U.S. OPEN

September 3, 1993

Andrei Medvedev

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: I was getting nervous.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: Keep playing.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: I wish they give me more matches, I mean, if I could, I would like to play center court.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: I am a little bit. I think I was a little bit overweight; since after this match I think I am fine. Even if I am in a two kilos down something, even if I am-- even if I am low in my weight, I would still sweat a little because this is-- but it is normal for me.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: I don't think that I was doing a lot of things right. Richey played a solid game. And a solid overall game. He played a good serve and volley. He was playing his first serve very sharp and he didn't miss a lot. And I wasn't feeling like I was in the match. I was thinking about the different things and certainly I wasn't, you know, 100% in the match. I was like in and out. And when the score gets 6-4, 5-4, with a break, I realized that there is no way back; that I am at the U.S. Open and it is last Grand Slam tournament and I want to play well here. If I lose the next game; then I don't have very much chances to come back. Just happened that I played a very good game again, you know, could have turned down the other way very easy. It should have turned around --

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: Who?

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: It was fun. It was like you know, after my -- after my practice yesterday, I spent the whole day in Manhattan, so I didn't feel any different. It was the same. It was like flying everywhere and that is good. It is good because you get more, you know, chances to recover and since we got this suspended, Richey, he hit one ball on the court, it was a good turn around for me. You know, playing in these conditions, it is fun.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: When you are up 2 sets to one and a break, sure, you hit 3 aces no problem. I don't hit a lot of first serves when you needed to in the first two sets and-- when things get better get more relaxed. I felt Richey is going down; it is easy to play well. But he doesn't say that you know, my serve is working. He just-- it just is a matter of mental, you know, feelings or something.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: Every match in a Grand Slam is a step forward, no matter if you win or lose, because certainly you can't just go out and win every Grand Slam match you play. You want to do this. You wish you can do it. But it is just too difficult because Grand Slam is a Grand Slam. It is best of five sets and everyone wants to win. And if you win or lose just being in this atmosphere brings it back next year and you have more experience.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: Give up, you say.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: I was feeling that I have reach a little bit under control because I was pretty sure that my baseline was getting better if I needed too. And I felt that I could improve and as I said, I wasn't 100% in the match. Sorry that we began early. And I felt that I can fight, you know, but anyway, it was pretty stupid of me not to be concentrated and to go out and be ready and 100% from the first point.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: No, it didn't bother me.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: I am staying-- that is why I was like, you know, it was normal for me, the trash is flying around; the people they just make some noise. It is incredible, because I realize that you know, just two weeks a year you can spend in Manhattan because it is so crazy, because being for example in a village in Germany or somewhere in Monte Carlo or some other quiet places, you get board because there is no fun. And this is -- it is like completely different lifestyle. The people just crazy. It is nice. They are crazy. They are nice. Seriously, you go in the street, they walk so fast, I mean -- you can't keep up. You can't keep up. And you know, they drive fast and no accidents, it is unbelievable. I haven't seen one accident in New York and I was close 100 times. It is so beautiful that you can't explain it. It is so nice.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: It is nice. Sometimes they are friendly. Sometimes during the whole trip they don't tell you one word except the price. And those words are not the most friendly words here. But some of them-- many of them, I would say first of all, there are many Russian taxi drivers and other people, you know from the other countries and they like to talk to you. It is funny, you found out that there is -- the life is going on. It is some people have there own problems. I have a problem to hit my forehand and he has a problem to make a living. It is different problems completely. Just to talk to those people. It is different experience. It is great.

ANDREI MEDVEDEV: That is what I am saying. It is fun. It is fun. Seriously. Since you don't get shot, it is loads of fun, seriously. Nobody ask for your wallet or your watch, it is really funny, but it is exciting to me. Because we are tennis players. We don't see much of the real life. We are always playing in country club, good hotels and nice food and many people thinks -- think that we are the different world. But we are same people, like you, we have two legs, one body and a head, two hands and you know, the only thing that we playing tennis. It is our job. We can't help it. Seeing the different life, seeing the life outside the tennis is a completely different experience and you know, being inside of it even for two weeks, it is great. It is really good. I wish -- I don't want to live in Manhattan so far but being there for a little while, it is great.