U.S. OPEN

August 30, 1996

Goran Ivanisevic

GORAN IVANESEVIC: Yeah, I'm close. But it's still -- today I was struggling in the beginning a little bit. It's coming. This is different tournament, this is Grand Slam. I think it's good to have a couple of struggle matches, and then I think you play better and better. I think it might come.

GORAN IVANESEVIC: Pardon?

GORAN IVANESEVIC: It's missing that I just start playing a little bit slower. The first round I start slow. Today I was a little bit missing, a lot of unforced errors. I should start aggressive from the first point, it's missing. This is different tournament. I always play bad here. I want to make my goal to reach the second week so I have one more round. If I can get there, then I think I'm going to play much better.

GORAN IVANESEVIC: Because I had trouble on the plane coming here, you know. When I took the plane from Europe to come to the States, I was already crying, where I'm going. As soon as you do that, you forget summer, forget the hardcourt, forget States, everything. Then the change in the Key Biscayne final, I broke through, finally I start to believe I can play on hardcourt, maybe I can play better on hardcourt than on clay. I proved that, have good results, play final in Indianapolis, Cincinnati. I can play. Now I start to like here, don't make any more problems.

GORAN IVANESEVIC: No idea.

GORAN IVANESEVIC: Maybe, maybe. Maybe I slept wrong. Maybe I was tired. Didn't have massage before. Maybe my body was too tight.

GORAN IVANESEVIC: No, I sleep the same.

GORAN IVANESEVIC: No, he's back home.

GORAN IVANESEVIC: Yeah. Say something to the other lady, something nice probably. She didn't hear it. The other one asks, "What is your problem?" "I didn't say to you." She still report me.

GORAN IVANESEVIC: Always something the same, similar. I mean, last year I played good, but I was not lucky. I twist my ankle. Who knows. It was pretty much the same thing.

GORAN IVANESEVIC: You don't want to know (laughter).

GORAN IVANESEVIC: No, I don't know. Ask supervisor, he has a list.

GORAN IVANESEVIC: It's coming this year. I'm able to when I lose the first set I'm still able to be in the match. Especially this tournament I want to do so well. I don't want to do well, I want to reach the second week, first time in my life. I just concentrate. I want to be in the second week so badly. If I have to stay five hours on the court, I'll do it. I have to fight for every point, doesn't matter who I play. That's what I decide, to fight, fight, till next week. Next week, if I'm there, anything can happen.

GORAN IVANESEVIC: I didn't hurt, but then I started to cramp. I cramp at 5-3, cramping the last game. I was hoping to put the first serves in. Every time I hit my backhand, I start to cramp.

GORAN IVANESEVIC: I think my groundstrokes are pretty good. I think today I was going a lot for the winners, but with those winners, if they go in, like in Key Biscayne, then it's going to be very dangerous.

GORAN IVANESEVIC: No, it's opposite. I have a good serve, then I don't concentrate on my serve. I do a lot of mistakes, a lot of double-faults, especially in the beginning when I should concentrate on my serves in the first set when I'm still not into the match. I should concentrate more on my serve.

GORAN IVANESEVIC: When I don't win my serves easy, I can't concentrate on my returns. I'm getting too panicked, don't know what to do, how I going to return. Today, for example, I start to serve better, then I start to return better. It's always going like that.

GORAN IVANESEVIC: Sure. When you don't lose your serve, two weeks. Last breakpoint when I went for the big serve, it's nice when you don't lose your serve. I can keep my serve like that, I can return easy, play easier.

GORAN IVANESEVIC: You have to mix sometimes. Instead of first serve, try to do a little slower serve, come in. Today I hit a couple times second serve to his backhand, came in. I didn't do enough. Just come in. It's not easy to pass, especially on big points.

GORAN IVANESEVIC: Yes. I'm confident to play, happy to play. It's a little bit hot. I mean, I feel something I can do well here, so we'll see how it goes.

GORAN IVANESEVIC: That's great. I love it. They talk about me that I never pass the first week here, when they actually talk about me. Maybe they're going to talk, you know. They didn't talk '92 in Wimbledon, but suddenly I had my first press conference quarterfinals. If they don't talk, I'm happy.

GORAN IVANESEVIC: I just believe I can do well. Before I didn't believe I could do well, making problem in the States. I know I can play good on hardcourts, beat some good players on hardcourts. I believe I can do well here.

GORAN IVANESEVIC: Just mentally.

GORAN IVANESEVIC: I was not at the press conference, but I think my opinion, they should have one ranking, doesn't matter Wimbledon. I think ATP should have one -- they should go with the one ranking, ATP ranking. I shouldn't be No. 4 seed. It should be No. 6, I'm 6 ranked. If you are No. 10, you should be No. 10. Doesn't matter if it's Wimbledon, French, Australian Open, here. That's why the ITF, they can do whatever they want. They don't care about ATP rankings, they don't care what we play whole year and make the points. Grand Slams, they do whatever they want.

GORAN IVANESEVIC: I mean, I'm not going to be the only one, "Hey, guys, I'm not playing." "Okay, go home." If a lot of guys, then I can. If we sit all together and we decide not to play, then we don't play. It's okay, you know, everybody happy now. Tournament started. Nobody's complaining anymore.