U.S. OPEN

September 7, 1993

Andrei Medvedev

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: This year I already know.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: How do I feel? Very happy. Very happy that I could -- I could start like that. Smart people say that the beginning is the most difficult and to be able to start in the quarterfinal in Flushing Meadows is very good.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: I lost to him twice this year on my favorite clay and on the grass, also my favorite. Both times he really beat me. I made a good game but he really beat me. So we never played on the hardcourt and I only was able to watch his match against Courier today. And the way he play, you know, was very exciting. He serves well, he returns good. He plays the baseline; plus volley. So for me to be able to compete against him, with him, to be able to play good match, I have to show a very good game, just to be able to be on the same level. And then if I am lucky, you know, I have a chance, but I have to say the way he played today, he can beat anybody, and to beat him, going to be a good match.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: Yeah. I would say, yes. But I saw him -- saw lots of his matches and every one of them was very good, you know, I haven't seen him in a really playing bad, so he is a very solid player, so as I said, to beat him, I have to play very good game. And I have to change a little bit, I mean, I have to change my mentality or something, because Richard is a serve and volley player and now it is a more tactical game, the next match is tactical. I have to play very good.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: That means playing on the baseline and finishing the point with the winner, with the volley or something. So the points will be longer than they were today. And that will take a lot of mental concentration.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: We will see. You can't say something like that before the match. You have to see what is happened in your match. I would say today he played very good match but not the best match. Maybe the next day he plays even better. So, as I said, I hopefully will be a tough match.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: I really can't because I never can see the hardcourt as an easy surface to play for me because I have problems with the movement and, you know, I don't feel very comfortable, even I think I can play well, I just don't feel comfortable. I can't compare the hardcourt surface as one to each other because it is really the same to me. It is still hard. It is very, very difficult to play.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: It is the same. It is fast. Just fast. You can't say it is two miles slower or something. It is just fast.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: I don't think so. I mean, it is just --

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: I don't- - I don't get any attention, I don't think so. The people talk to me, but probably maybe they shy to talk to me. They talk to each other, but they -- I don't know. Not many people coming and saying, hey, you are a very nice guy, or very good player. People don't do this. I don't feel the attention of this. I am still a normal guy, I think. Maybe people consider me a very good tennis player, but my thoughts are that I have so many things to improve that I can't consider myself a good tennis player. I can be much better if I work hard. And there is so many goals to improve. As I said, I concentrate on the working; not taking the fame already, you know. So maybe it happens later, but I don't think so.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: I would say it was very close to maximum. But not 100%. I would say it was very close to maximum. Maybe you can write for which paper you work for.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: 85 percent.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: 85 percent. But I have to say I played a very good match.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: I was overconfident in myself. I thought that I beat the guy, you know, I just go on the court and I beat him. Twice it was a very, very close match and there was the decision of just two points, you know, I missed them and I lost the whole match. And I don't think I will make this mistake tomorrow. I mean, after tomorrow. But I have to say, again, the way that he played today, to beat him you have to show a very good game and just to be able to compete with him on the court. You have to show a very good game.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: I think you should ask him this. Every player -- every player is different because my goal right now is to go against him and the other player maybe would go and celebrate, celebrated the quarterfinal. I just want to go to sleep. I don't care about anything. Even I am 100. I just don't care I want to go to sleep. If he -- I don't think that he is having party right now. I think he is sleeping. So he is smart enough to realize that he is in another quarterfinal of a Grand Slam tournament; has a very good chance of advancing to in the final and I don't think he wants to miss it. And if he does miss it, well, he just doesn't, so --

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: No.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: No, because I don't know. Just -- not this tournament. Not this tournament because it is nice, the people they are nice. They walk on the stadium and maybe when you walk already behind, somebody cry, hey, this is Medvedev, he was just passing us. But 10 meters already behind you, you just -- I don't care about that. It is very nice, it is very nice. The people in America are more quiet than in Europe so there is no reason to have those cards.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: I am thinking of moving.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: So nice. It is a real life.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: Every meal is so special because you don't know what to expect from the meal. You know, you just eating and thinking I hope this time I will be okay. And I have to say that the food in the hotel where I am staying is just fantastic, I mean, it is -- it hasn't been anything wrong yet so -- and I don't think it will be. But as I said, the food in the players' lounge needs to be improved, and I had the spaghetti today and it just stuck. I swear to God. It didn't help me. I thought of getting the energy, but I was like, you know, I don't know how to explain it, but when you eat this spaghetti in the restaurant, in a normal Italian restaurant, you feel that you are getting the energy and you want to do something, you want to burn this energy. When you eat the spaghetti here you just want to sleep because -- seriously, it is so hard to work. I am not joking, seriously.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: I am not joking. As I said before and I will say it every time you ask me, the food needs to be improved because this is a very -- it's a very tough tournament to play because of the weather conditions and it is very tough to play because of the many conditions you have here and the food, I think, would be one -- well, one of the most important things that could help the players to stay healthy; not to kill them. It is true. It is true. The food needs to be improved. Nobody will tell you this because they afraid to hurt the people. You know, they are afraid, oh, the chef, he wouldn't like it. Sure, he wouldn't like it. But if you ask anyone real opinion, everyone will tell you that he would get paid not to eat here. He will say take the money, but want to eat here. But he has no other choice because this is the only place to eat in this area. Seriously you have to change -- because I am 19. Other players they think, I am old enough, I only have two years left on the tour, so I don't care. I have many years left. I hope. So I want it to be changed.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: In women's draws.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: I didn't see it. I only look in the women's draws. It is more interesting. You can win so much money, seriously. You can bet the semifinals. You can be sure to win.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: I was sleeping also. And taking a lot of showers, because you sweating just walking on the street. I sweat. Taking showers; then eat spaghetti and go to bed.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: Well, as I said already before on the. Television, that being able to play well in these conditions is very difficult and the tennis is improving so fast that anybody can beat anybody. Absolutely any tournament now, we have just enough sensations. I mean, just enough results to prove that anybody can beat anybody. And playing the Grand Slam tournament, you know, for seeded players it is a little bit pressure, because the people expect them to win. And when you have, you know, noise, during the whole match; when you have, I don't know, you have players lounge that they have, you know, you can't really relax and think about tennis, and concentrate on the tennis. And because the seeded players have pressure, that the people expect them to win, maybe that is why they can't play well. Hopefully it is not the main reason. But I think the most important thing is that the tennis has improved so much that anybody can win.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: Yeah, never play.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: Yes, that is correct.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: No, I can't tell you because you are from the paper. It is not right. I found it. Seriously, I was walking on the street and I found it. I was surprised.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: Yes.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: Yeah.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: Yeah, 23.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: I don't know. I guess it is mine, no.

RICHARD FINN: We are going to let Andrei go to sleep; take a shower and eat spaghetti. Thank you.