose balance after being two months with that. But you got to go slowly. I'm trying to recover my tennis. The toughest thing is to be fit and try to move the way I move before.

MARCELO RIOS: What is that?

MARCELO RIOS: It was like four or five weeks without playing any tennis -- doing exercise, try to recover. But I really slow. I couldn't even hit some balls or move. Was really, really tough.

MARCELO RIOS: I think it's playing too much. Being on hardcourt, playing a little too much all during the year, during my career. I think I've been playing a lot maybe.

MARCELO RIOS: Bad luck coming first tournament, tournament I won last year. That's the way it goes. I can't do anything. I just try to do my best, try to play good. But I'm happy I recover. I thought it was going to take longer. But I think I'm pretty good right now, really happy I can play, I can practice. Now try to do as much as I can.

MARCELO RIOS: I think I have a game for hard court. I take the ball really early. I've been playing better on hard courts than on clay, though I was born on clay. But I think it's the type of game each player have.

MARCELO RIOS: I've been playing much better on hard court. I don't mind playing on clay, but maybe right now my favorite surface is hard.

MARCELO RIOS: I just was serving a little bit because I didn't serve in a long time.

MARCELO RIOS: Well, I've not been playing that much this year, so I don't think it's going to be much difference all the way through this year. But maybe try to play maybe a little bit less or try not to fly that much. I've been flying a lot all over the world. That maybe make it tired.

MARCELO RIOS: I'm just starting the year. I'll try to keep my ranking maybe Top 10. I'll try to do as much as I can.

MARCELO RIOS: Well, I'm not thinking about that, so I don't know what I'm going to do.

MARCELO RIOS: Well, like I say, I haven't played anything this year, so I haven't changed anything. Just going to play maybe more tournaments on clay than hard court, try to feel much better and try to feel -- feel my back much powerful until I can start playing again.

MARCELO RIOS: I've been practicing, like not practicing tennis. I've been doing a lot of exercise and swimming, exercise in the pool, just hanging around.

MARCELO RIOS: Well, I think for somebody that do this all his life, and you have all the day like doing something all day, playing tennis, suddenly you don't have anything to do, and you can't do anything, so maybe you miss a little bit playing. But that's the way it goes. I think maybe it help me a little bit for rest. But for sure you miss playing tournaments that you won, you miss playing tournaments that you did good, tournaments that you like. But I think it's a hard time. You've got to be tough mentally and not go down or try to think positive that you're going to come back.

MARCELO RIOS: Well, yeah, he left IMG. He's still my lawyer. He going to work as my lawyer still. Right now I'm still with IMG. I have a contract still. But I think was really fast what happened. I've been all my career with Jeff. It's really disappointing him to leave. But I think it's maybe a good decision for him, for his self, doing his own company, trying to work as a lawyer. But I still have a contract with IMG.

MARCELO RIOS: Yes.

MARCELO RIOS: That's it right now.

MARCELO RIOS: I think it's until July.

MARCELO RIOS: Yeah. I was in the States. Just trying to keep my body, be on a diet, try not to eat too much, try to stay healthy. I watching some movies, going to the beach. But couldn't do that much.

MARCELO RIOS: Yeah, I was in Bradenton.

MARCELO RIOS: I've been not playing golf since a long time. I think it's going to take a while me to go back. I'm really kind of scared coming back again. Think it's going to take a while.

MARCELO RIOS: I was like a nine, ten.

MARCELO RIOS: I think this year is much different. Balls are faster, I think. Maybe it's because I'm not playing that well. I just came here. I couldn't put a ball in play. I think you get used. I've been playing here a lot of times before. I think once the tournament start going, I'm going to feel better.

MARCELO RIOS: I have a very good beginning of the year. I was feeling really good. Basically I was a hundred percent, playing good in this tournament, winning Lipton. But I think bad luck a little bit get injured like that. But that's the way it goes. I think everybody gets injured as part of the game. I think this help you to be more -- to take care more of your body, and I would like not to have it again.

MARCELO RIOS: Why you ask me about Corretja?

MARCELO RIOS: Why?

MARCELO RIOS: I think he's a top player. He's been doing pretty good. I think maybe he have all the shots. He have all the shots in the game, but I think he fight a lot, and that make him win.

MARCELO RIOS: If I'm keep healthy and I do things good, I think I have chances.

MARCELO RIOS: For sure when you're at the top of the game, you go down, I went down because I didn't play. I was 1, 2, then I got injured and that's why I fell from the ranking. But obviously if you're a little bit bad, you couldn't recover your points. Like I say, I was No. 1 one time, I can go back.

MARCELO RIOS: Grand Slams are really important. I always like French Open a lot, but I like to play on clay. It's not that I only prefer to play on hard court. I think I play pretty good on clay. As I say, I've been doing much better on hard courts.

MARCELO RIOS: I don't know. I think it's going to change. I think there's a lot of players coming right now, top players. I think soon somebody's going to replace him.

MARCELO RIOS: It's tough to say. I don't see a lot of South American players coming to be Top 10 guys right now. But maybe in a while, they have a lot of chance.

MARCELO RIOS: I think we used to compete. I think that's a little bit you miss being on the court, win the matches. Running, playing your game, playing good more than anything.

MARCELO RIOS: Didn't see any tennis in two months.

MARCELO RIOS: I didn't have TV where I was. That was the only reason I didn't see.