WESTERN AND SOUTHERN FINANCIAL GROUP MASTERS

August 7, 2002

Greg Rusedski

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Yeah. I felt -- I just didn't serve -- I served two pretty average games in the first set to lose my first, no first serves, he really punished me for that in the first set and didn't make too many mistakes. Then the second I got myself back in the match one at 6-3, played a really poor game to get broken, two doublefaults, one missed dropped volley to go up love-30 and one half volley. You just can't give a guy four points in one game and expect to hold. Then I had Love-30 to get back in in the third set and missed one return and had an approach where I hit a good passing off it, but it's just one or two points here or there of sharpness and that's about it really.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Yeah, I increased it a little bit but it's also because I think the conditions were slower today. The balls were -- that court is slower than center, I think just because of the cold weather the last few days have been absolutely scorching hot, so I think that favors the baseliner a little bit more so you have to take advantage of that and be more aggressive. I didn't feel like I played badly but I didn't feel like I played great. But I had the momentum after winning the second set and just didn't take advantage of it.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Yeah, I get the return deep and then he'd just pinned me back with those high looping balls, could have been more aggressive and tried to get in after the second ball because when the conditions slow down then he can play that sort of style on this court, but when it's hot and warm like it was the first day, then you can't do that.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Which one?

GREG RUSEDSKI: 5-3. Yeah, but by then that didn't make the difference in the match at all. I still won the game, but what made the difference was that one game at 2-All, that poor game I played in the third. And if I didn't play a poor game there, I could -- the least I am doing is going in a tiebreaker and then anything can really happen and give myself a chance. So it was just the one poor game in the third; probably could have started better in the first set.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Shoulder is fine. Everything is good. It feels good everything is well. I felt healthy. No problems whatsoever. Everything is fit.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Pretty wide. Right in front of the chair, two miles per hour, pretty wide. It was a pretty interesting one, but it really didn't have much effect in the match because I didn't get broken so that -- I mean, I am shocked by the call, but in the grand scheme of the match, it had no bearing.

GREG RUSEDSKI: My buildup is all for the US Open. I got -- I have played three pretty good matches, every match has been pretty tight. I won a good match against Safin. I have got Indianapolis coming up and then the Open, so the Open is where I want to play well, and last time I got to the finals of the Open I hadn't won a match until I got to New Haven that year, so it's just a gradual buildup. Obviously I would have loved to continue here, but that's what I have to get ready for. The Open is three out of five sets, I would have still been playing.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Doesn't bother me. It is the same for both of us. It's the same thing. He just played very solid today, very consistent. I think he had like 6 or 8 unforced errors through the first two sets. So that was probably the difference. I could have served a little better and only thing I wish I did different was probably play that one game a little bit tighter. Make that drop volley at Love-30, 30-Love makes a different game; then you are not in trouble as much.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Just got to play a little bit tighter that game, under those conditions, because last few games I have been holding pretty easy on my serve, and these things happen, but, you know, you just got to improve that and just not do it at this level. You can't afford to have a game like that. And after I got myself back in the match, so there's next week and the US Open, so I am building in the right direction hopefully.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Yeah, just more matches under my belt. You can practice all you want. I think I am hitting the ball well from the ground. I am hitting -- I am happy with the way I am hitting my backhand; happy with the way I am hitting it, just one or two points here and a few doublefaults where I am trying to hit the ball too hard certain circumstances on the second rather than being smooth with it. It is just one or two little fine things that make a huge difference in tennis.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Well, he's very young and I think he's going to be very good on dirt. He has beaten Todd Martin a few times already. He moves very well. He's very quick, but it is a lot of work, his game. He doesn't really get too many free points and every match is going to be long, so I'd assume with his the way he plays, he's going to do extremely well on slow surfaces. I mean, he will be one of the Spanish threats on the clay in years to come probably because he's still young and he's beaten a lot of good players and played well on slow hard courts as well.