U.S. OPEN

September 9, 1992

Jim Courier

Q. What happened on that volley you hit?

JIM COURIER: I choked. It was such an easy shot. I had kind of looked up on it; instead of hitting it.

Q. What was the atmosphere like against -- you were hitting so hard. He is not ranked as high as he used to be. Did it seem like that to you?

JIM COURIER: Well, this match was tough, and Mac, too, because everyone wants them to win. So it is like I am fighting them and the crowd is lifting them up too. It is kind of weird.

Q. How hard do you feel like you guys were hitting?

JIM COURIER: Pretty big.

Q. How about the consistency?

JIM COURIER: Pretty big too. Hitting it big out there; weren't too many flat out unforced errors. We have had some pretty good matches this year, so far.

Q. Do you feel at all that when you two get together, you guys hit the ball that-- kind of big from point one all the way through?

JIM COURIER: Sure, that is the way we play.

Q. Can you get in that kind of match with anybody else besides Andre?

JIM COURIER: Well, with him, our styles are similar, kind of matches up that way. Sampras is one the players that hits the ball big too, in a different way, serving a little bit bigger and come to the net. We just stand back there and whack from the baseline.

Q. How big was winning this match?

JIM COURIER: Very big. It is always big to win a match against a top player in a Grand Slam. It is very special, and everyone was talking about how well I am not playing. I'll tell you what, you can't look me in the eye and tell me I didn't play a good match out there tonight. That is for sure. If you do, I will tell you are a liar.

Q. What about the whole idea about being the number one player in the world and people in New York don't even know it?

JIM COURIER: You know, what do you want me to do? I do my job. I do it well and if they don't know, it really doesn't matter to me. I go out there and I give it everything I have got out there, and I do it right. I think that I played the way it should be played as far as competitively. I hope people appreciate that. If they don't, there is nothing I can do about it. So I don't worry about it. I am myself. If you like me, you like me. If you don't, you don't. I am not going to change to please anybody.

Q. Andre came in and talked about trying to get stronger to stay with you. Do you feel you have a physical advantage over him that you can hit the ball harder, longer, easier? He mentioned it on and on?

JIM COURIER: He hits the ball just as hard as I do.

Q. We couldn't quite figure it out. He didn't say endurance. He says he needs to do weight lifting -- he feels he needs to be stronger to stay with you.

JIM COURIER: I have no response to that.

Q. Jim, what makes you so relentless mentally? Virtually, all your matches, whether you are playing the old guys--

JIM COURIER: I like to compete, battle is what, you know, I enjoy most about the game.

Q. Do you try to hit harder when you play him? It looked liked like you were hitting much harder tonight. Is it a macho thing at all?

JIM COURIER: It is just because with him, you have to keep him on the defense, you run him all over the place. Both of us are trying to make the other one run.

Q. First time there has been a big night match here where there wasn't Connors or a McEnroe involved. This was just like a heavy weight championship of the world out there, guys following you with cameras. Did it feel that way?

JIM COURIER: It is par for the course, I guess. It U.S. Open quarterfinal.

Q. Talk about whether you look at Andre as the rival for you or the--

JIM COURIER: I think we have good matches for people to watch. I like it because I have been winning.

Q. Where do you see this going? He talked about 10 years.

JIM COURIER: I plan on being around if I am healthy. I think he does too.

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