AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 22, 2001

Carlos Moya

MODERATOR: Questions for Carlos.

CARLOS MOYA: It was really tough. It was really tough. Also just I had to play doubles for nearly three hours. I felt it a little bit at the beginning. It took me a while to play really well and to feel confident. But as you said, mentally was difficult. Was a different kind of match. Different to play Lleyton than Schuettler here in Australia. I had to fight a lot. I'm very happy that I won that match because it was almost the same difficult as it was against Hewitt.

CARLOS MOYA: I think so. I think mentally I'm very strong right now. I proved it today. I think today was very difficult match. I won it in straight sets. Right when I was supposed to play well, I did it. When it came to a very close match, I think I got through it. You know, the important moments I play very well, I serve very well. That's all mental. Also my game is there, of course, but I think mental I'm stronger than I was before.

CARLOS MOYA: Yeah, a little bit. At the beginning, I think. After I won the first set, I was much more confident again. I could play better. The serve was working really well. I made some good volleys. You know, but was difficult to forget about Saturday and all the feelings I had. But I could say I'm very happy to have won that match in straight sets.

CARLOS MOYA: Well, even if I play Sampras on grass, I never think I'm going to lose that match for sure. But I knew it was going to be difficult if he was taking that first set. I knew it was going to be really tough to get three sets. I never gave up. I think was the key that when he broke me, right after the next game I broke him back. Then we got to the tiebreak where I won pretty easily. I was kind of relieved that I won that first set. Then the second set I broke him right at the beginning. After that, was everything easier. But after he broke me in the first set, I was scared that was going to be a really long match.

CARLOS MOYA: Not really happy because I came here thinking that I was able to play. It's tough being at the place and watching all the other players getting everything to play, and you just not being able to get to the court. Is really difficult. But I was practicing, and that's it. I could not do anything else, just practice for 20 minutes, then I had to stop. That was for three months maybe or four months. But now is totally different feeling. You never forget that because you learn from those bad memories. I think they make you being a tougher player mentally. You know, it's not easy to forget.

CARLOS MOYA: Well, not on that stage. But I never gave up, you know. I practice much harder than I used to do before. I have to be honest. When you are having a bad moment, you never thinking you going to be back where you were before. But is all matter of confidence. When you confident, you think you're able to beat anybody, to be No. 1 again. That's how I thinking now, that I'm confident and I'm able to do all these things. But when you're having all these problems, you don't think at all that you're going to be back where you are.

CARLOS MOYA: I'm very happy. After two years, I would say.

CARLOS MOYA: Yeah. Well, we won the Davis Cup. I wasn't there. You know, I am very happy to be back. I always say, I'm very young, 24 years old. We have a very strong team, able to beat anybody anywhere. I think I'm going to have the chance to win it before I quit my career. Hopefully is going to happen, with me on the team.

CARLOS MOYA: Well, Davis Cup is always pressure. But the pressure is for them because we just won the Davis Cup. We play away. Normally they should win the tie. We're there, we going to give our best. I think we have the chance to win it, otherwise I wouldn't even go there. I expect a very tough tie. But hopefully we going to win it.

CARLOS MOYA: Well, you cannot expect an easy match in quarters. They both tough. I know Norman better than Grosjean. Grosjean, I played two times, one French Open, and the other one he beat me when I was No. 1. When I beat him, I won the tournament. If he wins and I beat him, is going to be a good one (laughter). Norman is playing well, too. He has better ranking than him - more experience maybe. But I expect a really tough match, whoever wins.

CARLOS MOYA: Well, my best tennis -- I mean, my tennis now is not far off my best tennis when I won French Open. I think I'm playing very well, very confident. I'm fit again. I'm a hundred percent, healthy. What can I say? My best tennis, I think this week I've been playing one of my best tennis in my career.

CARLOS MOYA: Did they help that day?

CARLOS MOYA: I've been watching a little bit of that match. I was surprised how quiet I was. You know, I was very focused, very concentrate. I didn't complain at all. I was missing a few easy shots and I didn't complain at all because I knew I was feeling strong with my serve. I knew if I took the chance, I would have chance to win that match. I think it helped me a lot. We are very different players, Lleyton and myself. He expresses all what he feels, and I don't. I think that day it helped me a lot because at the beginning of the match if I started yelling out "come on" all the time, screaming and complaining, I think you spend some energy on that. In such a tough match like that, you have to save all your energy on your game, to put on your serve. I think it helped me a lot that day.

CARLOS MOYA: Well, there are only eight players left. Now you can start about winning it because you're in quarters. But anyway, you have to go step by step, take it easy, relax, enjoy on court. That's what I'm doing now. I'm having a lot of fun. Always when you win, you have a lot of fun, so it's easy now. I wasn't having that fun months ago. Now I'm enjoying again. Who knows? I think I beat all the players left in the draw but Agassi. I think he's the only one I didn't beat. Anything can happen now.

CARLOS MOYA: Well, maybe they moved ahead of me, but I'm the only one who's been No. 1, I'm the only one with Bruguera who has won a Grand Slam. I think when it happened, I mean, when I had that injury, I was the No. 1. I want to see if I'm totally fit, a hundred percent healthy, and I'm playing my best, I want to see who's going to be the No. 1. They've been playing really well. Corretja has improved a lot since last two years. But Ferrero is coming now. I think he's not at Corretja's level yet, but he has a very bright future, I would say. We'll see. We'll see what's going to happen. When I'll be ready for that, we see who's going to be the best. But it's going to be tough to pass them because they have been playing really well.

CARLOS MOYA: Maybe. Maybe that was my mistake. But I have to say it took like two months to find out what the problem was because at the beginning I think I retired from US Open, and then after two months they found what was. Those two months I was trying to practice, stopping again. Then when I think I was ready, I went to Chennai last year at the beginning, then I came here to Sydney. I was thinking I was going to be able to play at least a match and try it. Maybe if I knew what was going to happen, I would stay home. If you don't take risks, you never know what can happen. I took the risk and it didn't work.