PILOT PEN INTERNATIONAL

August 22, 1998

Goran Ivanisevic

MIKE SINGH: 6-3, 6-4, winner this afternoon over Yevgeny Kafelnikov, it is the 7th straight time he has beaten the Russian. He reached his second career final here in New Haven, reached the final back in '91 here losing to Korda. First question.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I need everything. I almost cut my left one. (laughter).

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I had problem this morning. I couldn't serve during the warmup and the same one I had problems last years which I didn't play for two months, it is coming back and then I had some painkillers and some special cream put on and during warmup with him on the match, I felt big pain and then I didn't hit maybe five, six serves, and then I called the trainer, but he couldn't help me. He said you try and you see. And then first game was hurting, he broke me and then probably this creme kicked in and this painkillers and after I didn't feel so much pain. But I reduced the speed of the serve and I was hitting a lot of slice serves and I served the best of this tournament.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Yeah, I was thinking, you know, in Stuttgart last year I made a stupid move. I went on the court against him and I play and then I retired and pulled me because they didn't know what happened. They thought I was tanking, but I couldn't serve. I got booed. In Key Biscayne I got booed; not my mistakes. I wanted to try a couple of games if I be hurt, then I will stop, but probably this painkillers and cream was working fine and I didn't feel pain. I would just feel pain with the serve not with the groundstrokes. They were okay. But I was serving never better.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: It was good. Actually I was good that -- I broke him straight away, when he broke me then that next game I felt okay with my serve. I didn't force it. I was just very smoothly and I was serving great and then since then I just -- but I played great match. From the back I was very good running. I was doing a lot of running today. At one point I was -- he made me run, drop shot, then back and then right and then left, and crowd liked it. But I was tired. But it was good. I was really pleased with the way I played.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: It would be great. I never won a tournament in the United States and it is my second final here and especially after that Wimbledon final, I think it would be great to win a tournament. This is a big tournament and I am playing good tennis and before US Open it would be great to win one tournament.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: No. Not yet.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I think about backhand return onset point. I even think today I had 3-1 breakpoint and I hit poorly backhand return and then I said again like Wimbledon, that is my first talk, but I said okay this is not Wimbledon this is New Haven and you better concentrate about this one, otherwise you are going to lose it.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: It is strange the way he plays. It is strange, very talented and sometimes you think he doesn't try, but he tries and then you just think now, okay, now you have him, but you don't have him then he comes with some great shots and he is very -- the way he plays he is very easy -- when you watch him, tennis looks very easy. He has a great groundstrokes and great player and it is not easy to play him. But somehow I managed always to play good against him.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: No, I don't know. Some players like me and Kafelnikov, I mean, we like to play a lot. Even he plays more than me. Some top guys they don't like to play more. I feel okay. I am physically fine. I mean, I can run and so I don't mind to play.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: It is not easy to keep up, but I mean, -- it is fine.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I think I am. I think especially on the hard court I am playing -- my volley has improved a lot. After Wimbledon I realized that I can volley and now I am serving and volleying on hard court more than I served before. I am not really -- relying on my serve, like I have to hit ace, like I have to win the point with my serve. I can come in. I can finish with the volley. I can stay back. I realize that I can play all-around game more.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Yes.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I think Wimbledon, it hurt me a lot, but also it gave me a confidence with my net game a lot, that I realize that on hard court this year I should be more aggressive. Before maybe I was not using my serve. I have one of the best serves - maybe I have the best serve in the game and not using it so much. I am trying to hit so hard and not following, not hitting the volleys, but now today I hit a couple of very important volleys when I needed and he -- using my shots. I was using before, but now I am maybe playing smarter than before.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I am getting older. I am realizing a few things, but I think people, they like it. I am an emotional guy, emotional player, that is how I play. That is all my life is like that.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: It is different. Almost forgot the way that match went. But I don't think I played very good match. That was pretty easy final. I just have to not think about final tomorrow, just have to think about it's a Sunday, it is a nice day, and go there and have fun like I did today, yesterday, the other day, just try to win my first title in this country.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Maybe I am more mature, for sure I am already ten years on the Tour, I played those guys so many times. I know how to play, and -- but now the young guys no more respect for us older guys, you know, because I am the one of the oldest guy on the Tour, 19, 21 year old guys they just come beat you pretty badly and they go home, no respect (laughter). But -- I am enjoying. I am more mature. I have more fun on the court. Like before I was fighting with everybody. Now when I fight with the line people I have more fun.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I couldn't tell you otherwise -- (laughter).

