US OPEN

September 2, 1999

Carlos Moya

Q. At one point during the first set did you first feel a pain in your back?

CARLOS MOYA: When I had this pain for ten days already. It got really worse and really bad. But I had two days off so I thought it was going to go. I did some treatment. And today I wasn't feeling real well, but the second game I remember, third game I remember one backhand, I froze a muscle and it really hurt. So after that moment I could not move well. When I was hitting, it was okay for my serve it didn't hurt at all. But I had to react or make a quick movement, it was really bad, and that's why it didn't make any sense to keep playing.

CARLOS MOYA: Before. But it was not that bad. I mean like I had it for ten days already, something like that.

CARLOS MOYA: I had something like that, but I don't think was exactly like this. It was never that bad.

CARLOS MOYA: Hmm?

CARLOS MOYA: I don't know. I don't know, was overnight. Day after I practiced, I start feeling a pain there, but I didn't think was going to be any bad thing. And I thought maybe was a sore muscle or something, but I made like I didn't practice for two or three days, and I thought was going to go. I got here and was hurting a little bit. The last game against Hrbaty, I made the bad movement again and it start to be bad. I wasn't going to -- I didn't feel it at the right moment, that moment, you know. But it was like overnight.

CARLOS MOYA: Yeah. Yes, I had.

CARLOS MOYA: No, no. I had last days I had.

CARLOS MOYA: I doubt it. I don't think so. But I wanted to try, but after the second set, I saw that there was not -- I mean wasn't make any sense to keep playing and he was playing well, too. But these days, the moment, last two months that I was feeling really well, hitting the ball and moving well. Maybe was my best moment, but it happens and you just have to accept it.

CARLOS MOYA: I don't know. I'm going to make some tests in Barcelona when I get there. So hopefully I'm going to be there for my EuroCard. It would be really bad for me to miss that tournament, too. But I don't think it's going to be really bad in ten days or so, I'm going to be able to play again.