NEWSWEEK CHAMPIONS CUP

March 12, 1996

Carlos Costa

GREG SHARKO: This is Carlos's sixth career top ten win and first of 1996. Questions.

Q. Have you ever beaten Boris before in any of these top 10 wins?

CARLOS COSTA: I didn't play Boris. My first time.

Q. What did you think was the difference today out there? Do you think the conditions bothered him?

CARLOS COSTA: For sure, the conditions are so bad today to play tennis, but also for me. I didn't play well. He didn't play well. Maybe for him it is the first match and I played yesterday and -- I don't know.

Q. What was your plan against Boris, your strategy?

CARLOS COSTA: I don't know. Against Boris, if he play well, it is difficult to have some tactic, know, but the thing, he missed a lot of first serves and that helped me a lot and with the second serves, I tried to put the serve to his feet and I don't know, I think you have to play -- I was waiting for his attack. That is the only thing.

Q. Were you pleased with the passing shot, your passing shots today?

CARLOS COSTA: Yeah, I played very good passing shots backhands and forehand, but I don't know, maybe that is the reason he can go -- he didn't play well at the net, I don't know.

Q. What was your feeling when you realized that it is very windy conditions? Did you think that it would increase your chances or did you have it as much as Becker?

CARLOS COSTA: You never know. Sometimes without wind, maybe I play well, he play well and the match is much better for the people, but you never know. I think today was better for me.

Q. Why?

CARLOS COSTA: I don't know, because I won. That is the only reason. Because he didn't play well. I didn't play well. But maybe I was a little bit with concentration there, and I don't know.

Q. What was your mindset? What were you thinking when you were down 4-1 in the second set?

CARLOS COSTA: Well, I just tried to win my service games and the third game in the second set, I had two breakpoints 15-40; then I was waiting for another occasion like that.

Q. Were you impressed to play him for the first time of your career, with his reputation and his wins?

CARLOS COSTA: I don't know - I think I am like seven years on the ATP Tour and I like to play like these players and I am here four weeks. I played in Memphis, Chang and Philadelphia, Courier, and I think finally I beat one of these.

Q. Are you pleased with your serve?

CARLOS COSTA: Yeah. I think I served very good the first serve and also the second, no, because -- but it is difficult to play like this volleys, he is waiting to play chip and charge, but it was difficult today. Maybe without wind, he play better, I don't know.

Q. I noticed you are wearing a T-shirt from Scottsdale where you lost in the first round. I would think you would want to forget Scottsdale.

CARLOS COSTA: I don't understand. Oh. I like it. It's a big tournament. It is a good tournament, but I don't know why I have this T-shirt here now here.

Q. Do you think you can be a factor a the French Open this year?

CARLOS COSTA: I don't know. We have to wait. We played hard court; not clay court now, and I play six tournaments this season, I didn't play well. I played some matches very good, but you have to wait and I don't know in clay court, it is different, very different. We have many players like Bruguera, Berasategui, Alberto Costa, Spanish guys, they play unbelievable clay court. So it is tough, I don't know.

Q. Why does there seem to be so many good Spanish players coming up recently?

CARLOS COSTA: In clay court?

Q. Yeah.

CARLOS COSTA: We don't have many hard courts in Spain. We always play in clay court that. That is maybe the reason. Now, this year, we practiced in hard court, all the Spanish guys together, and then I think it is good. We play many tournaments in hard court this season, and it is good.

Q. Is that something that you guys are trying to do, is to play more hard --

CARLOS COSTA: Yeah, we have to because we have like Davis Cup on hard courts, and we never play well there. Also the big tournaments are on hard courts, like Indian Wells, Lipton; all these tournaments, $1 million are on hard courts.

Q. Did you play many hard court tournaments last year?

CARLOS COSTA: Not last year. No, I played three or four.

Q. So this year you are playing more?

CARLOS COSTA: Yeah, every year I play like seven or eight, but last year I didn't play. I just played three or four.

Q. When did you realize that Becker wasn't that confident? Was there any stage in the match early when you realized it was not --

CARLOS COSTA: I think he make a lot of mistakes at the net, you know, when he serve and volleyed, but I think -- I don't know. Last tournament he played, he played was in Milan; he lost to Ulihrach. I was thinking about that before the match because it is important when you come from one tournament; then if you win or if you lose third round, it is important and for sure, he started to play without confidence. And I don't know, maybe he start like this, I play well, I don't know.

Q. You were in the top 10 a few years ago. Do you feel able to get back to where you were?

CARLOS COSTA: I hope. I don't know. When I was top 10 I play unbelievable like ten tournaments and it is difficult to do that now because we have many, many players like Muster, or -- it is difficult, but you never know. Tennis is strange and I am working for that.

GREG SHARKO: Anything else? Okay, thank you.

CARLOS COSTA: Thank you.

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