AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 16, 2001

Carlos Moya

THE MODERATOR: First English question.

CARLOS MOYA: Well, it was long time ago that I didn't play a whole match like 100 percent. What I remember is maybe two years ago with Guga Kuerten Hamburg. Since then, I was playing like this maybe four, five games, even a set. But then my level was going down a little bit. But today I played the whole match very hard level and I'm very proud of it.

CARLOS MOYA: No. I would say the difference is that I've been working very hard this winter since -- for two years I could not make a persistent that the weight has to be because during the winter I was injured. As soon as I was ready to play, I won two tournaments with no practice at all. And is difficult to play whole year without having charged batteries. This year, as I said before, I could -- I did the persistent, the way it has to be and the first tournament I played in Sydney, I didn't play bad at all. I just lost. I was really not confident. Here, I mean I've been practicing many times here and in Sydney twice a day. I've been playing sets, and I think that made the difference. That I came here like with more matches, more practice matches under my belt, and I think that was the difference.

CARLOS MOYA: For sure. I mean, I know it was just one match, but winning the way I did it and against Rios, which I beat him just once in my life, the way I did it today gives me a lot of confidence. But I know that I have to go step by step. It's only one match and still six matches to go and anything can happen. But for, again, a lot of confidence today and hopefully I'm going to keep playing the same level.

CARLOS MOYA: Yeah, kind of. I would say that maybe that's true, and not maybe starting from zero, but it's different now. I see the things in a different way. Well, hopefully I'm going to be as successful or even more than I was in my first career. But you learn things, I mean you learn a lot of things even when you are down, when you are through bad moments, and that I think makes you tougher. You know better what you want, and the good thing now is that I know how to get there, because I was there once. So I think that's an advantage for me, and hopefully I'm going to make it. I will say this is just a matter of time where I'm going to be back where I was a few years ago.

CARLOS MOYA: Yeah, I think instead of being disappointed, of course I was. But instead of being more disappointed, not to practice at all, that gave me like more power, like more confidence to practice harder than I did before, and to be very motivated and very focused to prove to people that I'm not done yet. I am just 24 years old, and many years in front of me and for sure my best tennis is gonna come. And, you know, but I could not say I was jealous or a bit disappointed, because I was trying and fighting to be on that team but I wasn't there and I never had any bad word for them. And, you know, they deserved to be on the team and they won. I could say they deserved it.

CARLOS MOYA: Well, it was hard because I was used to being the main actor I would say. I had a lot of success. I was the player, the main actor. And watching that tie from the crowd is very different. But, you know, I support them and I understood that the team who broke -- I mean the player who brought the team to a final, they deserved to be there because I didn't play really well. And that's it. But it was a different situation for me, a new one.

CARLOS MOYA: Well, my memories from '97 are the best I could have because for me everything began here. I was 25 in the world I think, when I left from here I was Top 10 for my first time in my life. And, you know, I have always loved to play here for some reasons. I haven't been able, since then, to be able to play well here. The first day I was here this year in Melbourne, I realized that the courts are very good for my game and you never know what can happen. You also can lose first round, even if the courts are good for you. But I feel the ball different than Sydney and, you know, I have always loved the people here. They treat me really well. What can I say? I just love to be in Australia and hopefully I'm gonna make it as well as I did in '97 or even better.

CARLOS MOYA: Well, if you wait to Rios to make mistakes and put the ball in, you gonna run 200 kilometers on court. I have always said about him that he has two forehands. His backhand is really good and he makes a lot of angles and you have to run like crazy. I decided to play very aggressive even from the return, I was like one meter in the court from the baseline, and I try to play aggressive and go to the net. Also a lot of variety. I was slicing a little bit my backhand when usually I don't. I think it work out today very well. But every match is a different story, and maybe we play now again, he would beat me. But today I've been just lucky to be better player than him and I'm very, very proud of my game.

CARLOS MOYA: Well, we had our reasons to split and ended up as very good friends and, you know, he thought that he could not give me 100 percent of his time as I thought I needed, and, you know, was not any problem at all. The situation now is I have three people working with me now and still one more piece is going to come, the fourth one which I don't know yet who's gonna be. But after this tournament it's gonna be decided. But all the people who's around me, they are great professionals. They are more than coaches, they are also great friends of mine and this is what I need now, to be with friends and they prove that they know about tennis; they know about fitness condition. And so far, I've been working very hard with them and I'm very happy with the team I have now. But still a fourth one is going to come.

CARLOS MOYA: The main area I would say, the main actor I will say. But I cannot say anything yet, so maybe when I finish here you're gonna know who I'm talking about.

CARLOS MOYA: Yeah.

CARLOS MOYA: Yes.

CARLOS MOYA: Yeah, I heard about him first time when I was here in '97. I didn't hear any word about him. I didn't follow the whole story. I didn't know how is the situation, but I don't want to get in trouble because maybe I say the wrong thing and 'cause I don't know the story. I, you know, I would say he's not my business. But he for sure he's having a lot of fun in Mallorca with all the money he got from here and for sure he's having a lot of fun. Don't get me wrong, I don't know the story so I cannot say anything.