THE LIPTON CHAMPIONSHIPS

March 23, 1997

Goran Ivanisevic

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Nobody.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I think a lot of mistakes by umpire. He let that happen, not only this last call. I think my second serve was in the court, the other one I didn't see. He won both points after that. Nothing hurt him. He made a lot of bad calls even before in the first and second set. I mean, there were some idiots like everywhere, especially here, it's always a couple of idiots there. It's okay, you know. They come. It's a free country, so any idiot can come and watch tennis.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: The guy told me, damn me. I think it's not a great thing to say. But then I hit ace. I like that when it's more pressure on me, then I can play much better, when they scream and yelling and clapping. I make the opposite reaction inside me, then I always play better.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: What do you mean?

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I don't care. However I play, however I behave, they always going to think different, so I don't know.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: He's a great player. He's a really tough player. He had great results before. I mean, he's returning my 128 serve almost winner. He's taking the ball so early, I didn't have any time. I play one short ball and he just comes in. The same when I serve. In the third set, he started to put too much pressure on my second serve, so I start hit harder, some more double-faults. Every time I hit a second serve, he came in. I didn't have any chance. But every time on the breakpoint when I needed, I hit a good first serve. That's what happened.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I knew he has a good return of serve. He grew up on those courts. You see almost every American, they return great. They stay very close to the line and they take every serve, from Agassi to him. They just take the ball. They pick the side and they really doing good. I mean, I serve very good, but not lot of guys can return my serve like this. That's one good thing. If I can keep serving like that, it's going to be okay.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I don't know. It doesn't get on my nerves yet, so it's still okay. Probably pretty soon, because clay is coming, a lot of running. Jumping and everything, gets sweaty. Starts to get on my nerves a little bit. Start to get like glue to my neck. I don't like that. It's going to come off pretty soon probably.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Off, I don't think so. I wait for another moment to cut it off. I cut slowly, piece by piece.