DAVIS CUP - ITALY vs USA

September 24, 1998

Justin Gimelstob

THE MODERATOR: First question, please.

CAPTAIN JAKOB HLASEK: This question is to me?

CAPTAIN JAKOB HLASEK: Or to Michel?

CAPTAIN JAKOB HLASEK: I think the rules are as they are. Somebody has to start; somebody has to play second match, no? I think we shouldn't give too much, you know -- these great guys, they all want to win, they all want to play well. They're here. They're used to, you know, to be under pressure. They love it in a way. Okay, it's the second match, so that's how it is. You know, it's not -- they're here for that. They live for that in a way, and I think it's -- experience, when you're young, okay, maybe you have a little bit less experience. But then you're young as well so you have a little bit other strengths that you can come up with. You have to go through that if you're gonna be a good player. So it's a normal challenge if you are in a good Davis Cup team and you want to beat the USA, you have to go through that.

CAPTAIN JAKOB HLASEK: I don't think there's a book that you can learn from that. I think it's definitely that the second player doesn't know when the match will start. It's an uncertainty that both teams, both players have to come up with. But, you know, they used to wait. Probably they not gonna -- they rooting for the Swiss guy who's playing the first match. But everybody has his own way of coping with that, and Michel will have his own way of coping with that.

ROGER FEDERER: When I was playing second match, I used to stay at the hotel till like two sets and watch it on TV. Of course I would love to see it live but, I mean, you have to focus on your own game because that's what's more important in the end - your performance. So I don't know if Patrick Rafter was watching the whole match from Hewitt.

ROGER FEDERER: Oh, is maybe a mistake. (Laughter.) Would also get tired, is normal. Sitting there for hours, having the atmosphere going, it's a little stress. I prefer to stay at the hotel and wait.

CAPTAIN JAKOB HLASEK: Well, the question was in German and I will repeat it in English. I choose, since Davis Cup draw has the possibility to change day by day, my difficult decision, because I think that both have to -- or had reasons to play. And I decided for Michel Kratochvil because I felt that his game is better suited to beat against Jan-Michael Gambill and to win this point. That was my reasoning. I think it's a medium-fast surface here, and I think his game suits very well Jan-Michael Gambill. I'm not going to go too much in details, tactical details, but that's what came up to my analyze and my decision.

CAPTAIN JAKOB HLASEK: Well, as I said, I think on paper maybe the Americans are strong but I think we are a very young team which is improving every day. With the home crowd, I think it's a very close and even match. I think the details, little details, will make the difference. Hopefully we make this details better than them.

ROGER FEDERER: Well, it's something very special for me to play Davis Cup in my hometown. It's like I already feel a lot of pressure just playing the Davidoff Swiss Indoors, then I feel a lot of pressure playing Davis Cup. So this is like a mixture. It's going to be definitely a lot of pressure, but I still think I'm going to play well. There's no reason why not. I'm very confident after the win last week and I'm really looking forward for tomorrow's match.

ROGER FEDERER: Well, what is nice about this win is that it comes early in the year. It gives me a lot of boost, you know, energy to go further this year. I don't know, it's very important tournaments coming up for me. It's Davis Cup. Rotterdam I really like also. Then all the Masters Series coming up in a row. I really hope to play well also at the Masters Series this year. I think it can only help my game. I think I got some experience again out of Milano and hope to use it maybe this week. I don't know, it's just gonna help in the future.

ROGER FEDERER: Of course. I didn't want to put too much pressure on me saying this year I have to win a tournament. I knew I had a chance, so I'm very relieved after this happened. Now I can move on. I think it's better mentally now if I go into tournaments, the press will stop asking me the question, "When are you going to win your first tournament." So it feels good.