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COMPAQ GRAND SLAM CUPSeptember 27, 1997Greg RusedskiMUNICH, GERMANY Q. Greg, very good effort. You must have felt like you were outplayed in there for quite long spells in that match. GREG RUSEDSKI: I felt like I was playing very well in the first two sets. Unfortunately, he was the better player in the two tiebreakers. Pete's the No. 1 player in the world for obvious reasons, and he proved it again tonight. But I'm taking a step closer to attaining my goals. I think I'll just learn again from this and work the things out with my coach. We'll move forward. Q. Can you compare that with San Jose, Greg? GREG RUSEDSKI: Well, I thought I played a very solid first set. I think what hurt me the most was my service percentage got lower with each set, and his got higher. That was one of the big keys in the match today. I think the first set I was very pleased with my performance. Q. You seemed to come out firing. Yet I assume you were sitting in the locker room waiting and waiting. GREG RUSEDSKI: I was. I mean, that's the key. If you can't get onto the start of the match right away, you're going to be in trouble. I just came out firing and looking forward to it. It's a good opportunity for me to play Sampras and a good opportunity to have a win. Unfortunately, that didn't happen today. But there will be a next time. Q. Is that the best he's ever played against you? GREG RUSEDSKI: I think he served extremely well in the second and third set. That was definitely the difference, I wasn't getting any looks and giving him any hard return games. My service percentage went down. He took advantage of that. Q. Both yourself and Patrick Rafter, not only this week but in the past, have sort of always said when anybody has talked about No. 1 and getting to the top of the game, you know, how much higher Sampras is than everybody else. From that perspective you've got to take a great positive out of this week again, as you have in the other matches you played against him? GREG RUSEDSKI: Exactly. Look at it as a positive. I'm going to be looking forward to Basel. Hopefully can have one or two days off to relax. I really haven't had much time off, to be quite honest. I'm just looking forward to doing well in the indoor season. Q. I saw Reza sitting down there in your corner. Is the body working all right? GREG RUSEDSKI: Yes. Came down as a social call, haven't seen him for the past two months. Just came down as a social call. It was nice to have him support me there. Q. Overall, Greg, you've got six weeks of similar kind of tournaments to this coming up. You must be now going into it feeling like you're perfectly set up? GREG RUSEDSKI: I think I'm well set. I'm going to have to work on a few things like I did after my Woodbridge match, take those positive areas and take the negatives and get rid of them. It's a good balance and a good practice leading up to the indoor season. Q. Greg, that very, very long, very tough game, did you perhaps think, like we did, or hope, as you won that game, perhaps Pete might be a bit frustrated in the next one? GREG RUSEDSKI: I was hoping that, but Pete came out and served another good game and didn't give me Tom second serves. Even when I was hitting good returns, he was coming up with great volleys or half volleys. That's why he's world class and world No. 1 at the moment. Q. That is an example of his strength, the fact he can do that sort of thing? GREG RUSEDSKI: Definitely. I think he always likes playing me. He always wants to beat me because he doesn't want me to get one up on him. Q. Do you sort of josh with each other in the locker room? GREG RUSEDSKI: Yeah. He gives me a little bit of stick once in a while, I'll say. I've known him for about five years now. Q. Can you enlarge on that? GREG RUSEDSKI: No. You can ask him. He's got the comments for you, if you like (laughter). Q. What you were saying there, Greg, about knowing Pete for about five years. You do practice with him occasionally? GREG RUSEDSKI: I did. I used to train in Saddlebrook. He lived in Tampa. I used to train with him. I trained with him before Cincinnati this year. I trained with him on quite a few occasions. I think we both know each other's game pretty well. Q. The (cash) involved here. GREG RUSEDSKI: Disappointing. I mean, I could have made a million dollars there. It's a million dollar match. Q. Did you think like that? GREG RUSEDSKI: No, I didn't. I just went out there to win the match. I think after the first round, I got over that sort of thing, and the excitement of it, just got back to serious tennis again. Q. A question from Greece. Yesterday you made the high speed service. GREG RUSEDSKI: Yes. Q. What is your opinion about the service? Have you checked where to find the final speed? GREG RUSEDSKI: I'll get to 300 soon. I mean, it's just a matter of time (laughter). Then after, that I might retire, you know. End of FastScripts…. |
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