DAVIS CUP - SWEDEN vs ITALY

December 4, 1998

Andrea Gaudenzi

Q. How do you feel?

ANDREA GAUDENZI: I mean, I fight the whole match. I was not in the best match because I couldn't play my forehand as I wish. On the serve of 6-5, I had something. When I went to the changeover, I couldn't lift a cup. So I think is something the tendon. I don't think it's completely broke. The doctor told me it might be a little bit. On Monday I'm going to have a surgery, that's it. We'll see what happens.

ANDREA GAUDENZI: Yeah. I cannot even lift a glass, so I think I'm out.

ANDREA GAUDENZI: Well, is not really something that you think about. I mean, at the end, I try to hit the ball. It was completely impossible. I couldn't even lift the cup in the changeover. I played with the pain for five hours, and I could stand it. At that stage, the pain was just too big. When you hear that the tendon is not there, you cannot go against nature. I mean, obviously if it happen one game after, and I close out the match at 7-5, I be happier, but there's nothing I can do about that.

ANDREA GAUDENZI: I have no idea. You'll have to ask the captain.

ANDREA GAUDENZI: I never was exhausted physically. I feel very good. I could have played two hours more. The problem was that I had pain. When I had pain, I couldn't play the forehand as I wanted. I could only play cross-court, never down the line. I was limited all match. I was probably 60% of what I can play normally. I mean, I'm very, very happy the way I fighted and when I did, but that's how it went.

ANDREA GAUDENZI: Well, he said, "I'm sorry." I mean, I don't know. He's a nice guy. I like Magnus. Obviously, he's a little bit happy because he brought the match home. I mean, I would be happy if the same would happen to him. I don't know, he just said, "I'm sorry what happened."

ANDREA GAUDENZI: Well, I have to say that it helped a lot. In the beginning of the fifth, I was really down; I had a lot of pain. Probably without the crowd, I wouldn't come back. It helped me a lot. Also I think Magnus felt a little bit, and he missed a few balls for that, I think.

ANDREA GAUDENZI: It started a little bit in the middle of the second, and then really bad in the middle of the third.

ANDREA GAUDENZI: I have no idea. The doctor told me maybe it's not going to be too bad. He has to look inside and see how the tendon is. Then he has to heal it. I don't know, maybe eight weeks. He told me something like eight weeks.