NEWSWEEK CHAMPIONS CUP

March 15, 1998

Greg Rusedski

MIKI SINGH: First question for Greg.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Yeah, I did. I didn't have the best start on my serve. I got the rhythm back in the second set a little bit. But overall, I didn't think I served as well as I possibly could. I still had a few chances in the match. I think it was good for me in the respect that I learned from this match, and I'll talk to Tony tonight. We'll go through it because he'll be watching on the tele. I think I could have been a little bit more aggressive, hit my approaches a bit deeper, served a bit better. Would have given me a few more chances. I still had a chance.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I can't tell you all my secrets, can I (laughter)? I think Marcelo is a very solid player. I wasn't aggressive enough on his serve. I should have punished his first serve a little bit more and his second serve. He kept me at bay a little bit. I'll just have to work on that area, just be a little bit more aggressive against him. If you're not, he's a good enough player from the back of the court that he'll dictate you around.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I had three breakpoints in the first set, first game actually. Then I only had one in the third set. We had a few games that went to 30-All. He kept it off balance, mixed it up well today.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I think it was an exciting tiebreaker. He had a little bit of luck today with the net cords. I should have finished it off at 8-9 in the tiebreak. The ball bounced over, on the net, I just missed it. I think I had a few chances today. Didn't take them. The third set was probably the key to the match, that tiebreaker. If I could have won that tiebreaker, might have been a different story today.

GREG RUSEDSKI: It almost worked, didn't it? I had three breakpoints.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Well, it was close to working (laughter). I mean, I just decided to let him start off serving. I mean, three breakpoints, I had a good opportunity. It would have been 1-Love, a break, if I could have connected on one of those. Might have changed the whole momentum of the match if I could have got that break.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Well, it just depends on the day. I mean, today it wasn't one of my best days, but I'm satisfied with the way I competed. I gave it my best today. It's another learning experience.

GREG RUSEDSKI: It was a little strange today. The ball didn't seem to be sailing as much today. Usually in the desert air, it sails more than on a normal tennis court, like at the Lipton, where there's a little bit of altitude here, just slightly, makes the ball sail ever so slightly. Doesn't bother me.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I don't know, altitude or something. The dry air, something makes it sail a little bit. I don't know specifically what it is.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Well, I guess you might string your racquet a little bit tighter. That was the only difference. But some players don't change at all.

GREG RUSEDSKI: No. The string was going to break on the racquet, so I decided to go for a new one rather than having the string break.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I went into the match confident. I'm sure I'll discuss it with Tony. We'll see where I went wrong, what I had to do. It wasn't too good a start. I had a poor start by losing my first service game to love. I definitely needed to hold there. That would have probably -- the first two games could have changed the momentum a little bit.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I did that against Enqvist, wasn't too concerned about it. First game I had three. Thought I'd have a chance to get back. I didn't manage to today.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Yeah. I thought he competed very well. I thought I had a chance at 5-All, his head was going down a little bit. I made two or three unforced errors at 30-All and deuce in that game. I mean, he seems to be competing better than he has in the past, so I guess that's good for him.

GREG RUSEDSKI: In the third set.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Inadvisable (laughter)? Well, that's an interesting question. I think it works for most of the players. I think always playing outdoors it's a little bit slower, so players don't come in necessarily as much. You have to serve well because the Tour ball is a very heavy ball we play with, so it's a lot slower. The Tour is always trying to damage or hurt the serve and volley style by slowing down the balls or slowing down the court, just trying to do something.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Uhm, well, I think he keeps more to himself. I think most of the players keep more to themselves and do things. I mean, guys practice together, but there's always that competitive edge in between all the time.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Well, I guess he's trying to get that sort of reputation. It might sell clothes in Chile. I don't know what it does (laughter).

GREG RUSEDSKI: Well, I think -- I didn't really see any of that today. As long as you do things within the parameters of the rules, it's absolutely fine. I mean, I didn't really see any gamesmanship today at all. There was nothing in gamesmanship at all.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Maybe if I go to Mexico City, where there is altitude, I know that much (laughter). It could be possible. Sometimes it's just the day, the weather, how your arm is feeling. It's just a combination of quite a few things. We'll have to wait and see.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I guess so. I think it still does. Try to serve at seven thousand feet and put it in the court. It's quite difficult.

GREG RUSEDSKI: The long tiebreaker, it was a great tiebreaker in the second set. I had a few chances to win it. Hit a let cord. I managed to turn around the match and get back in. I think the third set was probably the key, that tiebreaker. If I could have taken that, maybe the momentum might have changed, could have gone my way today.

GREG RUSEDSKI: Not really. I was just playing one point at a time really. It's the boring old cliche, shall we say? We have to sort of play those sort of tiebreakers, concentrate on holding your serve, hoping to be able to get a break.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I think you have to stay calm in those situations, play some of yours best tennis. Usually I handle the tiebreakers reasonably well.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I think it's one of them. I think I might have had one or two points longer. I think that's probably one of the longest.

GREG RUSEDSKI: The Honda Acura Classic (laughter)? That's December, sorry. I'm getting muddled up here. No, that would be special to do well at Wimbledon this year. My preparation is to play at Queen's, then do well at Wimbledon. I think it just depends on the draw. Hopefully if you can get into the second week after Grand Slam, then anything can happen. That's the key, getting by the early rounds when all the upsets usually occur. Then if you're in the second week, anything can happen. If I can keep on improving my game, getting better, I think I have a good chance to do well there.

GREG RUSEDSKI: I quite enjoy it. I enjoy the tiebreakers because usually it favors a more aggressive player, a player who plays a serve and volley style, who comes in. It only comes down to one or two points usually.