AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 20, 2005

Greg Rusedski

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Yeah, no. I didn't play as well as I'd like, obviously, tonight. Andy played very well. So it was a combination of two things out there. But I tried to stick in there any which way I could. I managed to sneak the second set. One set all, had a few chances. He was making more returns. I think the problem for me today was I didn't make enough balls and play enough returns, and he played very well. So, you know, obviously, you know, I've just got to focus and do what I can. And he's the No. 2 player in the world and he deserved to win today. He was the much better player.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Yeah, it was. But at least I got back to one set all, so it was back to a little bit of a match even though he dominated play most of the match until I got that break. But I just managed to stick in there and try my best. But just wasn't good enough today.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Yeah, I mean, all I was trying to do was try to hold my serve any which way I could. That was really my only chance out there tonight. But it just didn't happen for me.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Yeah, I did. I thought of staying back, but that wasn't working too well either. Sometimes you have these days where nothing's really working for you. That's the sort of day I had. You know, it was in combination with him playing very well. You know, that's tennis for you. Unfortunately, sports, that's why you play. I wish I could have played better today but I didn't.

GREG RUSEDSKI: No, I think it was I just didn't serve very well today. You know, the percentage was 62, but the speed and the accuracy, it just wasn't good enough. He played well. I mean, I think I saw the stats. He served 72%. It's a lot easier to return when you're not having to play too many points on your service games. You know, it's a lot easier to play.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Yeah, yeah.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Well, the three guys I've lost to this year, I lost to the world No. 1, the world No. 2, and Joachim Johansson, probably one of the outside guys here. So the three losses I've taken this year haven't been to bad players. I played reasonably well against Joachim and reasonably well against Roger. Tonight, for playing not as well as I'd like, I managed somehow to get a set, considering how I was playing. So, you know, obviously at the moment it's difficult when you come off and you haven't felt like you played as well as you could. But you just got to try to put that behind you and move on. That's what you have to try to do as a sportsman.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Well, I'm going to try to play the indoor season starting in Milan. I was hoping to be here a little bit longer. But I'll play Milan, Marseille, Rotterdam, just go from here, just try to build on where I am, improve in certain areas where I need to because tonight I just wasn't good enough.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I'd just like to enjoy my tennis and try to get myself back in the Top 20. I have six months where I have no points to defend. I've just got to play to a better standard than today. That's all I can do.

GREG RUSEDSKI: No, I haven't had any taps yet. I'm just going to take one or two days off and just reflect on all the things I got to figure out for the next few weeks and just go from there. I'm not really thinking about it at the moment after today's performance.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Yeah, just a good friend. He was my best man at my wedding, we're still really good friends. He just came out, which was really nice of him.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I can't think of anything after that match, to be honest with you (laughter). I honestly can't think about anything. It's hard to have any thoughts after that sort of match happens. It kind of starts and it's over. I need a few days to think about that, reflect, what I'm going to do. I just want to sit back and have a proper thought about it.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I can't speak for him, but they both played at the Kooyong Classic. The thing which Roger does better than anybody, he's got the complete game. I mean, he would make Andy play a lot more balls than I would on the return of serve. He could come in, he could stay back. So I can't even comment on what the match would do. I mean, he played very well. But as we see, I mean, we got Joachim -- I mean Thomas Johansson saying the only way to beat him is to push him over in the locker room. You know, that's basically the feeling about Roger. He's playing very, very well. I mean, if he plays to that standard, it will probably be a good match. Even Suzuki the night before played extremely well and Roger still found a way and made it pretty routine.