TENNIS MASTERS SERIES - ROMA

May 10, 2002

Jiri Novak

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

JIRI NOVAK: Yep (smiling).

JIRI NOVAK: This press conference starting very interesting, no (smiling). This kind of a question is, you know... (Smiling).

JIRI NOVAK: Okay. But I cannot tell you how I can able, you know, to have so many childrens, you know. It's, you know...

JIRI NOVAK: I didn't see you there.

JIRI NOVAK: (Laughing) Santoro has a two-handed forehand and backhand, so...

JIRI NOVAK: Yeah, I think so.

JIRI NOVAK: You know, I think that on the hardcourt is much - not much - but a little bit easier tennis, you know, because there is not so many points on the net. But, you know, maybe they are calling me that I'm the best on the clay for one reason - because I'm from the Czech Republic , and let's say 10 or 15 years ago we didn't have the chance to play indoor, you know. So we've been only playing the summertime, and now we're playing for the fun. We didn't have a chance to play on the hardcourt. I just start to play, let's say, on the indoor court like maybe 10 years ago. And I think that I was teaching very well and I was learning very well, you know, to play on the faster court. Now I feel that, you know, that kind of the surface is little bit easier for me, you know, because I'm pretty tall. I'm serving pretty good, you know. It's little bit easier, especially when you are playing against players which are playing especially from the baseline. So I cannot tell you right now if clay is my favorite surface or not, because I have very nice results on the hardcourt and clay as well. I won a tournament on the hardcourt. So I'm enjoying the clay. But especially one thing I can tell, that the worst surface is the grass for me.

JIRI NOVAK: Yeah.

JIRI NOVAK: You know, was little bit sorry about him, you know. Because I think that he was, let's say, getting better in the first and second set. But in the second set, I was two times, you know, the leading. But he just hold the match, and we play in the tiebreak. I think that I wasn't better in tiebreak, but I just had the big luck. I was very lucky in tiebreak because he had matchpoints. Until the end of the second set or in the beginning of the third set, I felt that he can be a little bit down, you know. Because he didn't make the three matchpoints and he was playing so many, let's say, difficult matches. Because I think that his matches was in the three sets. So I felt that he could be a little bit down. And, you know, I think it was true because I made an easy break in the third game of the third set, and I was just holding my serve.

JIRI NOVAK: You know, I think that I will just wait for the opponent, you know. I'll just let them play and I'll just waiting for the winner of the match. I play Agassi a couple times. I never beat him. I play Costa a couple times. I beat him, I think, once or twice. You know, I don't remember right now how many times I beat him. So but I think is going to be very difficult match, you know, because they are both players playing very well. And I think that they will be -- one of them will be favorite in the semifinal against me for sure. And I don't have nothing to lose in this time, so I can play without the pressure, and this is an advantage for me.

JIRI NOVAK: If you were bet on me, that's your choice, you know. But I think that he is a great clay court player, especially reach the final in Barcelona. Let's say he played already a lot of matches on the clay. And I know that this is his favorite surface, you know. So but let's say we will wait for the opponent. Agassi can, you know, defeat him. So we will just wait for opponent.

JIRI NOVAK: Zlin.

JIRI NOVAK: This is one of the beautiful cities in the Czech Republic - because I was born there, you know. If you know the company (inaudible) which is make the shoes, the family is from the town, you know. So this is the nice member of the family. And, you know, it's like 300 kilometers east from Prague. It's 100,000 people, let's say. And, you know, the mountains are everywhere, you know, and close to the town. So it's pretty nice city.

JIRI NOVAK: (Nodding yes).

JIRI NOVAK: Yeah, it looks to me because I know the last year I made, let's say, 200 points. And I got 200 points already in May. So I think definitely this is my best season. But, you know, only thing, that I didn't win a tournament this year. But I reach semifinals in Auckland, Melbourne, Dubai and in Rome also. So I think this is my season so far.

JIRI NOVAK: You know, I don't think about it because, you know, I'm -- everybody are still on the way, you know. I'm in this moment let's say the fifth. But, you know, nothing is finished, you know, because still we got let's say five or six months to go. And we can just talk about it, let's say, one month before the Shanghai. But there is still a lot of points which I have to make it, you know. Because last year let's say the top eight was maybe 600 points, you know. So it's still so much way, you know.

JIRI NOVAK: You know, that's always the thing which I was dreaming about it, you know. But I am telling you it's so far away.

JIRI NOVAK: Yeah, I think so because, you know, I reach let's say the fourth semifinal in the year. I won so many matches, so my confidence is very high. And I feel very, very comfortable because I beat already this year a couple of very good players. And everything is doing fine.

JIRI NOVAK: You know, is tough to say, but my level is let's say a little bit higher, no, than the last years because I won so many matches, you know. So that's the main reason why I'm playing very good.

JIRI NOVAK: It was Lendl, because I don't remember Kodes as well. But, you know, Lendl was always my hero. He was let's say one of the best players in the history of tennis. You know, he had a political problem and he left the country. So he was always my hero, you know. So I think that he helps me a lot because I wanted to be always, you know, Ivan Lendl when I was let's say younger. So I think but Lendl helps, let's say, not only me, but a lot of Czech players to grow up and let's say improve tennis game.

JIRI NOVAK: No, no. Everything is clear. Everything is fine. But I remember a lot because the revolution was when I was 14 years old. So I was just starting to play, let's say, the tennis just for the fun because I knew that I don't have a chance to go out from the country, you know. So everything -- but I was going, you know, first of all, I was doing the school and I was just doing the sports let's say for the fun. I was playing ice hockey, I was playing football, I was very good on the ski, I was playing tennis, you know. So I just decide let's say when I was 12, 14 years old, when it was the revolution, that I can just to start to play tennis because I got good chance, you know, to go out.