GORAN IVANISEVIC: It is bad luck I can't play golf today. It hurt me a lot. But I just take it easy. I put more ice and a little massage and play some cards instead of golf.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Hopefully not. I have a tournament next week, but I have to do my exercise, I stopped to do my exercises which the doctor told me last year to do it. Sometimes you know when you win the match, you are happy you don't want to do exercise. When you lose the match, you are angry, you don't want to do exercise. So that way of thinking is tough to do exercise, so I have to force myself to do those couple of exercises which I have to do everyday for my shoulder and I have to think, you know, that I am not 21 anymore. I am going to be 27 pretty soon and I have to do it if I want to play another couple of years tennis because.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I have this some tear of this couple of tendon, muscles here and you hit so many serves for ten years, it is like a good car, if you don't put oil in, you know, the engine blows, I have to put some oil now and then so I can serve.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I don't know. I just -- I like to play him, maybe he tries to play too good against me. Once he said, okay, I try to play better shots like I am usually playing. So I mean, it is just -- when I play him I just try to keep my game and I know what he is going to do. I just -- I just like to play him. I don't know why. He just suits my game.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Maybe. Probably because one of his best shots is backhand crosscourt going to the backhand, it doesn't hurt me with that shot too much because I can run and hit back. That is my advantage over him.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Yeah, like I said, I need to win matches. More matches I win, it is going to be easier. So that is why it is going to help me if I can win the tournament tomorrow it will help me 100%. If I lose then again, then I am going to start to think final, lost again, never win the tournament in the States, and then again I am going to think, Jesus, like Wimbledon and then so I better win, otherwise --

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I think they know who I am, but it is just -- it is nice when you finish your career to win tournaments everywhere. There is so many big tournaments here and I never won it. Three times final in the States so it is nice to win. Anyway it is nice to win. I don't like to lose anything, so and my Finals record is pretty bad. I better win tomorrow.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I think people they think all the time on my serve, my serve, you take his serve, he is finished, but I don't think that. I know that I can play from the back. I know that I am capable to play any shots, so it is not only my serve. Sometimes I try to force my serve too much and today I just -- I was thinking okay it is hurting a little bit you, just take the pace and it was -- I served never better, great serving. He couldn't read my serve. It was great.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I am always confident -- before I didn't have such a big serve, but I just all those talks only serve, serve, serve; then I start to think the same. Then I start to panic, if the guy hit my serve back if I am not serving good, what am I going to do. But then I realize I didn't become second in the world being five years in Top 10 with just serve. There are some other things which you have to be able to do, not only serve.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I don't know. I think you have to be born with it. It is a talent because a lot of guys can hit harder than me, but I am the one who is hitting more aces and aces when I need to hit ace. Just, you know, talent like everything else. You are born with something. I was born to hit great serves.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: He is one of the best server. I mean, in the fifth set in Wimbledon, I never saw somebody serving like that. I couldn't touch the ball for, I don't know how many games, 'til the game I broke him in the fifth set. I mean, not even close. I was there, but I couldn't return. So I can rate him one of the Top three, four guys best server.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Yeah, lately, yes. But it doesn't matter. Don't matter who I play, I just have to think I can win tomorrow. I am playing very good tennis at the moment and just have to have fun tomorrow try to win the tournament if it is possible.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: What model? Of the car or oil?

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I don't know. I can be pretty fast car. Porsche is fine.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Not new, not used something in between.