REPUBLIC NATIONAL MONTE CARLO OPEN

April 24, 1998

Carlos Moya

Q. Carlos, obviously in Estoril you were, what, a little tired from Davis Cup, you weren't playing so well, and now how do you think you're playing? As well as ever? As good as you can?

CARLOS MOYA: Well, I having really good feelings, you know. I could say is best tournament I ever played by now, you know. But I cannot say is the best yet. I hope I will say. But there's still two matches to go. Right now, I'm playing very good. I beat two French Open champions, Alex Corretja, which is one of the best clay court players in the world, Arazi, who played quarters in the French Open. I think I'm playing pretty well. I don't want to say my best tennis ever, but it's close to that.

CARLOS MOYA: Well, it's tired, you know. But I had some unbelievable feelings there, emotion, you know, all these things. After I won the fifth point, I was pretty happy, you know. I wouldn't change anything for that, you know. Even if I didn't get any ATP points, I don't improve my ranking, but the feelings I had there with the whole team was, I cannot say; if you don't live that, you cannot say. After that, the fifth point which I won there, gave me a lot of confidence to play good on clay. By now, I think I did it pretty well. I also met Berasategui, he was playing good, beat me. Fortunately for me, I don't meet him here. I see what I can do.

CARLOS MOYA: Sorry?

CARLOS MOYA: I think it change for me. The first point after I lost to Kuerten, 6-2, 6-Love up. I was disappointed with my serve. I played good, but I lost. Then, you know, with my friends' help, I could play good the last point. I wanted to have the chance to win that tie. I could do that. As I said before, gave me a lot of confidence to play the next tournaments. Even if I was tired, I won matches in Estoril because of the confidence. I wasn't playing so good, but just because I knew I have a chance to win, I took all of them. I lost against Berasategui, who was playing very good. Then I start to play better and better. Confidence was there also. I think now is everything together, you know, confidence; I'm playing good, my fitness, physically I'm good. I think now is all together. I hope is going to work out.

CARLOS MOYA: Both, I think (laughter). Well, it's tough to say, you know. I don't know. I don't know. If I could choose both. It's tough to choose. Davis Cup is a lot for the country. Grand Slam is a lot for yourself. Like if you ask me to be idol for the Spanish country or idol for everybody. If you win Davis Cup, you're idol in Spain. Somewhere else you're not so much. If you win Grand Slam, it's the best that can happen to you.

CARLOS MOYA: I think I didn't lose confidence. Just I didn't play good the beginning of the year, that's it. I knew it was going to be tough to play good in Australia. Last year I play six finals, four were on hard, two were on clay. I played good beginning of the year, played good in the end of the year, the middle I play good. I didn't play so good on clay last year, but I cannot complain. It's difficult even for Sampras to play good the whole year. It's normal to be a little bit up-and-down during the year. This year, I start down a little, but I think I'm improving my game. I'm improving, going up. I try to work on my weak points, my serve, my net, the volley, my net game, you know. I think I did it. But I have to improve much more to be good player on all kinds of surface.