U.S. OPEN

September 10, 1994

Karel Novacek

KAREL NOVACEK: Well, it is disappointing because I didn't feel I could get into the match the whole time, and first of all, the wind was disgusting. It was so bad. It was really difficult to find the rhythm for your shots and plus Michael was playing his game, serve and volley. So, I didn't really have a time to get into the match and find my shots and that way it was really difficult, because then I was making a few easy mistakes; once we get to the rallies, maybe, I don't really have a good feeling about that match. The conditions were so difficult-- just hard to explain, you know, you just have to feel it, be there. It was really difficult to play.

KAREL NOVACEK: Shall I look for the people coming in or -- (laughter) -- I mean, I don't know. This question is hard to answer because once you playing a tennis match, once you do anything in your life you better concentrate on what you are doing and not to look for the people whether they are coming in or not.

KAREL NOVACEK: Yeah, he was playing a frame ball. He hit it with the frame from the side which was with the wind, so I thought this ball is going to blow out, outside the court. Suddenly-- probably, maybe because he hit -- it hit the frame, it just landed in and I was so surprised that the ball just got in front of the line and -- but that is all what this wind is all about, makes the judgment of the ball -- it is so difficult, once the wind is like that.

KAREL NOVACEK: Well, ask him because he has been able to win Wimbledon. He has been able to be in semis in Australia, in French Open, and he didn't do well here, but why and what-- maybe there was few things which bothered him before. Maybe he was not prepared enough, or I don't know. But I think from my point of view, he has got perfect game to be successful here. And I don't know why he was not before.

KAREL NOVACEK: Yeah, I have -- every match I have been playing good and just a matter of fact that I had to face each time a different kind of a player. Today, I was facing a really attacker; somebody who is really serving and volleying perfectly and the conditions were different in each match as well. So that way it is also very difficult about the Grand Slams, you really have to face so many different kinds of players and once -- once if you are not 1 in the world or top 10 in the world, you are playing on Court 18, then I played on Grandstand, then I finally got onto the Center Court. But I still felt that I am playing good and just as I am saying, it was very, very difficult for me to get into the match today. He just played basically the game which suits him, the game when he is feeling best-- and when he is playing best, and did not give me much chances to get into the match.

KAREL NOVACEK: If I was golfing yesterday you said?

KAREL NOVACEK: Not really, because with the golf I just start this year, so I have some 20 years to go, but no, it is a good fun. It is good relaxing and I thought I am really well-prepared for this match. I have been a little bit stiff, also, in the beginning. Then I was feeling I am getting better and I start to moving a little better; then he always came with the big aces and with the game which I was just playing maybe one, even more -- maybe two shots on his serves. That was the reflex and returns. It is really difficult to get into it.

KAREL NOVACEK: Well, we are not really talking too much about tennis, but once we got into it, he said that it is very important on the Stadium Court to focus only on the game, because there are people moving around and it is the biggest court of all and it is really important to concentrate well.

KAREL NOVACEK: Yeah, I wanted to start to play kind of the same as he did. And basically, I was coming a little bit more often to the net and I just wanted to take advantage of the bad weather, so I just don't have to struggle on the baseline and I was just trying to come in a little bit more and, well, it didn't work that well, but at least we went to the tiebreaker and in case I could have been successful in that one, we could probably be in the fourth and things could change. But unfortunately for me it didn't and --

KAREL NOVACEK: Well, I think I have been playing from the beginning -- from the first round I have been playing really well. I have been feeling really good, but maybe the matches against Medvedev and Frana were the ones when I really played my best. Yeah, Frana, Medvedev.