THE LIPTON CHAMPIONSHIPS

March 25, 1997

Jim Courier

JIM COURIER: You did? Boy, I'm not sure what you saw. I didn't do anything like that.

JIM COURIER: Check the videotape. I have no idea what you're talking about.

JIM COURIER: Must be the mushrooms.

JIM COURIER: Stay away from that mushroom sauce.

JIM COURIER: Hard fought. Always satisfying to be the top player. It's always just a little bit of a pat on the back, the work you're doing is not for nothing. It's just another step in the right direction. It's a long year this year, I know that. I've had some good weeks and I've had some bad weeks. You know, I have to persevere and keep going. Hopefully, by the end of the year, I'll have had the results that I hope for.

JIM COURIER: Yeah. It's called play as well as you can all year instead of playing well for half a year and then falling asleep.

JIM COURIER: I don't have such a select month-by-month thing. It's more just a general statement.

JIM COURIER: Well, I mean, there are those things. I have different sets of goals which I don't discuss here or in really any other public forum. They're more for myself and the people that I work with to judge. Those are the things that I hope to work on.

JIM COURIER: They exist for sure. You can't do this if you don't set goals. You can't blindly do it. I prefer not to really spill it here.

JIM COURIER: Well, what was most encouraging was that I played steadily all the way through. Even when I was down Love-40, I kept my composure, just kept playing my game, actually raised it a little bit at that level -- raised it a level at Love-40 to hang on that game. That's encouraging. Anytime you can get by a guy who has a Grand Slam title under his belt on a surface that he's comfortable on, that's a good day at the office. There's not that many guys with Grand Slam titles out here, so. I think they're stunned now, Joe. Get them when we got them.

JIM COURIER: Helps, for sure. I've been living here for going on four years now. Everyone likes the local, for sure. I feel like I'm starting to become that local down here. Hopefully, it's something that will grow.

JIM COURIER: No. Harold was the one.

JIM COURIER: No. I would go anywhere for whoever was the right person. Frankly, there's not that many coaches that I would consider working with. Timing is everything. Jose and I were stopping. He and Mary Joe were stopping. He became available. That's how it happened, really.

JIM COURIER: It's hard to say why. I was speaking to Gavin, my agent, and we were discussing it. We were discussing names. When he said Harold's name, it was like a light bulb clicked on, and I knew it was right from there.

JIM COURIER: Why are you with Anita? I'm sure just a light bulb clicked on.

JIM COURIER: I used that analogy the other day. You ask me how is it going with Harold? How is your marriage? It's the same thing. It's a relationship where you're with this person virtually every day. It has to just feel right.

JIM COURIER: Glad something came on (laughter).

JIM COURIER: That's why there's not that many coaches I can work with.

JIM COURIER: I respect Harold's opinion.

JIM COURIER: From knowing him before, from seeing him play the game, from knowing him through his work with Mary Joe.

JIM COURIER: Yes.

JIM COURIER: Come on, you're paid to ask the tough question. Say what you want to say. Just say it.

JIM COURIER: Does Andre deserve to be on the team? Unquestionably.

JIM COURIER: Do I have to work harder?

JIM COURIER: No. My job is the same. I have to win two singles matches, very simply. There's really nothing more to it. I'm happy to have Andre on the team. Like I was saying to Linda, there's not that many guys that have Grand Slam titles and have been to the top of the mountain. I have the utmost confidence in Andre that he will be ready to play and prepared and he will do it for us. I don't think there's any doubt. There's been many times in his career when he's been having sub-par years when Davis Cup has been his moment. Last year, for example, he wasn't having the best of years. In the summer he won the Olympics. When Andre decides to play, you better look out. I think and I hope that he will decide the time is now.

JIM COURIER: Anytime you say the word "win" it's fun. It doesn't really matter where. That's what I'm trying to do, whether it's at the net or at the baseline. I'm just trying to figure out a way to get through the opponent. That's the name of the game.

JIM COURIER: Yeah.

JIM COURIER: Yes.