DAVIS CUP - NETHERLANDS vs USA

April 4, 1997

Jim Courier

Q How did you assess your chances when you were down two sets and how confident were you finishing it off?

JIM COURIER: I wasn't happy to be down two sets to love, but I knew that I knew that the match was still far from over if I could just get some momentum going, and I did there in the third set. I just hung tough basically and waited for my chances and then when they came, I took them.

JIM COURIER: Yeah, well, he covers the net so well if you don't lob him, it is very difficult to get the ball by him because he is so close to the net. So, I definitely had to do that. Had no choice, really.

JIM COURIER: Well, first of all, I think I have been prepared each time to play and that helps and certainly these matches have all been close matches and having Tom on the court there as a second pair of eyes to kind of guide me through the matches and make adjustments, when necessary, has been a big help too. Because there have been times in these matches where I have had to make minor corrections in what I was doing out there that he has pointed out to me and have really been official.

JIM COURIER: That is not really something that I found. It is just something that I have. There is no reason to give up. You are down two sets to love; doesn't mean the match is over. The guy still has to win that final set. I have been ahead two sets to love and lost matches, so I know that the match is not over - to keep plugging away.

JIM COURIER: I think that his service percentage came down. I can't say if it was nerves or what caused it, actually.

JIM COURIER: Yeah, well, I didn't serve particularly intelligently in the first couple of sets and he was hurting me there. And, we made adjustments, and got a lot more first serves in to keep him off of the net. That was a very successful tactic.

JIM COURIER: I coined that?

JIM COURIER: Oh, God.

JIM COURIER: Where are my royalties?

JIM COURIER: Well, I mean, this match was really a bit of both because I mean, he was playing so well and attacking so well and not allowing me to play the way I was comfortable playing and until the third set, I was really a little bit uncomfortable out there. Then I got more into my comfort zone; got to hit more ground strokes and get a little bit more rhythm. But, it was a mental effort as well as a physical one to bring it back from two sets down, sure.

JIM COURIER: Yeah -- well, heart, I agree it is about the heart, but it is also about the head too because if you got a great heart with no head, you are not going anywhere. And vice versa. So, it really takes two, and, you know, really I was glad that he was sitting with me there today because I would have been in a whole lot of trouble if he wasn't.

JIM COURIER: No. Got to play it as another point.

JIM COURIER: I sure hope so. They have been playing very well in practice, and hopefully they will come out and play very confidently tomorrow. We certainly have the momentum and we would like to clean it up tomorrow.

JIM COURIER: Area.

JIM COURIER: I don't know. Different people react in different ways. I hope that he will see it as an opportunity to come out and, you know, and play and feel the support of his fellow citizens in the area here and hopefully use it as an advantage. That is the way I see it. I think it is an advantage to play in your comfort zone.

JIM COURIER: Tough question so far.

JIM COURIER: Okay.

JIM COURIER: I actually do understand your point of view. And, I hope that the people here don't see me not being here now as a lack of respect or a disrespect for you guys doing your job because it is not that at all. I hope that you can respect the fact that I had play a long match and what I am doing in the locker room is not in there drinking beers and celebrating. I am in there working, getting my body ready to be able to play on Sunday. That is what I am doing in there. I am working with Todd Snyder, our trainer. First of all, I had to get -- doping control had to do - had to go do a drug test and then I went in and stretched and got a quick massage - not a long one - but enough to help my body recover, because playing three and a half hours in Davis Cup tennis is a pretty exhausting thing for your body even in these conditions that are ideal to play in, nerves still, your muscles get tight, so I hope that me being here this late is not seen as disrespect because that is not the way it is intended. If it had been a straight set match I would have been here straight-a-way, but I am more concerned about Sunday, frankly, than you guys beating your deadlines. I hope you can understand it and appreciate it because I am here to try to win these matches primarily. So I hope you understand that.

JIM COURIER: It is, yeah.

JIM COURIER: First time it is a good time to do it. Never a bad time, but in Davis Cup.

CAPTAIN GULLIKSON: He is usually not down two sets. He is a good player. He is usually up two sets to Love or one set-all.

JIM COURIER: Yeah, well, it is not a statistic that I am particularly proud of. I mean, I would -- I would prefer to have come back and won lots of matches from two sets down, but, you know, I found a lot of times I just haven't been put in that situation and you know, certainly it is not from a lack of effort.

JIM COURIER: Very. I am not sure what the stats were, but I am sure I would be above 80% when I approached the net, something like that.

JIM COURIER: Well, the weekend is not over, but this is a good stepping stone hopefully for the rest of the weekend, for me and for the team. And I am certainly glad that Andre had a good performance today. That was very important for us to get off to a good start, and, you know, this will be one that I will remember for sure because it is the first time I came back from two sets to love down.

JIM COURIER: Address that?

JIM COURIER: Well, Brad actually, the first time I played Davis Cup was with Brad In Mexico so he is familiar with Davis Cup crowds in South America and Central America. I can't personally say I have ever been to a Raiders' game, but that is the rumor, that it is pretty rough there, so I actually should have consulted with Brad first before making such a derogatory comment towards his fellow Oakland fans. But, I think he will get over it. I hope so.

JIM COURIER: Absolutely not (laughter).

JIM COURIER: Probably not.

JIM COURIER: Yeah.

JIM COURIER: He has been coming more often this year, yeah. It is nice. Good to have a family around.