U.S. OPEN

August 28, 1996

David Nainkin

DAVID NAINKIN: That's an understatement.

DAVID NAINKIN: Yes.

DAVID NAINKIN: I was O for 6, O for 5. I've had some tough draws. I just really wanted, no matter if I won or lost, to prove something to myself in Grand Slams, that I could come out and play good tennis. I didn't come out maybe expecting to win, but I wanted to come out and play the best tennis I could for myself and to be happy with myself, to be able to look in the mirror and say I gave the best.

DAVID NAINKIN: Maybe when I went 4-2 down, started off a little nervous. Then I broke back at 4-All and I held my serve. For the first time I realized, you know, it's head on head, that I had a break. It was happening fast out there. Didn't really realize it. 6-4, 6-4, I think in the third set I was a little overwhelmed that I was two sets to love up, didn't really know what to do. The fourth set, I picked it up. I was hitting the ball really well from the back, being aggressive with my forehand. I couldn't beat him if I wasn't taking the initiative. I mean, Wayne is a great player.

DAVID NAINKIN: I've played ten times back when we were young. We grew up from when we were ten years old. That kind of helps because I know his game. I know his game. He knows my game. I went out of the game plan, that's for sure. I had a set thing in my mind what I was going to do, win or lose.

DAVID NAINKIN: Yeah, probably.

DAVID NAINKIN: Probably head on head, even. That was years ago.

DAVID NAINKIN: The first time?

DAVID NAINKIN: Yes, just Nationals, all sorts of little tournaments.

DAVID NAINKIN: Not at all. As I was saying, I came into this tournament on a big downer. I lost a lot of club matches in Switzerland, playing there, lost three or four ATP matches. Basically O for 9 coming in. I've been working hard consistently, been working with Dennis

Van der Meer down in Hilton Head; Peter Colbert, physical trainer I've worked with, helped me tremendously. This added to my morale and well-being.

DAVID NAINKIN: I really wanted to win. I had a will power that I didn't know I had. I dug deep.

DAVID NAINKIN: The pressure was on him today, you know. He's the greatest tennis player South Africa has ever had, probably. He plays me. He knows I can play. I've practiced with him. Sure, the pressure was on him. I didn't want to come out there and be intimidated and stream roll me.

DAVID NAINKIN: When I saw he was a little tight in some of his shots, I knew I was in the driving seat most of the match. He missed a lot of shots that he probably doesn't miss.

DAVID NAINKIN: That's the way he plays. He always -- he gets frustrated. I don't think it hampers his game. That's the way he is. He's a great player.

DAVID NAINKIN: I didn't work on that at all. I didn't even know he was getting frustrated. I didn't see what he was doing. He's going to get frustrated and he'll blow you away 6-1, 6-1. I don't think that counts.

DAVID NAINKIN: Yeah. I think it was really important. I've actually never played five sets. I got into the fourth and realized when I held my serve at 4-All in the fourth, it was just four points. 30-All, came up with big serves, I thought 5-All. 6-5 I held again, 30-All. I think it helped, I was with the wind. It helped.

DAVID NAINKIN: If it got to the fifth, I don't know. Physically I was still feeling all right, you know.

DAVID NAINKIN: I couldn't say. Hard to say.

DAVID NAINKIN: A few things. That's what I tried to fix out there today.

DAVID NAINKIN: Yeah.

DAVID NAINKIN: Yeah.

DAVID NAINKIN: I haven't even thought about it. I don't even know who it is, what's going on. For three days I thought I was going to play Monday, then Tuesday, then Wednesday. I was here three days waiting for the match.

DAVID NAINKIN: Probably.

DAVID NAINKIN: No. I wasn't encouraged, I wouldn't say that. I thought it was a tough draw. I wasn't encouraged. He's been playing well all summer. I was just hoping. Then, you know, I wasn't discouraged or encouraged. I felt it was unfortunate for two South Africans to play each other. I had had a neutral feeling about it. I didn't really go out playing Wayne and who he was, all that. I went out playing, trying to prove something to myself today, no matter who was on the other side, whether it was Wayne. It happened to be Wayne.

DAVID NAINKIN: Nothing. I can't remember. I just couldn't believe it.

DAVID NAINKIN: I can't remember. "Well done."

DAVID NAINKIN: I've kind of had to go through a wall.

DAVID NAINKIN: Sure. There's a bit of a barrier you have to break.

DAVID NAINKIN: I don't know if they'll want me back there.

DAVID NAINKIN: For Grasshopper, Swiss National League on clay.