ATP Tour World Championship

November 23, 1998

Carlos Moya

Q. What are your chances now? How do you see your opponents?

CARLOS MOYA: Well, it's going to be a tough group. When you come here where are the best eight players in the world, you can't expect to have an easy group, not expect to win an easy match. Chances are 25 percent to qualify. We are four players, so it's 25 percent. I'm going to do my best, be a hundred percent and play good tennis.

CARLOS MOYA: Pretty well. Last two days and a half, I've been practicing indoor on the surface, faster surface than these ones. I try to practice on my weak points, which are the serve and the net game, you know, be more aggressive.

CARLOS MOYA: Is pretty similar. Maybe last this year is a little bit faster. You can play good tennis from baseline. The ball, I think you can play really well here.

CARLOS MOYA: Yeah, sure. It was my first time. Let's say I was the victim in that group. It gave me confidence that if I did it that time, I can do it again. I have a bit more experience than I think last year, so it will help, I think.

CARLOS MOYA: It wasn't so good for me this indoor season. Making the semifinal last year gave me some confidence for this year.

CARLOS MOYA: Where you have the World Championship where the eight players are here, you cannot expect to have an easy match. It's like that, you have to accept it. You have to do your best.

CARLOS MOYA: I was here, but for not too long. I like to be relaxed at the tournament. That means to go out to a restaurant, not to be all day in the room. So I try to have fun, relax my mind for the match.

CARLOS MOYA: I don't remember the names where I was last year, so I cannot tell you exactly. I should talk to someone to remember me what the name was where we were last year.

CARLOS MOYA: Is a party?

CARLOS MOYA: Well, if I'm not in the tournament, so should I be there. If I still in, I don't know what I going to do.

CARLOS MOYA: I don't know if I'll be there or not. I cannot tell you now.

CARLOS MOYA: I'm doing something.

CARLOS MOYA: I'm for the AIDS.

CARLOS MOYA: Yes.

CARLOS MOYA: I don't have any problem. I decide what I want to go. I give my name to help the people, you know.

CARLOS MOYA: It's going to be difficult, World Championship. I'm going to try my best, try to qualify for the final. You cannot expect an easy group here. You have to accept it like this, just play your best.

CARLOS MOYA: He's playing well. He made good end of season, you know. He always qualifies the last week. I don't know how he makes it every time. He's always here. Once he's here, he's very dangerous, so we have to be careful with him.

CARLOS MOYA: Well, I don't want to be just a clay court player. That's why I try to work on my game on every surface. I made final in Australia, semifinal at US Open, semifinal here last year. So I think I did well in other surfaces, not only on clay.

CARLOS MOYA: Young players?

CARLOS MOYA: I don't even know some of them. We have very good junior players, and, after, Spanish children will be up there.

CARLOS MOYA: He's a good player. It's a pity he's from Russia. If he played for Spain, we'd have a very good Davis Cup team. I think he's a very talented player and can become Top 10 easy.

CARLOS MOYA: I think Italy has good chances, they play home, clay. But Sweden, too, has a strong team. Doesn't matter what surface they play on. Strong mentality for this tournament, which is Davis Cup.

CARLOS MOYA: I don't know.

CARLOS MOYA: On clay, I think Norman.

CARLOS MOYA: No, I enjoy so much when I don't play. Either I go to dinner, go to have a drink, I play video games.

CARLOS MOYA: No, no doesn't stress me out at all.

CARLOS MOYA: I didn't play many tournaments, so I was two weeks and a half practicing indoor, you know, getting ready for this tournament which is very important (inaudible).

CARLOS MOYA: It's a bit faster this year. But the bounce ball high. I like it. You know, I can play my game from baseline. It's not too fast, so I have time to think and be ready for the game.

CARLOS MOYA: That I'm able to play well anywhere. In the final in Australia, won the French Open, semis in US Open, semis here, so four different surface. That means I'm good player on any kind of surface, and I can improve so much any of them. I'm still young; I'll have time to do it.

CARLOS MOYA: Yeah, because I'm prepared for the big tournaments. It just come at the right moment, you know. I play my best when I have to play in the right moment. I like to play well in the French Open, US Open, and I hope I can do it well here.

CARLOS MOYA: After I played the first final in Grand Slam, I realize how difficult it was to get there. I didn't know if I was going to be able to do it again. I was still young, 20 years old. I thought if I could do it once, I could do it again. It happened in the French Open, I played really well. Gave me a lot of experience in that final in Australia; I know that's why I won the French. US Open, same. I didn't expect to play the semifinal. I was playing my worst tennis ever, I think, right before the US Open. But in the right moment, I won that match against Chang, and all the power came again, you know, all the confidence I lost came back suddenly, and I did it well in the right moments.