PILOT PEN INTERNATIONAL

August 23, 1998

Goran Ivanisevic

MIKI SINGH: First question for Goran.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Beautiful. Very nice chair. It is very nice to sit, you know, that is why he makes so many mistakes.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Very comfortable. They should put him in tougher chairs, that is why they are going to be concentrated. They have very soft chairs and they are not concentrate.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I don't know what it is going to take. To play better than I played today.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I didn't have four shots today. Second serve bad. No forehand down-the-line. Bad return and backhand was too risky. And I did a lot of running. I hit only forehand crosscourt, he stand there and made me left right, left right, I was running like idiot. After I was tired. I hit a lot of forehands because my backhand was like roulette. I didn't know where it is going. It is like my golf, I never know where the ball goes. I hit three backhands today. I didn't have a clue where the ball is going. So he was just standing there and making me run. With that I have to hit some down-the-lines which I didn't hit. I tried on matchpoints and I miss-hit. My second serve was not there, a lot of doublefaults.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: No, I have patience. I can play with him all day there. But twice I lost my serve, first set and third set and twice with the overrules, with the bad calls and it happens. Instead of 15-All, Love-30, it happened twice and it is a big difference. Then he hits a good return; then it is Love-40 and it is a big difference 15-30 and Love-40, so didn't have to come back. It is not easy. I came to 30-40; then I made doublefault, but those linespeople are terrible. I thought it is going to be better, but it is always on my side. One point, two bad calls on one point. I hit ace and the guy said: Okay, replay the point. Then I hit another ace. Then it is long. Bad. I don't know, but that is two games I lost the match and I lost my serve and that is it.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: No, I didn't just -- just bad calls, bad calls. But a couple of bad calls cost me the match.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: In the beginning it was hurting and then not on first serve, like on second serve, that is why I start to hit some different second serves. I hit a lot of doublefaults and then I lost my rhythm completely. When I lost my rhythm, I am not there, it is again roulette. Just going in everywhere. The first serve was working fine, but second serve I lost my confidence completely.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Shoulder was better after, but my serve was not better.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I don't think anything can be done. Also a lot of times the umpire mistakes, he loses sometimes the complete control of the game and then he starts to overrule stupidly, starts to make mistakes, and -- but they have to bring more young people, like I said the other day, there is too many olds linesmen here in the States. I don't know why. It is tough to react. It is tough for me to see sometimes; especially for the ladies, 60, 70 years old, what are you going to see. Nothing. Just stand like this and I don't know if she is alive or dead (laughter) She is there, I have to check her if she is alive. Move her, it is too heavy. That is the problem.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Indoor is also tough because it is fast, but I never had so much problems with the linespeople like here in the States. That is only here, anywhere where you play in the States, it is a question of they just sometimes -- they bring older them and they are not concentrate -- it is tough to keep concentrated. It is -- you have to to sit there especially when it is hot. You have to sit or stand for one hour. The balls are flying, you have to always be there and you lose a couple of times concentration and that can cost you the match, or set, or -- it is tough.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: In Europe, yes. But it is also mistakes a lot of times of the umpire, the main guy up there because he has to look more carefully; especially after I went up and he has a nice view up there and he can see, but he didn't see today good.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: He is playing very simple, nice game. Same like his coach, Mecir, same game, just he takes the ball very early; makes you run left and right; don't lose too much energy. He doesn't have big shot, but just makes you run so much and makes you make mistake. Then you have to try to hit here. I cannot always see the winners. Then I have to make mistakes. And he was surprisingly serving good today. He served very good and I thought he might make more doublefaults and more first serves mistakes, but very deep first serves and I couldn't do too much.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I feel good. I made the final, which is nice, I played good tennis. I have to feel good; just hope my shoulder is going to be fine because US Open is -- you have to win three sets and if you lose one of two then you have to win -- it can be five sets and it is not easy to play. But, my form is fine. I am feeling fine and we will see. Maybe I take too serious these losses and I just have to -- just have to have fun. See what happens.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I don't think anybody is favorite. You cannot pick one guy who can win the US Open. Sampras is playing not so good already all year. Rios is not playing well. Rafter is in good form, but he has to defend the points and he is going to be very tight and nervous. So, me, unpredictable. Nobody knows. Nobody knows. It is only -- I go there and I can play, I can beat anybody. I can lose to some strange guys there, but it is pretty interesting US Open this year. I cannot pick one guy who can -- that I can say is going to reach second week easily.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: This backhand miss-hit?

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Yeah, it is like golf. I didn't know. I wanted to hit and I saw the ball it is still there. (laughter). The guy said 30-Love so I said: Okay. I don't know -- sometimes I don't know what I am thinking. I wanted to hit the ball and everything was fine, position was fine, but ball didn't go anywhere. Why? I don't know. It happens.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Because I had pain in my shoulder in the beginning with the second serve. When I hit the kick second serve, it is hurting me then I start to try something else and my serve is not -- I have one motion and always doing the same, as soon as I start to invent something new, it is finished - for I have less pain -- but after it was no pain, but then I couldn't find my rhythm for that serve again. Doublefault twice he broke -- third set, I made doublefault, I came 30-40 from Love-40 and doublefault, those presents, I rather hit second serve long, doublefaulting in the net that is why -- second serves in the net that means I am losing my rhythm and I hit a lot of those today. But anyway, he played a good match. He deserved it probably.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I have fun. I start to laugh because I feel like laughing. Better to laugh than cry.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I never. Geez, that was -- I didn't know why I did it. I just was wide open and -- I didn't know what I was doing, --

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Yeah. Cross is cross and rose, I have a rose, which means love. And shark is pretty mean, mean enemy, so altogether, it is me. (laughter).

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I have two options, you know, to think again or start to laugh and I mean, I didn't get over it. It is not going to be easy. But I have better things to do next week and I have US Open coming, so if I just now think about Wimbledon and this, then I am going to become crazy, so better laugh and have fun. Maybe it is going to help. I try new strategy from now.