EUROCARD OPEN

October 28, 1998

Greg Rusedski

Q. You were having a bit of a problem hearing because of the cold?

GREG RUSEDSKI: Yeah, just a little bit of a head cold I have this week. It was unfortunate because I thought I had a first serve there, but I had a good chance to finish it off in two sets, I served for the first and served for the second. I think he played a good game on the 5-4 game in the second set. I mean, up 40-15, I think he hit three or four great forehand and backhand passing shots. Then the tiebreaker, I got a little bit of a bad call. He raised his game. I don't know if it was a bad call or whether it -- it was just controversial. I didn't hear a let. I had thought it was first serve. I let it bother me a little bit. Then I managed to get my game a little bit together in the middle of the third set. I can't complain. I could have easily lost that set in the third, but fortunately things turned all right.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Yeah, I did. I was down a breakpoint early in the third set on my first game of service. I managed to bring that one back and then I held reasonably comfortably. I mean, it was like 30s and stuff like that. Then I had a chance at 15-40 to break and played two good points. I think I just managed to stay in there.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Well, I guess sometimes you get a little bit cross out there. It is only normal because you want to go out there and do your best. I served for the first set twice-I mean, once and I served again for the second set. Then I had a matchpoint at 30-40 returning at 5-4, so I let a lot of opportunities go. I think I must have had like five or six matchpoints. I just didn't want to lose this match because it was another opportunity to play the Rafter/Gustafsson and these are the Super 9s where you want to play your best tennis. So for me it was important to try finding a way to win this match. By me getting upset, but managing to contain it actually helped me a little bit.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I had to. If I didn't after I held my first serve, down breakpoint in the first set, I probably would have been here losing the match. For me it was great that I won, but it would have been nicer if I could have finished it off in two sets. Hopefully get a good massage, a little bit of rest and a good meal and get on with the next match; whether it is Rafter or Gustafsson. The courts this week are very, very different. I mean, if you hit a good serve, you get the benefit out of it, but if you don't really stick your volleys, they don't -- they just sit up and it is so easy to hit the passing shot. It is just such a strange feeling indoor court. The balls are heavy, yet if you hit it flat and well, it really moves, but if you don't punch it exactly right, the ball sits, you have so much time. It is very different, I find.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I let it get to me a little bit against the match against Kucera. I didn't want that to happen again. It was nice to get over it, win the match. I still got to deal with those situations better. And, today I was fortunate to get through, but against top players like if it's Rafter or Sampras or Kucera, I don't think I am going to get through a match like that without -- I guess if I have the same situation when I am playing Pat or whoever it is, I am going to have to handle it a little bit better.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Very pleased with the beginning of the first set. First two returning games, I was really pleased. Up to about 5-4 in the first set until I hit that one doublefault, to start off serving for the first set, I think I was very pleased with the standard of my tennis. I thought I returned well, hit some good passers, I thought it was pretty solid. It is getting there. That was just that little more intensity of closing those games out like 5-4 serving for the set, that I really need to work on. If I can do that, then hopefully I can jump up the next level. It should be exciting again if I get my rematch with Rafter again from Vienna, so I will be looking forward to that. If he wins against Gustafsson, it will be another test for me the next day.

GREG RUSEDSKI: One doublefault and one -- two doublefaults.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I was up 40-15 in the second one, so it didn't dissolve that badly. Came up with some good tennis first one; but in the first one, I hit a doublefault which is the worst way I would possibly start off serving for the set; then after that, he hit a good passing shot, backhand, I missed an easy volley; got it back to 30/40; then he hit a drop shot second serve return, so, I think it is just stepping up to the line and just being a little bit more aggressive and more positive maybe with the ball. If I can do that like I did throughout the set, then that will be a good step forward.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I mean, with the sort of draw they have this week, I mean, if you look at center court, you have got Rios, Becker, Sampras, I mean, you are only expected -- I wasn't expecting to play on center at all. To be on Court 1 is absolutely fine, because with the draw they have this week -- we have Ivanisevic/Ferreira on grandstand court, which is unbelievable, Philippoussis/Kafelnikov. It is a little bit harder, but --

GREG RUSEDSKI: I think you have to be professional and be able to lift your game no matter what. (inaudible).

GREG RUSEDSKI: It is fine. It is just having to deal with it. It is more a mental issue than a real physical issue. I am not getting as much air as I'd like. That is just taking your time and being smart. I mean, if you look at some of the past championships, I think Lendl won the Masters with a cold one year and players can play well, so there is no real excuse having a cold. You have a cold and you still do your job, so there -- it shouldn't be any different for me.

GREG RUSEDSKI: No, I got it on Saturday and I just haven't practice as much as I'd like the last few days. I practiced like 45 minutes a day, so I would like to have played a little bit more, but I am still here still going and hopefully I can continue keep on playing well.

GREG RUSEDSKI: It is my magic potion, I guess. It seems to be working. I mean, it got me out of the Indian tie somehow against Paes so it seemed to get me out today.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Yes, but it was out of position so I thought the ball - when I served it - had put it out of position, so I decided to change it. They twisted it that way to keep the net height right which seemed -- (inaudible)

GREG RUSEDSKI: Very, very bizarre.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I guess you can want it too much. The injury is past already. Everything is 100% healed and I don't feel any pain. I feel like I am moving well. I feel I am hitting the ball well. It is just tightening up those little areas. I have done a few. Vienna was a big step for me. Now I have to tighten it up where I play a person like Stoltenberg where it is 5-4 just try to close out those matches so I am not out there for, say, three hours; I am out there maybe for an hour and a half.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I think every player always goes out there a little bit overkeyed. Then when you start winning matches and get on a roll, you know, then it is easier, but I have been winning matches, but it could be a little bit of that, but it is better to be overkeyed than underkeyed, shall we say.