TMS MONTE CARLO

April 18, 2003

Carlos Moya

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

CARLOS MOYA: Well, that's good. I almost dropped a set today, the first one. He had set point. So I am very pleased that I won in straight sets. And the first set was complicated. I think we shouldn't have gotten to the tiebreak even. I was 4-1 up and serving, then he start to play better. The second set I think I played real well, so I'm very pleased.

CARLOS MOYA: Well, the last months have been really great for me - since Wimbledon last year. I mean, after Wimbledon last year, which I didn't play, I start to play really well. Even Paris I play really well. So I wouldn't say the last weeks or last months, but the last year I think I played pretty solid. And, you know, I hope I'm going to keep playing at this level. But I would say that I'm playing better than a few years ago.

CARLOS MOYA: Well, the results are proving what I'm saying. Here, I didn't win a Grand Slam as I did in '98. But you have a look at the numbers, last year I won more matches than I ever did. This year, I having a pretty good record. I played final even in Miami. So that's why I think that I'm better player than I was.

CARLOS MOYA: I think altogether I am fit, I am healthy, confident. I think I improve my backhand, I've been working really hard on that. My serve is also working well. The forehand has been always there. So, I mean, altogether I think I am more complete player than I was before.

CARLOS MOYA: I think if I play 100 percent and if I play a very high level, I think I have more chances than him. He's a very dangerous player, very tough. He's fighting like crazy. He has also a lot of talent. But against him, at least I can play my game. So, if I'm able to play well and I hit the ball really hard, I think I have more chances than he has. But if I am playing 98 percent, he's gonna beat me. So I have to be really focus the whole match.

CARLOS MOYA: I'll try. It will be important. His second serve is not that big, so I'll try to take advantage of my serve and also focus on the return serve.

CARLOS MOYA: The key in the second set, you mean?

CARLOS MOYA: I was one set up. I think that was the main difference. At the beginning, I think he was kind of nervous and tired. He wasn't playing well at all. After we were 4-1 up, I kind of relaxed and he started to play well. Then I be lucky at the tiebreak that I hit very good shots. When I was 7-6 up, I thought that he saw it really difficult to win. I understand that he's tired because he won last week in Casablanca. He has won a few tough matches here. He had chances in that set. He had set point even. So when he lost that set, I guess he kind of gave up. But I also played very well in those moments. And, you know, he's a very dangerous player, and I'm pleased that I won in straight sets.

CARLOS MOYA: I guess it was different. I mean, on hard courts, I think he's even better than here. But he is more confident now because he's coming from winning in Casablanca. I was coming from clay court, like winning Bastad, Umag; semifinal in Sopot. So I got there pretty tired, and I still won that match. I don't know what the similarities were because I don't remember that match pretty well, but for sure he was serving big. I try to stay in with my return. You know, I think was a good win in such conditions to beat Boutter on hard court.

CARLOS MOYA: Yeah, but in some moments I wasn't playing well at all. I was kind of nervous also when he came back and he had that set point. I mean, he goes one set up, you never know what can happen. Because suddenly, he's not tired anymore, he's confident and I'm not as confident as I was at the beginning. So, yeah, I mean, I was feeling not real well in those moments. I been lucky to scrape and to win that first set.

CARLOS MOYA: I mean, altogether is very important. Masters Series, of course, are very important. I used to play well here in Monte-Carlo, and then for I don't know what reason I haven't been able to give my best in Rome and Hamburg. It's still a clay court, and it's Masters Series. I'm supposed to play well. But only last year I play well in Rome and two years ago in Hamburg, where I played semifinal. But the other years I didn't play well. Then comes Paris, which is the most important one. But is also important to get there with confidence, and the best thing to get confidence is winning matches. That's what I am going to try to do.

CARLOS MOYA: No, not really. I mean, we just want to win. It doesn't matter if the opponent is Spanish or not. But it's not such a competition. The competition, at least for me, is to be No. 1 in the world, not No. 1 in Spain.

CARLOS MOYA: Well, maybe if I think of it, it puts a little bit of pressure, and I want to take things easy, you know. But I think one of the keys that I got to No. 1 a few years ago is that I really wanted to be No. 1. So now, I mean, in some ways it puts more pressure on you. But in some other ways, it gives you motivation. I mean, I'm just few steps away from being No. 1, but there are many points, you know, between the first and second and the third. But it would be a good first step to win here. And then, you know, Agassi is defending champion in Rome; Hewitt in Wimbledon. So you don't know what can happen. You have to go step by step and try to win the next match and you see what happen. But I have to admit that right now is a goal to be No. 1.