WIMBLEDON

July 1, 2000

Justin Gimelstob

MODERATOR: Justin Gimelstob.

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: No.

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: I think I'd rather play him injured than not injured. Do you ever remember him losing injured? What's his record injured? Have you ever seen him lose when he stepped on the court? If you have to think about it, that's pretty good. Doesn't really matter. He's a great player. As I said, he seems to thrive on playing injured; doesn't matter if you hit serves on the side of the line every time.

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: Well, I was pretty relaxed, I was hanging in there, playing good service games. I was on the ball on the return. You know, he comes up with -- he has intangibles that come up with certain shots on the run, certain returns that might be by other guys. I started missing some first serves. He started getting on my second serve a little bit. You know, I think I returned well the whole match. It's just a matter of how well he could hit his serves. He went for a period where he didn't miss any of my first serves. I went through a period where my percentages went down. I think that was the difference.

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: Well, I thought I was doing a pretty good job of staying in the present. I hit a great return shot at 4-3. I don't think I sniffed another second serve. First point I hit a winner on a first serve. Just a matter of taking advantage of the opportunities you have. I didn't have too many. As I said, I think the difference was I started giving him a little more openings, and he took them. I didn't really get openings. I felt I did a good job - when I did - of taking them. Even the fourth set there, three straight games I had breakpoint. I put good wood on the ball almost every time. You know, he's a great player. That's what happens. I felt like if I had been able to stay on -- kept playing better service games, I think I would have -- maybe we'd still be out there.

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: Well, probably when he came out of his mother's womb, God spent a little extra time on his right shoulder, just kind of went (indicating), touched it, so that helps. He's got a beautifully smooth action. He could go to every spot with the same toss. He's confident, so he goes for big second serves. And he backs it up well. It's a good combination.

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: If the BBC -- they have so few TV channels here, they're forced to entertain with the four or five they have.

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: Yeah, just normal. I mean, I think, a little bit. I think I was proud of myself the way I hung in there. I stayed in the moment for the most part, focused. But, you know, for me especially, I always have to keep working on relaxing and staying relaxed out there. Might not come as natural to me as some others, but I blame that pretty much solely on genes at this point.

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: No. I think, you know, I think I have a bit of a reputation now of being very aggressive. For the past couple years, I think I've done a much better job controlling my energy and my overexpending of energy. It's been a gradual process of doing that. I think I still have a way to go. I don't think I'm the same guy three or four years ago played at the US Open, was freaking out after every point. I think I've improved on that area. I've worked on it. I think I will continue to do so. Inwardly, it feels closer and closer to what it looks outwardly.

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: At the US Open and here, I thought I was very well prepared. I felt I played well. Now being off the court, I lost to two of the best players in two of the best situations. I think even now, even more, I feel I'm a little bit more disappointed now because I felt like I really -- I felt like I have opportunities. If I play well, I'm good enough to win those matches. Maybe before it wasn't as much like that. I think if I keep working, I think it will keep moving the bar higher and higher. You know, there's a big difference between going out there and really believing that you could win and just, you know, hoping you win or hoping you play well. I think I'm really starting to believe more and more that I really could do some great things in tennis.

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: I can't speak for my whole generation, as much as people think I can speak to everyone. I don't know what they feel. I know that, you know, we had a tremendous, tremendous group of guys before us that were great players. They've accomplished great things. I've actually recently just started to try and stay out of the prognostication business. You know, as time will tell, I think some guys are starting to do a little bit better now. As I said, it kind of feeds off itself. Just like that generation, the more guys did well, the more they practise together, see each other, know each other well. If they start thinking, "If that guy can do it, why can't I?" You practise every day, feel similar in ability, known each other since you were ten. I think that's what's happening a little bit probably. We're getting bigger, stronger, working on our games. We all work really hard. Hopefully good things happen that way. But in terms of knowing if we'll work out like the other generation, I mean, I don't know any generation in tennis or country or anything will ever sniff what that generation did. I don't think that's anything to be ashamed of. I think that's just a credit to them. I think, as I said, I guess maybe God had a little extra time in those couple years. I don't know what His social calendar was, but He was busy touching a lot of right arms.

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: I feel like I could have beaten anyone out there. It's just a matter of me sticking with it, a couple things going my way. I felt out there I had potential to beat -- I wasn't thinking about it that way, but I don't see why I wouldn't or couldn't.

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: My eye contact was so good, I did not see one person until the last game. I happened to look up and I saw Laver sitting right behind the court. I thought, "Okay, I have to power a few here. The Rocket is sitting right behind the court. I can't just fade into the sunset in that last game." So that was the only guy I saw, was Laver. Actually, that's not true. In the warm-up, I saw Borg with a really hot girl in the front row. I was looking at her. I thought, "Okay, if I play here, maybe I have a shot." Then I saw Borg. I'm like, "Probably not going to happen." At the end I saw Laver. That was it: the hot girl, Borg, then Laver.

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: I don't know. I usually leave things on. I left that on long enough to realise that it wasn't really working. The last couple weeks haven't been too socially rewarding. Give me a couple days and I'll tell you.

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: He's the best athlete on tour in terms of, you know, the jumping and running, intangibles. I think that's the thing that goes unnoticed. He puts a lot of pressure on you athletically - do a little bit more with the volley, do a little bit more with the approach. Even on the return, which sometimes he doesn't do so well, he has a way of just athletisizing balls into the corners or in an uncomfortable position, which is not too difficult to get me in an uncomfortable position. Other guys, he's really, really good with that. His ability to hit the spots on his serve and second serves on big points, stay relaxed, you know, those are his best attributes.

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: No, I wasn't. I don't even want to go over this. I was having trouble -- just me being anal. One of the ball kids was really struggling to throw the ball straight to me. If I'm only serving with one ball, you know, a couple second's delay between first and second serves, it might seem like a small thing. It was kind of a little thing. Nothing major. I'd really not like to make a big deal of it. I don't want to get her self-conscious.