DAVIS CUP - BELGIUM vs USA

July 16, 1998

Tom Gullikson

RANDY WALKER: We'll start the question and answer session with the American team. Questions from the press?

ANDRE AGASSI: First of all, it's definitely something that I need right now. I need the practice with these players, with these guys, I need the matchplay. I had a pretty good setback in the French Open this year, and it didn't allow me to play much before Wimbledon. On the grass, if you're not sharp with your game, it's very difficult. So, needless to say, my confidence wasn't too high. I've been working out a lot on the hard courts now; my shots are coming around. I'll start getting out there and playing the matches. This is very instrumental in the start of the summer. But even beyond that, it's instrumental in my career. Davis Cup has always been important. To be here really is always an honor. So I'm looking forward to it.

JIM COURIER: I'll second that. For me, no matter where I am, whether I'm coming off a great event or poor event, I'm always excited to be at Davis Cup. I always relish the opportunity to have four days of great practice with great players; it gets me ready to go and play for my country. You know, I'm frankly very happy to be back on hard courts and not on grass (laughter). It's nice to be able to know where the ball is going to bounce. I look forward to it. This is the start of the summer for pretty much all of us. Being in America playing the next couple of months, I know we're all happy about that, I certainly am. I'm looking forward to a good weekend here and hopefully get us off on a good foot for the rest the summer.

JIM COURIER: It's probably been one of the top three matches in my career as far as memorable experiences go. You know, it's not too often that you get these big guys to pile on you after a match in some kind of a dog pile. That certainly upped the ante a little bit. It was a really powerful experience for me to come from behind in a match like that and pull it out. It's just another reason, another great reason, to play Davis Cup. Those kinds of matches, whether you win them or lose them, you never forget them. That's kind of what it's all about for me, is having these kind of memories, creating the memories.

ANDRE AGASSI: It definitely affects your preparation as far as getting in more matches. You know, when you're talking about clay, you're talking about grass, you're talking about two extremes. Hard court has been the best part of my game. It's nice to get out there on the court and feel comfortable again. It's been a great preparation for me to hopefully do real well this summer. I'm not really worried about my recent results, but I am looking forward to playing these matches and watching it all unfold.

JIM COURIER: Do we know them?

ANDRE AGASSI: I know a little bit about his game. But you're never too sure until you play somebody. You know, we've never played, so it's going to be a new experience for both of us. But Davis Cup in a lot of cases isn't even about tennis out there; it's just about your will and desire to win. It's always exciting. So I'm just going to be prepared for anything.

TODD MARTIN: Can't understand a word you said.

JIM COURIER: I think we just have to go out and do our jobs, play the best tennis we can play, try to win our matches. It's a real simple equation: go out there and do what we know how to do. They're going to do the same thing. Whoever is doing it better that day is going to win. I'm certainly not worried about making heroes out of anybody. I'm just worried about winning the first point when I play.

TODD MARTIN: Well, I feel pretty much a hundred percent right now with my elbow, especially when the weather is like this, hot and humid, it helps all my joints out. In regards to Richey and me playing together, it's been sort of a nice surprise. We just were asked for Indian Wells to play together, ended up having some good success, giving Tom another option for the doubles point. We played a pretty solid match in Atlanta against the Russians. Hopefully we'll have more of the same this week.

CAPTAIN GULLIKSON: The question was, your decision to go with the same very good-looking veteran team (laughter). First of all, these four guys are really committed to Davis Cup. They not only played well in Atlanta, they worked well together, great camaraderie, which is an underrated part of playing tennis, certainly in a team atmosphere like Davis Cup. Certainly, we played well in Atlanta. I wanted to give them a first option of playing here as well in the second round. It's as simple as that.

CAPTAIN GULLIKSON: You want to go with what's working and who's committed.

CAPTAIN GULLIKSON: No surprises. Obviously, Van Garsse has won the fifth match in the last two ties against France and then against Holland. He's left-handed; he plays good tennis. It's certainly no surprise. Dewulf is their No. 1 guy, has been for a long time. No surprises.