AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 19, 2001

Peter Luczak

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

PETER LUCZAK: Yeah, I'm pretty happy. Still probably hasn't kicked in yet that I won. But, you know, I'm sure I'll enjoy it tonight. I've got to recover and get ready for my next one.

PETER LUCZAK: I just told myself, you know, even if I lose the fourth set tiebreak, I feel like I'm physically fitter. I was feeling pretty strong out there. You know, I didn't do much wrong in that tiebreaker, he just played an incredible first four points. Got off to a fly. 4-Love. Then it's too hard to take it back. Credit to him for playing such a clutch tiebreaker when I know he was probably hurting a little bit.

PETER LUCZAK: Yeah. Fanatics let me know. They said, your boy is hurting. I said, just hang in there. Also I think he was trying to make the points a little bit shorter. That's normally a sign of a guy, you know, starting to tire a little bit.

PETER LUCZAK: Yeah, I probably haven't served much better. I don't know what my percentages were. But I think, you know, they were probably over 50%. I served a fair few aces when I needed to. Also I mixed it up pretty well. I thought I'd try to throw in a few kickers to the backhand because these courts are quite lively, so you can get the ball jumping.

PETER LUCZAK: Yeah, I was thinking about that as soon as we finished the fourth. I said, "There's no way this is going to be happening again." I mean, last year I thought I played quite a good match. But I was tired going into the fifth. Every time I did sand dunes or gym, whatever, just that memory, I'd go, "If I get in that situation again, it's not going to happen again."

PETER LUCZAK: Yeah, I think it's hard work and also confidence. I know I lost early in the last two weeks, but I lost to good players, Xavier Malisse, who made the final. Also Igor Andreev, he made the final as well. I lost to both of them in quite tight matches. I knew I was hitting the ball well. The preparation down here, you can't beat it. In December when we've got hot conditions, you're hitting hundreds of balls every day, doing a lot of hard work. I think I have a bit of an advantage.

PETER LUCZAK: No. Not really. I just remind myself, if you keep a few simple things, you know, just go out there, enjoy it, play to win, and also just relax. I mean, if you lose going for your shots, no big deal. But if you lose playing tight, then you're going to probably regret it.

PETER LUCZAK: Yeah, probably not the highest-ranked guy I beat, but it's probably, you know, definitely one of my biggest scalps, you know. Haven't beaten a seed before in a Grand Slam. I've played a few seeds before, but I've always gone down to them.

PETER LUCZAK: Yeah. Right now, I'm still concentrating obviously on the Aussie Open. Before the tournament, I knew the Davis Cup is coming up soon, and it's on my favorite surface, on the clay. I knew if I could do a few good results here, I could put my hand up to maybe to be in the team.

PETER LUCZAK: No, we haven't. I've talked to Lleyton a fair bit, but we haven't talked about Davis Cup really, no.

PETER LUCZAK: Haven't played a live rubber before. It's going to be pretty tough facing Roger Federer for your first live rubber on clay at his hometown. I don't know how you really prepare for that (smiling). You know, if Lleyton doesn't come, it's obviously going to make it pretty tough for us.

PETER LUCZAK: Down in the Mornington Peninsula area. Portsea. My sister's husband and my sister have a holiday house down there. I just stayed. I like spending time down there. It's nice and quiet. Just being into nature and being on a beach is just so much fun. It doesn't really seem like hard work really. Almost enjoyable. Then Tennis Australia put on a training camp for us down there for four or five days. Just an atmosphere with a lot of people working together for the same cause, just makes it a lot easier.

PETER LUCZAK: At the start, I was doing it on my own. Then Brett Stephens, Samantha's old coach, he took us for four or five days as a group. I'd stolen a few drills he took us through. I repeated them afterwards.

PETER LUCZAK: Yeah, it does. Not only physically, but also mentally. Like if you think you're feeling well, then you're going to be probably physically feeling well. Mental, it's just as big as physical. Like, you know, I knew I put in the hard work, so, you know, I could just the whole time just keep running. I knew I shouldn't get tired or shouldn't start cramping.

PETER LUCZAK: It's going to be tough. I quallied earlier, last year at the US Open, had to play him in the first round. You know, I got off to a fly. I won the first set. Was up a break in the second. Then he got his eye. He started playing some really good tennis. You know, I thought I played a good match, but I went down in four sets. Obviously, it's going to be very tough. I have a bit of an advantage. Not many people know me. They don't know really my game style. I'm not going to have that surprise sort of element when I play Tommy Haas.

PETER LUCZAK: Yeah, I like it out on Margaret Court actually. Good atmosphere out there. Obviously, if I could play on Rod Laver, it would be awesome.

PETER LUCZAK: I think there's a lot of areas of my game I can improve.

PETER LUCZAK: Thank you very much (laughter). Yeah, I think there's a lot of areas in my game where I can improve. My defensive skills aren't as good as some of the really good defenders. Probably my flexibility can improve a lot. My serve. My serve's been working well, but hasn't been consistent in the past. Like I'll serve good in some matches and the next match will falter.

PETER LUCZAK: Thank you. I think the consistency comes with being physically fit. It comes hand-in-hand if you're strong enough to get out there and your feet are in the right spot, normally you get the ball in.

PETER LUCZAK: Yeah, last two years I was working with Mark Draper, Scott Draper's brother. We stopped working together right after the US Open. Obviously, we're still very close friends. We ended up on good terms. At the moment, no, I don't have a coach, no.

PETER LUCZAK: No offers. I don't blame them.

PETER LUCZAK: Yes, I do.

PETER LUCZAK: Yeah, a bit extra responsibility and also obviously an extra expense. It's going to be hard to travel with a coach and a girlfriend. Just trying to save a few bucks.

PETER LUCZAK: I wouldn't say pressure, just more motivation really. Like, yeah, just, man, got a (indiscernible) along the way. Every time I'm out there, I've got to really work my butt off and enjoy it.

PETER LUCZAK: I haven't seen them, no. One of the journalists this morning asked for my address. I'm sure he'll be passing it out to the towel company. That's why I threw out a racquet today (laughter).

PETER LUCZAK: Yeah, they're different. They're different from the Slazenger balls. It helps my game. I like Wilson. When I played four years of college tennis in the States, we always used Wilsons. They're probably a little bit lighter and little bit more lively. But it suits my game style.