ATP Tour World Championship

November 26, 1998

Marcelo Rios

DAVID HIGDON: Marcelo Rios, as you know, pulled out of the tournament. He has a strained left gluteus maximus, which is right back here (indicating), for all you glut fans. He'll take questions.

MARCELO RIOS: I think you always wait till the last minute. I practiced this morning, and I can feel it a little bit. I knew, like, you don't want to pull out, so you wait until a few minutes before you play.

MARCELO RIOS: Well, it's really, really sore. It's so sore that I can't go into the court. I think maybe I can play. But we're professionals, and if we're in the court, we want to do a hundred percent and do really good to win. There's no sense to go on the court and play two games. So was bad not enough to play.

MARCELO RIOS: Yesterday, I didn't play. Like when I'm sitting down or walking, I don't feel it. But this morning, I went to play, to serve, to try to move, and it's not good to play. I think it's really sore.

MARCELO RIOS: I think it's really bad. Even if you see from any tournament, pulling out of a tournament is always bad, and you don't feel good. But that's the way it goes, I think. That make you think more, for next time take more care of your body and try to make things better.

MARCELO RIOS: Yeah, for sure. But I didn't have the bad luck, that was this week. That's the way it goes.

MARCELO RIOS: For sure it's really good. I think win six year No. 1, first time in history. It's really good.

MARCELO RIOS: It's pretty hard to say if it's going to be broken or someone's going to do better. I think a lot of good players that can do it right now. But I can't tell you who or when, but I think can someone make it one day.

MARCELO RIOS: If I would have pulled out yesterday, I would say. But I never thought about it. Like I went to sleep last night thinking about playing today. But I didn't practice that much yesterday. I didn't make that much -- I didn't force it that much. Coming to practice today, I can feel it really bad.

MARCELO RIOS: I've got to do a lot of exercise and try to make stronger that part so it doesn't come again. I have it before three years ago, and came back now. I think just try to build it like stronger and not come back.

MARCELO RIOS: Maybe you don't feel it that bad right now. But once you start thinking about it, you could be No. 1 or stop Sampras to break the record, maybe you get a little disappointed. But I just got to take it like one more tournament that you couldn't play. That's the way you got to go.

MARCELO RIOS: We know how to play tennis. I think he's not going to teach me how to hit the forehand or backhand. But I think he's great motivator, like being in the court, he's like always trying to do his best. I think he's been around a lot of time. He can know a lot of the game. Also can play some doubles.

MARCELO RIOS: No, I never thought about that. I know him really good, like for a lot of years ago. But I never thought about being younger than me or close to my age. I just look at him because I thought it was a great chance to have him as a coach.

MARCELO RIOS: I'm going to take a rest now for a couple weeks.

MARCELO RIOS: I'm going back to Santiago, then start practicing for three weeks, doing some gym and playing some tennis.

MARCELO RIOS: I think it's Auckland.