US OPEN

August 30, 2000

Carlos Moya

Q. Can you talk a little bit about your year, how you're feeling, the back, the foot, all of that?

CARLOS MOYA: Well, the back is perfect. I don't feel any pain right now. And the year has not been really good but I've been having ups and downs. Lately I'm up again. I'm playing very well, very confident. Then last week when I was feeling very well and playing my best, I damaged my finger, my toe. So, you know, always I'm having problems, you know? And now looks like I'm healthy again and, you know, playing my best tennis of the year for sure, and feeling confident again, feeling strong and very healthy.

CARLOS MOYA: It's true that the only weeks I played well this year were small tournaments. I didn't do my best in any major tournaments, so that makes a difference in your ranking. It looks like now I am playing much better than I played in Wimbledon and French Open, I am much fitter right now. It's always great to have a first match winning in straight sets. And, you know, hopefully I'm gonna -- my best tennis is going to come in next days, and I'm gonna

be -- I'm gonna feel more confident. Hopefully I'm gonna play a good tournament.

CARLOS MOYA: Yep.

CARLOS MOYA: Sure. I always like playing in the States. This is my fifth year here, the only time I came here very fit and ready to play well was that year, 1998, I play semifinals. Looks like this year I'm playing well again. I'm very confident. I have a tough draw but I just want to be focused on my game. I know if I play well, I'm able to beat the best tennis players. All this is mental. I feel strong again and able to beat any of the players. But my game has to be there, and also my body has to help me because I've been starting with my finger and hopefully it's gonna be okay.

CARLOS MOYA: If I'm not seeded here, it's because I deserve it. Since last time here when I didn't play, I retired for six months. Playing half a year is difficult to be seeded in any tournament, especially in Grand Slam when best players in the world are coming here. I'm used to it. I always had my feet on the ground. I knew if I not playing well, I not be seeded. Hopefully my goal for next year would be come here, be here as a seed. If I not, that means I didn't have a very good year. So you have to accept it. Right now I have to be happy that I'm able to play 100 percent. I don't have any problem with any part of my body, and that's what I want. I am on the court and play my best tennis.

CARLOS MOYA: It's real frustrating. At least when you lose, you have the chance to win. For six months I didn't even have the chance to lose because I wasn't able to play more than ten minutes. Now I'm happy again because I can play five sets, my back, I really forgot about my pain, and, you know, I looking forward to the future with -- I'm very optimistic, you know. I always wanted to be 100 percent fit, and as I am right now, and the only thing I don't want is to be injured again. It's really frustrating.

CARLOS MOYA: Yeah. Sometimes you think about how unlucky you can be sometimes, you know, when everything is going down, you get more and more problems. Looks like when you start to win matches everything is getting better. But last week I was playing very well. I was very confident with my game. I beat some good players, and, you know, suddenly that happened. And at least I was lucky that it was not any broken tendon or ligament or whatever. But, you know, was frustrating because I was feeling very strong and right in that moment it happened. And very sad, but at least when I saw the X-rays it showed that I just strained my ligament, which was much better than if I had broken it.

CARLOS MOYA: Yes. As I said before, when I play well, I prove that I can beat any player. And, you know, Corretja, for sure, is a very good player, but I beat him four times in two years and he beat me once, when I was two sets up. I don't think he really likes to play against me. But I don't like to play him either because he's a big fighter, and when he's confident, he's able to beat any player, too, as he proved, too. But I'm ready for that match, if it comes, and I still have to win my next match against Dosedel. He has to beat Rosset. So still many things can happen.

CARLOS MOYA: Excuse me?

CARLOS MOYA: Yes, for sure. Because when we change the captain, the four captains we have now, they follow the Tour every week. The four which are gonna play are not the best -- who are the highest ranking, but the four players are playing better. If we have a look at the ranking, it's going to be very difficult for me to be in top three because the fourth must be Balcells, which is also player. It will be difficult. If I play good US Open and I make some good results and I'm the one who's playing better from the Spaniards, for sure they are gonna pick me because of that. They don't have a look at rankings. But the way you play and your form, so I am very optimistic on that. My goal also with the US Open would be to be on that team.

CARLOS MOYA: Sure. You know how it works. The people always remember the one who's in the top at that moment. And now people kind of forgot me. I am still able to play some good tennis, as I will show. I am 23 -- well, 24 years old, and still many years to go. So even, I mean, No. 1, I won Roland Garros, I was in the final of the World Championship. I think my best tennis still coming in next years. I will show all the people that if I went down in the rankings it's because I got injured not because of any other things. When I got injured last year, I was here, I was 7 or 8 number player in the world. Then I was not able to play for six or eight months. So I will show the people I am able to play some good tennis and hopefully it's in the Davis Cup.

CARLOS MOYA: Sure. Because it scares me that, you know, I cannot be that player anymore, and sometimes comes to my mind. But when you're down, you don't think positive at all. I've been really down. It's tough to think that you can win again when you lose to many players which you were never supposed to lose to. And, you know, but now that I'm playing well again, you see things in different way. Of course being up there, as I've been, made you think that you will not like to be here where I am anymore. So you just try to do your best and hopefully I'm gonna be up there again in a short time.