US OPEN

September 6, 2001

Yevgeny Kafelnikov

MODERATOR: Questions for Yevgeny.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Well, I mean, obviously the key was winning the first set. Once I did that, I knew at least I was going to be, you know, for a little bit longer time than in the previous matches. He wasn't going to dominate me like he did in the French Open. So that was quite important.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: It's because I returned well.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: You know, I showed him from the first point on that I wasn't going to, you know, give up the match like easily, like perhaps he would have thought. From the first point on, he start smoking backhand, forehands, like he always does. But to my credit, I was able to keep up with him on the baseline. Once I did that, you know, I started to believe in myself a lot more. Hell, I can play with him on the baseline. I can play my own game. That's what I did successfully.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Not really. Not really. You know, even though the score was 6-4, 6-0, 6-3, you know, I was a little nervous inside. I knew how important the match is for me. You know, I just didn't want to have previous experience happen to that match like it did, you know, three times in the French Open where, you know, I'm having the match in my hand and just not able to close out. Today was different story.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I mean, I just cannot describe why it happened. Like I said, I was been able to keep my concentration on a very high level. It work out. For every question he made to me, I had an answer. That's something that I'm proud of.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I don't know. I guess because I play a big number of matches on any surface, and it comes with experience. You know, to be able to play on many different surfaces on many, many occasions. You're starting to realize, you know, the small specific of the game very intelligently. That's something what I have. It's something what I have, you know, being able to read the players well, obviously being able to adapt to each surface very quickly.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Great. Great.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I mean, I cannot even describe it to you. It's never happened before. Would have been even better if we both are in the final. It's still a long way to go, you know. We both got to win one match each. Probably it's going to be the most toughest one to be able to get through that, for both of us.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: For the fans back in our country, yes (smiling).

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I have no doubt about it. I'm sure we have also a lot of support, not only back home but in this country, too.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: It's NTV plus. It's unfortunately pay channel. You got to pay to watch it.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Yes.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: If it's worth it? You got to ask fellow countrymen back home. I'm sure it's worth it.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: No idea. No idea.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: You know, clay definitely makes him unbeatable because, you know, his groundstrokes are very -- you know, when he has a time, he's preparing groundstrokes better than anybody. You know, ball travel off his racquets very, very fast. Basically, you know, if you're not on the top of your form, you've got no chance beating him because, you know, he just dominate you, he can do everything. But seems to me on the fast surface, he doesn't have that, you know, few seconds which is necessary for him to create his own game like he does on the clay. In other words, if you are playing fast enough, Guga doesn't have much time to react, like Agassi does, Sampras does. Sometimes even I do that also.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: It was important to mix it up because, like I said, you know, I've been in these kind of stages when I play Guga many, many times where instead of playing aggressively, I'm so tentative, kind of waiting for mistakes. But, you know, those three times that I played him on a clay court, Guga was unable to do those mistakes, and I paid the price. Today I didn't want the same thing happen to me. I kind of told myself, "You got to create something." Seems to me serve and volley game was working well in the crucial points.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: You know, I talked to Mac a few times in the booth. He was actually giving me a hard time. "How come such accomplished player like you are doesn't serve and volley as much as any other guys?" I said, "You know, John, my game working the point on the baseline and finish at the net. I'm not natural serve and volley. I don't feel comfortable when I'm serving and volley." Like I said, today was different story. I knew I had to put pressure on Guga when he was returning.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Oh, yeah.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: So am I.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Absolutely. You know, I knew, you know, on our level match can turn so quickly. When you're two sets to Love up, on the other side standing No. 1 player in the world, if you lose that edge for a few minutes, the match can turn around so quickly. That's what I didn't want to happen today. That's why, you know, I was able to maintain my focus throughout that third set, even though I had some tightness, especially when I was serving for the match.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Why you think that would be ironic?

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Russians with Americans (laughter)? No, I think that would be great. You know, if it happens like that, that means for both of us, you know, it's -- you know, I cannot even describe what we're going to feel like when we step out on the court on Sunday playing basically for one of the most prestigious trophy in the men's professional tennis. I mean, I don't want to even look that far ahead at the moment. You know, I'm just happy to be part of the Super Saturday, that's all.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: No, no.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I've never been to Brooklyn at all.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: A little bit. A little bit. I guess that's where we're heading. Unfortunately, you know, in Europe you have to pay to watch that sport. You know, it's never been like this before. I know in Germany and England, everything on the cable. You got to pay to watch it.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I don't think so. They're really enthusiastic people, they will always watch, no matter how much it cost, what channel is on. They don't really care.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: He is the best.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: You know, I cannot answer the question. He's got Larri Passos, who is his coach. I'm sure he's going to talk about it. I really don't know what he has to do to be able to be part of that elite.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Absolutely. He's going to have to if he wants to, you know, prove to the rest of the people that, you know, he's best player of all time. You know, we've got only one guy like that who is undoubtedly the best player in the world.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Like I said, I had to bring also best of me. I think the important part was to be able to keep up with him on the baseline, to be able to reply, you know, aggressively on his groundstrokes. That's what I did. You know, I was quite happy with my backhand, forehand, with my particular movement on the court. I thought I was covering the court as well as I ever did. That was important. Just to be able to bring as many balls back as I can.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Yeah, it's going to be very interesting for me to play either of those guys on that particular stage on Saturday.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Just because, you know, one is 18 years old kid, the other one is 19 years old kid. Both 19, exactly. That's going to be quite interesting (smiling).

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I could not even realize that I was going to be here again in the semifinal before the tournament. You know, here I am again with the opportunity. It's still long way to win the title. But, you know, to get through the five steps and to have two steps left to winning another major, I think this is great. You know, all I can say, I'm going to approach the next match like I always did the other matches - one match at a time. Nothing much I can say.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Basically first time I've heard about him when I was probably 22 or 23 years old. There is one guy who is very, very talented, has a big game. I didn't know at the time that he went to Spain for training. I thought he was still in Moscow practicing.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I met Marat actually at the French Open I think 1997.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: He was at the time. He was young. He was big sense of humor. You know, he was also as tall at that time as he is right now. So he was quite a big guy. That's when I met him first time.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: That is absolutely not true. I disagree. Every morning I go to the Internet, read some wonderful articles about both of us back home. This is wonderful, the writing, how we playing. They give all the statistics. They give basically all the information which is unnecessary for regular person back home to be able to get know what's actually been happening during the match. You know, I don't know where Marat was coming from giving you that kind of answer.

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: They're here asking me questions. I give them the answer and they write basically in all major sports newspapers back home.