NEWSWEEK CHAMPIONS CUP

March 14, 1998

Marcelo Rios

MIKI SINGH: Marcelo Rios has advanced to the final tomorrow, playing Greg Rusedski at 11:30, best three out of five sets. It's the first all-lefty final since 1976 when Connors beat Roscoe Tanner. Marcelo has not dropped a set all week. First question for Marcelo.

MARCELO RIOS: It was raining, man.

MARCELO RIOS: He wants to play in the rain?

MARCELO RIOS: I don't think he wants to play in the rain. I don't think nobody wants to play in the rain. Pretty tough to play in the rain.

MARCELO RIOS: Maybe I don't think he got tired. We got a break after 6-All. I think it was tough for him to come after 6-All to the court. He was playing really good, I think, the first six games. He came, he make a lot of mistakes. I play a really good tiebreak, really solid. I think after that, he went down a little bit. He broke me, but I broke him back, like right there, so I think that was a break. After that, I hold my serve. He was hitting good the ball. I think I was playing shorter, and he was missing a lot of balls.

MARCELO RIOS: I don't know if he inexperienced. I don't know how many years he been on the Tour, how many tournaments he play. I think it's tough today to play two hands. I think the game is really fast, and players are really moving the ball around. It's really tough to play two hands. I think he's a great player, he have good shots. I think he can do okay.

MARCELO RIOS: I think even his backhand was a bit short. I think opening him the court, he was not that fast to come back, try to move him around. I think that's what I try to do with my serve. I thought he was going to serve better. I thought he was have a better serve. I think he didn't hurt me that much with his serve. His backhand down the line was his best shot.

MARCELO RIOS: More than the game, I think I learn like even if you losing, you have to try hard. At (inaudible), I was two sets to love down, I won both matches. I think that gave me a little bit of confidence. Even if you're like a break down or set down, you can still win it; you don't have to give up early.

MARCELO RIOS: I think I have a lot of chance. He have a great serve. From baseline, he not that strong. I'm playing really good from baseline. I got to hold my serve and see what happen.

MARCELO RIOS: I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about it's tough to play both sides. You have to change. I think you change grips and all that stuff. I think it's really tough to play in grass. What are you doing on grass with two hands? You have to keep changing grips and all that. That's why I don't play two hands both sides.

MARCELO RIOS: He's teaching me more golf than tennis, man. I improve a lot my golf (laughter). But, no, we talk a lot. I think we get along really good, more than tennis. He like get me more into the game, how you say, not to tank, fight even if you losing, don't give matches up, try to do your best. I guess I learned a lot of thing from that. Even when we play against him, he tank every time. He teach me how not to tank.

MARCELO RIOS: I think it's not first time that it happens to me like that. I've been playing a lot of matches like that. Just have to come back. You get like used to it, you know what you got to do, get ready for the first point, and win a tiebreak. You really have to be ready from the first points. I think you get more ready mentally, really try to start quick from the first point.

MARCELO RIOS: I don't play games on the court. I went to the bathroom.

MARCELO RIOS: No. I just did it today because just for fun. I don't like it.