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US OPENSeptember 5, 2002Fernando GonzalezNEW YORK CITY THE MODERATOR: First question, please. Q. Fernando, it seemed as if you were playing two different games out there. At times you played brilliantly. Then it seemed as if, in those middle sets particularly, your game would leave you and you would start to be very erratic. Was it being in a quarterfinal? Was it nerves that struck you at those times? FERNANDO GONZALEZ: I used to play like that always. I mean, it doesn't matter if it's quarterfinals or first round. But today was very, very tough to play out there, was little bit windy. So sometimes I try to move more to my forehand and the ball move. It was very tough to return the serve also. Schalken serve really good today. He don't have a strong serve, but he put a lot of first serve in and that's very important. Q. You were trying a lot of dropshots on him and try to keep him moving back and forth all over the court. FERNANDO GONZALEZ: No, I just did it a few times when I was against the wind. It's tough to play against the wind, the other one can make everything that he wants. Schalken played a good match. I mean, I won the first set. I was 5-1 down in the tiebreak, he stayed focus in the second and third set. So it's pretty good before. Q. You hadn't played him before. Anything surprise you about him? FERNANDO GONZALEZ: Yeah. When he play, he looks like he don't use too much power, but in the hard court you feel it. I mean, you feel that pressure sometimes, that he's gonna come to the net. But he is a great player. He can play every way in the court. He comes to the net. He stay in the back. He do everything. Q. This is only your 7th major. You came that close to reaching the semifinals. Can you walk away here feeling pretty good about the week and a half you've had here? Do you feel some consolation in that you've gotten as far as you've gotten? FERNANDO GONZALEZ: Today I think I was lucky to lose 7-6 in the fifth because I didn't play great match. Schalken won two sets very -- not easy -- but he was two sets to one. Almost he won the first set also. But, I mean, I have to learn from every match. I have to still do it like that. Q. Are you proud of your accomplishment? FERNANDO GONZALEZ: Yeah, I play good matches this week. The first two matches wasn't too good, but after I feel really good on the court. Q. Going back to your forehand again, it seems like it is not only a weapon that you can inflict on your opponent, but sometimes, you know, when you just go for every shot like you do, it kind of goes against you or blows up in your face. Describe your forehand for me in your words. FERNANDO GONZALEZ: I mean, my style is like that. I mean, I want to win the points - it doesn't matter which match is it, what score is it. So I just to go for it. That's the way that I play. Q. Is that something you work on, though, and practice with your coach in terms of reducing the unforced errors? FERNANDO GONZALEZ: If I'm gonna lose a match, I'm gonna lose like maybe like today, trying; trying to win; go, go for it. In the match like this, quarterfinals in a Grand Slam, you can't go in the court to see what happen. You have to go in and try to win. You don't have to wait for the other. Q. Where did you get such a powerful forehand? Is that something you developed growing up? FERNANDO GONZALEZ: When I was like 7 or 8 years old, I used to play with all old people. They threw like high balls to me and I was like very small. So always I try to finish the points very soon. Q. At 3-3 in the second set, after that you lost all of 12 points in the rest of the set. What happened? FERNANDO GONZALEZ: Second set, yeah, I think I have a breakpoint maybe - in the first or second game. But it's tough, you know? The games after a tough set, you know, it's very tough to play out there, you know. But Schalken's serve, he don't have a strong serve, but he puts a lot and he change very much. Q. But it was three games basically. FERNANDO GONZALEZ: Three games in a row? Q. Yeah. FERNANDO GONZALEZ: But only one break, I mean... That's happen. Always. Q. Another two parts of your game didn't work today. One was the return of the serve and second was the backhand. Your backhand was beautiful in Cincinnati. Didn't work today. What happened with the backhand? FERNANDO GONZALEZ: Yeah, but I have a great backhand behind me, you know? So I can hit cross court too long, because if I stay with a shot, I'm gonna lose for sure. So I have to change it and try to find my forehand. Q. Why was it so difficult to return his serve? Because of the placement, the spin? FERNANDO GONZALEZ: It was little bit windy, so you change too much the distance. Q. Could you read where he was going to serve it, or he disguised it well? FERNANDO GONZALEZ: Yeah, I mean, I couldn't read his serve today. I mean, it was very tough because he change too much. Q. Were you surprised with the depth of his shots? You didn't have room to make a swing. FERNANDO GONZALEZ: But he play very, very -- I don't know -- flat maybe? And the balls always come to me, come to me on hardcourts. Maybe if we play on clay court, it's different. But we're playing in here. Q. For a guy as big as him, are you surprised with his speed? I mean, he's a very large man. Were you surprised with his quickness? FERNANDO GONZALEZ: He can play everywhere in the court. I mean, he comes to the net, he stay on baseline, he returns good. So when he defend, he defend good. I mean, today he hit a few high balls and sometimes slice. Sometimes you never know what he's gonna do sometimes. Q. What did you learn from today's game? If you play him again, are you going to change anything or are you going to approach the game with the same strategy? FERNANDO GONZALEZ: The same style, but the rest I have to keep it because always there is gonna be a next time. Q. Sjeng was in here, and he described your forehand as like a hurricane. He said he thought Guga's forehand was good, until he played you. Where do you think that forehand of yours can take you in the game for future results, ambitions? FERNANDO GONZALEZ: I can say a lot of things, but I think the best way you can speak is on the court. Let's see what happen. End of FastScripts…. |
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