US OPEN

September 3, 2000

Magnus Norman

MODERATOR: Questions for Magnus.

MAGNUS NORMAN: Yeah. I'm just happy that I won, you know. It doesn't matter really how you win. Obviously, it was a great match, one of the most thrilling I've been a part of. I'm just happy that I'm here as the winner. It could have gone either way really.

MAGNUS NORMAN: We see how it goes tomorrow. Drink a lot of fluid. It was very humid out there in the beginning. Both were sweating very much. You lose a lot of weight in a match like this. You know, you've got to keep up the fluid, the drinking a little bit.

MAGNUS NORMAN: Yeah, the tiebreak in the fifth. He had match point, I had match point, he had match point again. It's tough, you know, to have a strategy. Just try to get the ball over the net, you know. When I had the match point, the one there I took, the one that I won, just a second serve to my forehand, just tried to hit it on his feet, you know. He made a pretty good volley. I made the passing shot, so.

MAGNUS NORMAN: Well, it's difficult. Of course, it's skills, you know, but it's also a lot of luck. Good players seems to have luck at the right moment. You know, I'm pretty strong mentally. I can handle the situation. I've been there many times.

MAGNUS NORMAN: It was a great feeling. I was two-sets-to-Love down. I had belief in myself. I knew I could be out there for a long time. When I got the third set, I feel like the momentum was going to my side.

MAGNUS NORMAN: I mean, many, many things. Many thoughts at the same time. You're obviously very happy that you pulled it out. But, you know, it takes a few hours before you really know that you won the match. Maybe you see some rallies. If you ask me now, I don't really know so much about the fifth set because we both were so into it. It's kind of empty in the head.

MAGNUS NORMAN: Yeah, absolutely, and that I won.

MAGNUS NORMAN: Not really. I mean, I think the two first sets, Max was playing really, really well. There was not much I could do. The two service breaks that he made in the first and second, I was up 40-15, like in the third. In the fourth and fifth when I was up, leading 40-Love or 40-15, I had to concentrate even more. He was playing unbelievably good in the first two sets. Nothing much I could do.

MAGNUS NORMAN: Not really. Just try to play maybe a little bit more aggressive than I did because he was coming to the net all the time and taking advantage. I tried to be a little bit more aggressive.

MAGNUS NORMAN: Well, it's not the only thing he can do. He's good at it, you know. That's his game. I know he's going to chip-and-charge the whole match, even if he's down or if he's leading. I know what to expect. Obviously, I can play both serve-and-volley and from the baseline. That's a little bit of an advantage maybe.

MAGNUS NORMAN: I can't compare it. I can't compare it. I was down two-sets-to-Love there, as well. Came back. I was very close to pull it out in Paris.

MAGNUS NORMAN: Actually at one point I was thinking about it, you know. If I have to choose one of these two matches I would have liked to win, I choose the one in Paris actually. That's the one match. The last finals I played, I won nine finals. I would like to change just one. That's my worst loss I ever had. Sometimes I think about it. Hopefully I can be here maybe in the final this week again. I'm going to give it 150%.

MAGNUS NORMAN: All the players say the same thing. It's like I talked to Jeff Tarango here -- I was not talking to him. I heard him speak with another guy. He said, "Hey, man, ten years ago, it was another story. Now everybody is really, really tough." It's a really tough competition. In the women's, you know - she going to give me a lot of shit now (laughter) (referring to Martina Hingis having to wait to take the court until his match was finished).

MAGNUS NORMAN: No. She's probably pissed now because she had to play so late. She'll probably kill me when I get home.

MAGNUS NORMAN: I know the feeling. I know the feeling from Paris, when you lose a match like that. He made a hell of a match. It's sad that someone has to lose this match because he made probably one of the better matches in his career. But he's still young. He's going to get a lot of more opportunities. I really want to cheer him on, like say, "Come on, great game." It's not really the time to do it when you shake hands at the game, because maybe he's going to punch you in the face or something. He's a great guy.

MAGNUS NORMAN: I'm going to go and rest now.

MAGNUS NORMAN: No. I feel good anyway, even if it's a long match. I think I'm pretty fit. I think I can handle it. I have a day off tomorrow. We are used to playing in this conditions. Everybody's very healthy, very fit. I think it doesn't really bother me that much.