WIMBLEDON

June 25, 2003

Greg Rusedski

MODERATOR: Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen, Greg Rusedski for you.

GREG RUSEDSKI: No. I felt the better player won on the day. He deserved to win. I mean, the first two sets he served better than me when it counted on the big points. And in the third set, I lost it a little bit on that call. I apologize for my language. It was not necessary, I would say. These things happen. If I find a way in the third set, we never know what would happen. Credit to him, he played well and he deserved to win today.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I think it's emotions and just wanting it so badly. You know, he played the better tennis on the big points today, and I have to give him credit for that. He's a great player. You know, your emotions can sometimes take control of you because you want it so badly, you're fighting out there, you're trying everything you possibly can. I could have served for it and still been in a fourth set. So there's -- what you can't control, you just got to let go sometimes. Unfortunately, I couldn't do that today.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I just asked him if it's a let because, you know, you could hear from the crowd that it was a loud "out" call. He said, "Because the crowd called it out, you lose the point," which usually it's a warning in most cases. But I can't do anything about that, unfortunately. I didn't handle it the best I could.

GREG RUSEDSKI: No. I've done it myself. I think I've learned from my experiences. I've had two difficult experiences in my Grand Slam -- last two Grand Slams. It obviously means a lot to me. I'm quite devastated, obviously, that I lost to Roddick today. But he's a great player, and he deserved to win today.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Yeah, I tried to stop myself. But I rushed through it and he took advantage of the situation, and he made some good returns. But I rushed instead of taking my time. That's a mistake sometimes I do too often. You know, unfortunately he's a very good player and took advantage of it.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Yes, that's why I came in here and apologized myself.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Yes, I do. You know, I'm sorry for the language I used. We all lose it. Unfortunately, if you lose it at work, it doesn't get shown on TV. If I do, it does. And for the people that were offended, I apologize.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I was desperate to go as far as I could in these championships. The nine months I've been through, you can't imagine what it's like. You know, I'm still pretty beat up about the loss today, so it's pretty tough (tearing up).

GREG RUSEDSKI: It seemed like the tide turned a little bit. I managed to find ways with volleys and half volleys. Even though he served much better than me the first two and a half -- two sets basically. My percentage wasn't as high as his. You know, if I got to 30s or 15-30s, he came up with the big serves when it counted. So credit to him.

GREG RUSEDSKI: He proved me wrong, and he's a great champion. It's sad to miss him from the game. He's a great player.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Yes, I do. I've apologized for them before. Someone's talked to me about them. It's just the heat of the moment. I think I've grown up from that situation a little bit today. So I've done something positive (smiling).

GREG RUSEDSKI: He played great tennis. I think it might have motivated and helped him a little bit. He just played great. He's a great champion.

GREG RUSEDSKI: He's improved. I think Gilbert has added an extra dimension. He's standing further back on the returns. His backhand is very reliable now. He's taking time better. He's doing things a little bit more intelligently out there. I tried to mix it up, but I didn't come up with the goods today.

GREG RUSEDSKI: That didn't affect me at all. That was a positive step for me. I won the finals in 54 minutes. The day before was an hour and 20. I need as many matches as I can. I surprised myself at how well I played. It wasn't a physical reason why I lost out there today.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I can't control anybody. What I can control, I can do myself out there. But, you know, I think maybe I just got overexcited. I should handle the situation better. I'm a professional tennis player.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Yeah, I guess there's nothing much I can do about it, is there?

GREG RUSEDSKI: They do once in a while. But, you know, that just happens. I can't do anything about it, like I said. I can't control it. That's just the way tennis goes.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I thought that was the line judge. That's why I stopped playing. I just assumed it was. It's my mistake, and that's it.

GREG RUSEDSKI: If he plays like he did his first two matches, he's got a great opportunity to go all the way. I think, you know, if he can keep the intensity, and Brad's done something to help him tremendously, it's a great opportunity. If he serves like that, at such a high level, the draw has opened up with Hewitt dropping out, you can see maybe a Roddick-Federer semifinal, which would be a great match. You never know. I shouldn't make any predictions any more, that's one thing for sure (smiling).

GREG RUSEDSKI: Yeah.

GREG RUSEDSKI: It's pretty big. But, I mean, it's one of the biggest serves. No question, speed-wise. It's also getting the accuracy with the speed, and that's what he's improved quite a bit. Philippoussis is pretty massive out there, as well, even though he doesn't have the same speed. Roddick, Philippoussis serve well.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Pete had the 128 on the line every time. That you can't really beat.

GREG RUSEDSKI: They've made the court slower, the ball slower. But my game has to be more perfect. If you're a serve-and-volley player, you have a lot less margin for error because they have more time to hit the passing shot now. But if you're clicking and everything is firing right, you can usually come out on top. If you're ever so slightly off, usually the other guy's going to get through you. He was better than me the first two sets by far.

GREG RUSEDSKI: It looks like it, the way the game's going. I mean, there doesn't seem to be many young players who serve and volley much, except for Mirnyi. He's already in his mid 20s.

GREG RUSEDSKI: My point of view, I grew up with Cash, McEnroe, had a mixture with Connors and Borg, so you kind of had contrasting styles, which I kind of always loved to watch. It's sad. We lost Krajicek last week. We've maybe lost Ivanisevic. We've lost Rafter. If Pete doesn't come back, it will be quite a shame because I quite enjoy the serve and volley tennis. I'd like to see more guys doing it.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Yeah, disappointed in myself. I'm not going to beat around the bush or anything, you know, I'm disappointed in myself. I have only myself to blame. You know, I apologize for what I did. There's no way I should have done that. But, you know, we all learn. We all make mistakes. Mine's in front of the televisions; yours is behind closed doors.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Well, I was trying to get myself calm. I should have just realized, "Okay, fine, it's a returning point, not a serving point." It's easier said than done when it happens.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I just rushed. Everything got too quick. You know, you need to slow down.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I don't know yet. I probably will take that week off and just refocus. I mean, I've had a good run. Give my body a little bit of rest and get myself prepared for the hard court season because, you know, you have the US Open coming up. It's been a pretty hard five weeks for me mentally, physically and emotionally now after today. You know, I'm just going to give myself a little bit of rest and then reflect.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I've always had self-belief, but the good thing is, touch wood, the body has held up. That's been the key.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Well, at The Open I thought I had a phenomenal chance. I felt I was playing my best tennis before I had this nine-month run. That's what really bore the huge frustrations I've had over time. Today I just came up against a better player. There's still work to be done and areas to improve.

GREG RUSEDSKI: No, it's still alive. If you're not totally distraught or upset about it, then why play tennis? Because if you're not passionate about it, then it's time to find a new job.