WIMBLEDON

June 23, 2003

Greg Rusedski

MODERATOR: Evening, Ladies and Gentlemen. Greg Rusedski for you.

GREG RUSEDSKI: No, it definitely did. I wanted to make Wimbledon. It's always nice to be back on Court 1. I was quite looking forward to getting on Centre, which might be happening on Wednesday for the big show-down. It was a great feeling to get by the first-round match. I was quite pleased with the performance. He played very well today. It was great to finish in three straights.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Well, I think people understand what I've been through the last nine months. I mean, I had two operations, one on my foot, one on my knee, a disc problem. It's been quite difficult. So I think the fans gave me as much support as I possibly could have asked for. It's just a great feeling to go out there and win another match when a lot of people don't think I was going to make it back.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Yeah, I mean, for about nine games, I wasn't getting a read on his serve whatsoever, and he was serving the corners extremely well. That's the way grass court tennis can be. The grass from Queen's to Nottingham to Wimbledon, three different sorts of grass. So for me it was an ideal match leading up to my Wednesday clash. I thought I started to play well from about 5-4 in the first set. But he played at a very high standard. The first nine games, I would agree with you, weren't the best or prettiest tennis to watch. But from then on in, it got quite good, I thought.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Yeah, definitely. He's played a lot better than he did the last time I played him at Wimbledon. But I think I learned a few things from that match. So I'm looking forward to our rematch on Wednesday. I'm quite excited about it. I'm going to have to improve my level again and learn from the match that I lost. So I'm quite excited about it.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I'm not going to give away all my secrets because I'm sure he's watching all this right now with Brad Gilbert, they're too clever (laughter). You'll see some differences. After the match I'll let you know. Hopefully it will be a positive step forward.

GREG RUSEDSKI: It kind of reminds me of a situation when I hired Tony Pickard to help me with my Wimbledon. But unfortunately I had a terrible ankle injury when I was going into Wimbledon, so I didn't absolutely get all the benefit I needed towards it. I think Brad's probably given him a little different look on the ball, helped his backhand, got him to take a few steps back on the return so he has a little bit more time and got him a little bit more aggressive playing out there. So he's done a good job so far with him.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Yeah, I mean, it's kind of funny, you get on a roll, and you win a tournament, and then you feel like, "I'm back." It's like all that terrible stuff that's happened you can put behind you now because, you know, I've played something like I think it's 10 matches on the main tour now. I've kind of like almost closed that chapter right now. But I still remember it, to make myself stronger and to keep fighting out there. But I think I've gotten over the worst part of it now. Now it's hopefully just good tennis like I've been playing the last six or seven matches.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Well, I think the thing which was hard for me to swallow during those nine months is I felt I was playing my best tennis. I just won Indianapolis, I lost to Sampras in five sets, and he went on to win the US Open. So in the beginning it was very difficult to swallow, having to have those two surgeries. My first match back, in the French Open, I was pretty nervous and terrified of getting on the court and something happening. Got through that one. And then it's just started to roll. You do get a little bit of a new lease of life. But still in the back of your mind, until you win matches in a row... Last week was another huge step forward, because I played five matches in five days, which I haven't done in nine or 10 months. So for me that was another massive step. And now it's just getting back to normal, but more hunger and more joy out of the game.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I don't think it will be broken here. Wimbledon's gun's always slightly slower. Queen's was a bit quicker, the gun. If I look at Roddick, I think his quickest was 141 today. So I don't think it's going to be broken here. But saying that, it's supposed to be 27 degrees on Wednesday. With a little hotter temperature, it could happen maybe when we play on Wednesday.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I was in Indian Wells playing against Thomas Muster in the semis. I hit 146. It was 40-love, I said, "I might as well go for another one." Hit it as hard as I could. It went 149. I think I had one at 150 as well. Just missed it long. Usually just give it a swing, if everything feels great, it all goes in. That's the way he plays, he just throws it up and hits his first and second as hard as he can usually.

GREG RUSEDSKI: If the weather's hot, if we can get 30 degrees, it's scorching hot, or 27 or 28, it's possible. But he can have the record, as long as I continue in the tournament, that would be nice.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I can't look beyond that. I know Hewitt's fallen out of the section already. That's probably one of the biggest Wimbledon shocks in history. That's the way tennis goes. Just shows you, anybody can beat anybody on a given day, qualifier or whatever. But I have to focus on this match. This is a huge, key match to my Wimbledon chances this year. If I can get through that, then things start to open up a bit. But, you know, it's just same old cliche: one match at a time. But this is my biggest match of this tournament so far.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I don't know about that. I mean, it's different because Lleyton, I usually enjoy playing him, and I've beaten him the last time I played him. He's a great player. But, I mean, you've got to look at his accomplishments. What he's done the last two years, it's phenomenal. He finished two years No. 1, he finished the whole season being No. 1. He won the Wimbledon, won the US Open. Physically, mentally, the way he plays, it's only normal he's going to have a period where he's going to slightly dip, then I'm sure he's going to rebound back to the top. I was surprised by the loss today, but to maintain that year after year after year is so difficult. I think he's probably going to reflect and come back stronger after this loss. But I think it's going to be very interesting. You know, I'm not really as scared of him on the court as most players are because being servers, lefties, usually do all right against him.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Only for five minutes, and then I decided it's too good a job, it's too good a life. My wife's been extremely supportive and said, "Get back, enjoy the tennis, do what you possibly can".

GREG RUSEDSKI: Yeah, it's going to come down to that. That's why today was such a huge day today. I faced a big server. I didn't really pick the serve for the first nine games of the match, then started to pick it. It's going to come down to the person that takes those one or two breakpoints, or that one or two points in a tiebreaker. That's what's going to make the difference in the match. Yes, the serve's going to be massively important, but it's going to be the person who plays the bigger points well.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Yeah, I know what I did well. And I think I learned again from his improvements. What I remember is what I did well in the second set at Queen's, and I took the game to him and I was aggressive. I played the way I know I can. And I need to do that. And the thing is, which I like, it's a three-out-of-five-set match, which I think favors me a little bit. But we'll have to find out on Wednesday.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I don't know. I think I've played more three-out-of-five-set matches. And I quite like it. You know, one or two balls, like at Queen's, I would have still been playing, and I felt like I was playing good tennis. So I kind of feel like I'm physically strong and I can go the distance, as long as I can. Obviously, can he do the same, he's proved it at Australia. I like that three-out-of-five thing. You never get lucky in a three-out-of-five sets. Yes, you get one or two points here or there, but you really have to win a match. Two-out-of-three, little funny things can happen. Three-out-of-five, the best man usually wins at the end of the day and there are no excuses.

GREG RUSEDSKI: If I say yes to you, he probably will serve well for five sets, if we play there. So I like the longer version. I'm looking forward to it.