US OPEN

September 2, 1998

Paul Haarhuis

PAUL HAARHUIS: He was supposed to go to dinner at 7:30, the people called him and said we'll be 20 minutes to half an hour late. We will come to the hotel, we'll meet you in the lobby. 20 minutes later this phone call -- it was his wife, she said my water broke. He actually was very lucky that those people called him and delayed him by 20 minutes.

PAUL HAARHUIS: She was two weeks early, next Sunday and a week, so 12 days early.

PAUL HAARHUIS: It is a miracle. It is indescribable what he was feeling.

PAUL HAARHUIS: Yes.

PAUL HAARHUIS: Yeah.

PAUL HAARHUIS: No, Lars.

PAUL HAARHUIS: Healthy, happy.

PAUL HAARHUIS: Lars. I can't believe he's dumping me, his buddy for seven years for a kid he's never seen before. We've been through so much and he's dumping me.

PAUL HAARHUIS: With this wife, yeah.

PAUL HAARHUIS: This is the only kid he knows of and that we know of, let me put it that way -- (laughing) -- no, it's his first.

PAUL HAARHUIS: Six and a half hours.

PAUL HAARHUIS: He arrived 11 in Amsterdam, took a cab or got picked up, and he arrived 1 o'clock in the hospital and five to two she delivered the baby.

PAUL HAARHUIS: It was a sigh of relief when he came in, and then it came out.

PAUL HAARHUIS: I told him I can't believe he dumped me for some kid he's never seen before.

PAUL HAARHUIS: Yes.

PAUL HAARHUIS: We talked about the possibilities, that it could happen and he could go home. I am disappointed it happened right now. I am not disappointed he went home. I'm happy for him that he came home in time for his baby, that his wife is healthy, that the baby's healthy and he's doing well. I am disappointed at this point it happened, that we can't play and go out and try to win this title.

PAUL HAARHUIS: Yes.

PAUL HAARHUIS: Sunday, the Final Sunday, so the Finals.

PAUL HAARHUIS: Yes.

PAUL HAARHUIS: I became a father in February. I stayed home from the Australian Open the first couple of weeks for the year because my wife was do then.

PAUL HAARHUIS: I stayed home. I wouldn't have even taken the risk of being here. I wouldn't have come here. I wouldn't have been here.

PAUL HAARHUIS: No, no. I am just saying I wouldn't have even been here. He took a big risk to miss it. He was very lucky because he was going out the door to go for dinner and then the lady called who he was going to dinner with, these people he knows, we are running 20 minutes late. It was 20 minutes they were late and he was waiting for them in the room. His wife called 20 minutes later, my water broke. Had he gotten to the dinner, he would have missed the message and missed the flight. He was very lucky to be home. I wouldn't even risk missing that.

PAUL HAARHUIS: First child, yeah. You play 30 or 50 Grand Slams, you don't want to risk not being there when your wife's having a child. Even if you could break records. Personally, if you could win your 50th in a row, I would miss it.

PAUL HAARHUIS: Not the whole thing, only last hour. He arrived at 1 o'clock and she delivered five to two. It started hours before, but he was there when the baby was delivered.

PAUL HAARHUIS: Yes, I spoke to him. He was home, she was home, the baby was doing well. He said, "He didn't cry yet." I said, "Well, when he gets hungry he will." I forgot to ask him if he changed diapers or not.

PAUL HAARHUIS: Yes.

PAUL HAARHUIS: Yes.

PAUL HAARHUIS: To Amsterdam.

PAUL HAARHUIS: He was going to go to dinner at 7:30 and they called and said they were going to be late, 7:45 his wife called and he got a flight at 10:30, 11:00 to Amsterdam. It was overbooked by 50 people, but he knows somebody. They had some people that didn't make the flight, but Jacco came at the first minute.

PAUL HAARHUIS: Lars.

PAUL HAARHUIS: 3,500 -- 3,350 grams. I don't know how much that is in pounds or ounces. For a boy, that's not too big.

PAUL HAARHUIS: Sure.

PAUL HAARHUIS: There is disappointment in that we can't play. Obviously there is no disappointment or resentment that he went home besides the fact that he dumped me for some kid he's never seen before.

PAUL HAARHUIS: Yeah, for sure.

PAUL HAARHUIS: No more Grand Slams with him, never, I'm through with him.

PAUL HAARHUIS: I don't know. Only a couple of tournaments -- he's retiring at the end of the year.

PAUL HAARHUIS: And this is his thank you for all of these years. That's what a real buddy does for you.

PAUL HAARHUIS: I tried to talk the referee into letting me play. He said, "Who's going to serve?" I said, "I'll serve. Left or right?" No, it's okay