ATP MASTERS SERIES- MADRID

October 24, 2004

David Nalbandian

THE MODERATOR: Questions in Spanish for David Nalbandian.

DAVID NALBANDIAN: I think he did play a great match and I did help him to win actually. Though I didn't play my best tennis, he didn't give me chances. He had great opportunities. It was a sliced match, and not many long points, and that was difficult for me.

DAVID NALBANDIAN: I think every match is different. It's different to play here than in Paris or in Moscow or in Monte-Carlo. They're all different matches. One always wants to win. Every day you feel different. Some days you feel better than others. I think today was not my day.

DAVID NALBANDIAN: Of course. It would have been great to win and be closer, but I still have chances, of course. They're going to play next week, too. I don't know how the math is now, but I think I have to win the two next tournaments.

DAVID NALBANDIAN: Actually it's been a bit difficult. It's difficult to get the rhythm to play tournaments when you have to stop because of injuries. When you go back, you see you've been out. You don't get to enjoy it when you have so many stops. There's many tournaments you miss. For instance, I missed the Davis Cup. I didn't enjoy it.

DAVID NALBANDIAN: Yeah. Actually, yeah, because I'm starting to feel -- well, I'm enjoying my tennis. However, I would have liked to have won the tournament and be closer to Houston because I see now it's a bit more difficult for me. But I'll still fight for it because I know I'm playing well again.

DAVID NALBANDIAN: Well, it was against Dent.

DAVID NALBANDIAN: No, during the match, I mean. It didn't make any difference today. I didn't play well. Marat proved that he's one of the best when he gives his best.

DAVID NALBANDIAN: It would have been great to win that set, no matter what it took. I didn't have any aces today, if I remember correctly, or very few. It's important because he started points very quickly, with great serves. But when we were 3-1, I think I made a few errors that he took advantage of.

DAVID NALBANDIAN: Yeah, well, I had many chances, chances of being more aggressive and winning more points. But I didn't take advantage of them as I would have liked to have done. Whether I respect him or not, well, I respect everyone as a player. I think everyone plays good tennis. Doesn't matter who you play against; you always want to win. I have a good relationship with him, but every time we play together, he wants to win, and I do too.

DAVID NALBANDIAN: I think he serve really good, and we have a little of altitude here, but also we feel it. So if you don't hit the ball in the right moment, the ball flies too much. But with his second serve, I didn't return so bad. I put the ball in. I tried to play the points, but I do a lot of mistakes. When he get the first chance to do an approach or a semi winner or a winner, he make it. He put some operation at that. We fight too much the game of my serve, and then he won -- he served like, I don't know, three aces or two aces, and then I know I have a very good return, but sometimes the other guy serve better, like today.