U.S. OPEN

September 2, 1994

Andrea Gaudenzi

ANDREA GAUDENZI: Very good.

ANDREA GAUDENZI: Actually, I had -- I mean, I never thought I could win until today when I was in the locker room, I was looking at the schedule and I saw that Rino Tomasi gave me losing in four sets, so I thought maybe I have a chance. And I said, oh, Rino, maybe you have a chance.

ANDREA GAUDENZI: Yes, I'm surprised. I didn't expect to play this good on this surface. That is not my best surface, because my best surface is clay. I'm happy about this. I'm very happy to be improving on hardcourt.

ANDREA GAUDENZI: I was very scared on 5-1 -- actually because, you know, what happened with Krajicek 6-Love and Lendl, yesterday, he lost the set with 5-Love, and in tennis you never know. So I was really scared and I thought maybe if I lose this match and I was 5-1 up and that, maybe I just tried to focus point by point and to tried to get not excited or too nervous.

ANDREA GAUDENZI: I don't think I would crack because I won't freak out at that time. I tell you, at 5-3 when I was serving, I was already expecting to go to 5-4. I said this is going to be 5-4, probably five set. I was ready to play the fifth set because that's how you have to be. Because if you just think you have to win this game, you're never going to win it.

ANDREA GAUDENZI: No, he played very well in the beginning, I think, and I was good, just to keep him away from me and to win the first set. Probably, if he wins the first set, then, probably he's going to kill me, but, obviously, this is not his best tennis. Obviously, that's why I won.

ANDREA GAUDENZI: In the third?

ANDREA GAUDENZI: Yes, I got a break because I had a little fight with the umpire, but then I was thinking, I have really to be cool because I've lost a lot of matches like this. Ivanisevic in Paris, because I got angry or something. So I thought about being cool and play point by point. Otherwise, if I freak out there, it's finished.

ANDREA GAUDENZI: Jim, when he's playing well, first of all, he's playing like one minute inside the baseline then he is turning around the forehand and playing a lot of winners today. He missed more than he normally does, but it is a question of confidence and footwork. Once you're not playing very well -- when he was number one in the world obviously like Sampras now everything seems to go well, but when you're playing bad, this is difficult, to start over again to get confidence and win all the matches.

ANDREA GAUDENZI: Sorry, come again?

ANDREA GAUDENZI: No, I think he had lapses in the second set, didn't play well. I went for Love up and the same was happening in the fourth set in the beginning he played very bad, the beginning of the second and beginning of the fourth.

ANDREA GAUDENZI: Yeah, that's what I said, if you would be number one in the world he would beat me, but that's how tennis is. Not everybody wins every time. That's why there's a lot of players.

ANDREA GAUDENZI: Ivanisevic match in Paris the one I lost.

ANDREA GAUDENZI: The umpire went down and said "I have to go to the toilet," I said, "Yes, normally the players go to the toilet," so I went to the chair umpire.

ANDREA GAUDENZI: I don't even remember how was the point because I thought every time I was serving I said, just concentrate. It is not match point. Play a normal point. I wanted to serve and volley I don't know if I did if I miss a few serves, I don't remember.

ANDREA GAUDENZI: Yes, but --

ANDREA GAUDENZI: I don't remember. I was out of place.

ANDREA GAUDENZI: That's what I said, I was ready to play the fifth set, but I know how these things go. It's going to come back and I have to be ready to play the fifth and not freak out and give it to him.

ANDREA GAUDENZI: Yes, the most important thing was not to be passive but to be aggressive and especially to open the court with a backhand down the line because he turns around all the time the forehand so I have to open the court with my backhand down the line and come in on -- I cannot tell you everything, otherwise -- this is our secret. That's it.

ANDREA GAUDENZI: Well, the way he played against Krickstein and I don't know what day it was, I think he played a very good match and he came here one year earlier, I mean, I think he's just talking. It's just words.

ANDREA GAUDENZI: Yeah, a little bit.

ANDREA GAUDENZI: I probably won three times.

ANDREA GAUDENZI: What? 33? No.

ANDREA GAUDENZI: I don't know -- well, I don't know. I might be. I don't know.

ANDREA GAUDENZI: Well, it's difficult to say, of course, it's -- I've been speaking about -- four years ago when I came here in 1990, I won the juniors here on Grandstand. After the match they asked me what would be your dream and I said my dream would be to come back and play in professional and win on the Center Court, and that's what I did today. It took me four years, but I made it.

ANDREA GAUDENZI: Relax and go to sleep. There is another match in two days.

ANDREA GAUDENZI: My goal here was to get into the top 50. Right now I'm number 24 and more than happy of what I did. My goal now is actually to improve my game. I don't think about ranking -- improve my game on fast surfaces, improve serve and volley game, aggressive game, that's what I wanted to do for this year. Then I can see what is future potential if I can go to the top 10, top 20, maybe that is my limit, I don't know.

ANDREA GAUDENZI: I never played him. Never played him. I know he has a big serve and it's going to be a very tough match. Because once you beat -- once you win the big match, the most difficult one is the one after to confirm everything. So I have to be very careful and concentrate.