WESTERN AND SOUTHERN FINANCIAL GROUP MASTERS

August 17, 2005

Greg Rusedski

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Well, I think I had more of the chances in the match especially in the first two and a half sets, I'd say. You know, I think I got the tactics and the mix particularly well. And, you know, I just made maybe one or two opportunities I should have maybe chipped and charged on. But it's easy to say that in retrospect. Also the other thing is you got to think the accumulation of matches from the last week. You know, if you're just that slightly bit fresher and sharper, then you close out that match in two sets. In the third set then it became anybody's match really once we got into the third. I thought I played my breakpoints really well. I had an angle drop volley. He came up with a flicking forehand and then another passing shot. I did the right things. Had I done that maybe in the second set on a few of the breakpoints, then I would have been off in two. But I've got to look at the last month. It's been a good month for me. It's going to give me a few days off now, which is always a bonus. And, you know, I think my preparation for the US Open is very, very good. So nothing to complain. I'll be in the top 32. I'm looking forward to the big prize, that's the one everybody wants to do well at, is the Grand Slam. This one I've got a very, very good preparation like I did in 2002, so I'm pretty pleased about it.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I don't know yet. I haven't figured it out. I'm going to see how the body feels after the next two days, but right now I'm pretty tired. It's been a long summer. As you can see with, you know, Nadal, who's 19, he wins a tournament and he comes out and Berdych played well, but he was a little fatigued. Andre, you know, decided to take the next two weeks off. Federer, who's No. 1, has only come for one event. So now you've got to think about yourself and see how your body feels and be the smartest you possibly can going into a major championship, which is the US Open.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Yeah, I knew that I could play well, but it's just a matter of time. You know, I thought I'd have this run earlier in the year with all the work I was talking about I did in November and December. I couldn't have worked harder physically and on my game in different areas. You know, I lost a lot of tough matches. Like today's match, I felt on paper that if I took my chances, I would have won. He took his chances and was fresher, and that was the difference which was so, so marginal in this game. So, you know, it was just a matter of time before everything came good. And now I'm just really excited and looking forward to the Open.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Well, I think it's just a benefit because you know you can get your teeth into a tournament. You know, your draw, you're not going to hit anybody in the top 32 before the Round of 32, which is a big, big plus. You know, it's -- you can go in and be a little bit more relaxed, as you say. There's obviously some danger men out there, but it definitely helps you, there's no question about it. Especially at the US Open and Wimbledon, it's very important to be seeded in those events.

GREG RUSEDSKI: No, no. That's too long a trip for me. I've done it twice, but not a third time. This is a Grand Slam coming up, so I'll have two, three days off here and then figure out what I'm doing next week.

GREG RUSEDSKI: No, obviously you're disappointed when you lose. But, you know, I knew I was just fractionally not sharp enough and just made one or two decisions that I should have made the other way that I normally do. But that's just the way tennis goes, and you've got to think, you know, you win a lot of matches, but then that's part of the game which is funny - you can lose a match where you're dominating for two sets and you just have to put it in perspective with all the good weeks you've had before and now get ready for the Open. If this happens at, say, a Grand Slam or somewhere like that, you're obviously much more gutted. But, you know, I wasn't as fresh as I was, say, in Montreal the week before, nor is Nadal as fresh. That's why Agassi pulled out. That's why you have people -- Federer is fresh this week, so he's here. Also I'm playing the No. 3 player in the world. He won by the slightest of margins because he took his two opportunities that he had. He had about four breakpoints the whole match; I must have had about 10. He took two out of the four. That's the way it goes.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Yeah, I'm satisfied with the way I struck the ball. It's just coming down to the one or two big points, as I say. If you're fresher, you take them. Now I'm going to get the good rest I need before the Open so I can be mentally and physically fresh for that event.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Well, there have been. I think there's been Connors who was 39 and got to the US Open finals. Agassi is playing great tennis. Last week in Montreal when he played against me, that's the best he's played against me in our nine meetings. It's quite funny. I think it's also part mental. Physically, the body's good. So that's a plus. The physio and people around me keep on telling me 30's not old, so I'm starting to believe it now. Starting to believe, who knows, maybe I'll try to get into my later years as long as I'm enjoying it and feeling good.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Well, I just think it's the grind. Most of us turn professional at 15 or 16. So either, A, you get the physical problems where the body can't do it anymore and it says no; the mental fatigue, if you've been having to battle back and forth and trying to find that freshness again. I just think you always see the younger generation coming in. And the way tennis has changed. I mean, when I first started in '91, you had serve and volley and that was the norm, and chip and charge and slice. Now you got guys that are standing 20 feet behind the baseline with racquets and extreme grips that are, you know, if someone said teach them that 10 years ago, you'd think they were mad. So, you know, the game's just evolved, and that's the thing. I think it's going to be harder for players to have a longer career because of the demands and physicality of the game. But, touch wood, I'm still fit and I'm still enjoying it - there's my wood.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I just think they're physically much stronger, they're physically bigger. You know, it's just a power game, and I think players return better and it's more baseline. The serve and volley art's gone away because they've slowed down the courts. I mean, these last two weeks have been pretty quick, so it's been pretty nice for my classical sort of style. So I'm quite happy about that. But the younger players, it's just every sport is getting younger and younger and it's getting harder and harder.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Well, I think, you know, you're obviously disappointed that you lost. I mean, obviously, I'm disappointed. But I have to put it in perspective because I have to get back to work in a few days and put it behind me. That's one of my strengths. Because if you dwell on things for too long, you know, then you're going to have problems with your game of tennis. That's the hardest thing. I think when you lose, probably the losses you take at major championships are the hardest to get over and those take a little bit longer. But if your preparation's been good and you've given everything you had, I didn't feel like I lost it mentally out there, I didn't feel -- I made maybe two or three bad choices of shot selection. But, you know, that's a combination of fatigue and also him putting some pressure on. You got to put the whole game into perspective. I think the older you get, you know, the wiser you get in the game, and you just learn how to get over things and improve from them, not make the same mistakes twice.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Well, I think they're hitting the ball a hell of a lot harder. I mean, I think if you look at Nadal with all the spin he puts on the ball and his physicality of how quick he is, I mean, trying to get through him is like playing on the back of the wall there, especially if it's a slow court, which isn't fun. I mean, Roddick kind of tries to go through people with his serve and his aggression, but guys are returning better so they're finding a way with that. Just the depth of men's tennis now. You know, I think it's an exciting time. You've got Monfils is quite a physically gifted athlete who's playing well here in the third round. You've got Gasquet, another French boy. You've got Murray, who is a young Scottish boy who's doing very well as well. So there's quite a few exciting youngsters coming up playing well, but it's all predominantly baseliners; you don't see the serve-and-volleyers. I think that's the norm in tennis.

GREG RUSEDSKI: No, I did quite a strong physical program with track and doing weights and stuff like that. But look at the size of me and look at the size of other guys. I mean, there's a slight comparison (smiling).

GREG RUSEDSKI: Yeah, I was lifting weights and stuff like that, but I'm not going to be wearing no muscle man shirt around the court (laughing).

GREG RUSEDSKI: Well, I think you just got to keep on improving every year if you even want to stay where you are, and then you have to try to get better. So I feel like I'm improving my game in all aspects, and that's the key. I'm fortunate that I have quite a good serve which keeps me in most matches, which is a key for my game.