US OPEN

September 4, 2004

Carlos Moya

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Carlos.

CARLOS MOYA: It was a great match. As you said, the atmosphere was great. Crowd was enjoying. I cannot say that I was enjoying too much. But still is great to play these kind of matches. Then if you win them, you have a great feeling. But today I had the other side of this game, I lost. Is kind of disappointing. But I can understand that the people enjoyed.

CARLOS MOYA: Who?

CARLOS MOYA: He never won?

CARLOS MOYA: Yeah, I guess that he must be very happy right now. It's a great win. He's been doing very well this tournament so far. I think he played a very good match. So I can understand how his feelings are. I would like to be in his position, but that's not the situation.

CARLOS MOYA: He played very complete match. To be honest, I think he deserved to win today. I was break up in each set, so if you have that advantage, you get to 5-All in the fifth, that means that something is wrong. I hope I will learn from this loss because I can take many things to improve. But, as I said, he deserved to win today.

CARLOS MOYA: I mean, he's 5'5", and he's Top 70, Top 80 player. Means that he's very complete. He's doing everything okay. So he play very well today. He moved me very well. Still I had many chances to win this match, but I didn't make them. So tennis right now is very close. I mean, any player can beat one of the top players. So if I have so many chances and I don't make them, it will happen what happened today.

CARLOS MOYA: I felt I was going to win this match, even when I lost the second set and was a break up in the third. It didn't come to my mind that I could lose. I was playing okay. Second set I also had chances. I was break up, and didn't make it. Third, okay, break up again. I lost that set. When I lose the third set, I realize it was going to be tough to beat him. Then, again, fourth set, 4-1 up, he comes back. We get to the tiebreak, anything can happen. Even when I won that set, I knew was going to be still a tough fifth set, as it was. Again, break up in the fifth. I had so many chances. I mean, if I didn't win it, it's because I didn't deserve it.

CARLOS MOYA: Not really. I think in the Olympics the ball was faster. I could get many more points with my serve. Also my forehand was bouncing much higher than here. So it's something better for me that today didn't have the ball, gets very big here. I couldn't use that. But still I think I played better in the Olympics than today.

CARLOS MOYA: It's very disappointing. I was in the third round. So that means that I won two matches already. So I was in the tournament, I was playing better every day, feeling confident, practicing very well. So it's disappointing, very disappointing.

CARLOS MOYA: Yeah, it's difficult to upset when you lose 7-5 in the fifth set. I wasn't serving very well, although I hit many aces. I wasn't feeling comfortable with my serve. No, probably I was shaking a little bit in that point and I double-faulted. I cannot do anything now. I mean, I would change many things from that match, but right now the situation is that I lost and there's not much I can do.

CARLOS MOYA: To be more concentrated when I was break up in each set. I think it never happened before that I was break up in all the sets and I ended losing that, the match. So maybe kind of relaxed a little bit. I thought that maybe it was over when it wasn't. Like I said, I think I can learn few things from this match. Not right now, because that's not the moment now. But to be more focused and concentrated when I'm leading the match, I think that's what I would change.

CARLOS MOYA: No. I think the situation was very different. I was 5-2 in the fourth set and serving, so that means I was two breaks up. He was playing every time worse and I was playing better. The situation is totally different than today. Today I knew that he can play really well, as he proved today. So the situation was different. I was very relaxed the other day, even that he saved like nine, ten match points, but I knew I was going to win that match.

CARLOS MOYA: No. Because my matches were not that good, and my tournaments lately, they have been okay but nothing special. So I cannot say I was overconfident. Maybe I beat him twice, he never beat me, he never took a set from me, so I was feeling I was playing better and better and practicing very well. Always when you get to the match, it's different feeling than practice. But still I was confident that I was going to win this match, but not overconfident. I respect him and I knew was going to be tough match.