GREAT AMERICAN INSURANCE ATP CHAMPIONSHIP

August 10, 1996

Thomas Muster

THOMAS MUSTER: He was playing very well. Took the ball very early; had good timing and I had probably chances at the beginning when I broke back, played quite even, but I just had a few -- I would not say unforced errors because they were, more or less, forced because he just didn't give me the time to hit and he just never really played the ball in one corner. He just played it pang, pang, pang, and I was on the run most of the time and I mean, that is obviously very good what he did and that is the way we know him how he can play, so, I mean, he deserved to win because he played really well today.

THOMAS MUSTER: I always had easy time playing him like years ago because I had pretty good record against him just, I mean, last years we always played on fast surfaces, okay, like U.S. Open, whatever, or Grand Slam Cup but for an example he takes the ball really early and gives everybody a hard time and even when you serve well, he has very good reflexes so it is not even easy to ace him because. He just gets every ball back and then once he is in the rally, he is strong, I mean, so it -- today he played really well, didn't really make any unforced errors which is really good.

THOMAS MUSTER: Yeah, but it was forced. It was forced that I missed more shots because I had to take more risk and I had to put more speed on my balls and I had to, you know, gain the speed of the ball and that means I had to risk more, to force more and that is forced error, --

THOMAS MUSTER: Well, yeah, he had a breakpoint and he had that ball just on top of the net and one time it was 30-All and I mean, this would have been a break point for me, but the ball fell over. I mean, just -- that is -- the better one has the luck, I guess, too. That is just the way it goes.

THOMAS MUSTER: Today he was, obviously, I mean, today he just -- he just played better than me and in the second set, I mean, at the end, he just let it roll on, I mean, he just cracked every ball. That is too good.

THOMAS MUSTER: It looks like that, but he has played me out more or less. He could have picked any shot there, I mean, obviously he played two drop shots because I was far behind the baseline, so -- but I was played-out anyway.

THOMAS MUSTER: No, I tried to come in more, but it is impossible because he is just staying so close to the baseline and if you don't have that serve , you know, like Pete has for example, if you can ace him twice a game and you make him play more aggressive even -- than he is used to, then he makes mistakes too, but we sort of play the same type of game, he probably plays one more meter inside than me that means he controls the court and I am running. So that is the way it looks and then I have to take more risk against and that is the way it builds up and one has to do the mistakes.

THOMAS MUSTER: I have done better than I expected because it is my first hard court event after Lipton and I haven't done too well at Indian Wells and Key Biscayne. I was a bit sick there because I had a flu and I had to take antibiotics and I was really playing bad there and I didn't really feel good. But here, to come here, I mean, was good experience for me and to build up on that stage I think it is good for me and looking forward to the next tournaments. I play in Toronto and then the U.S. Open, I think, gives me good perspective --

THOMAS MUSTER: Probably go to New Haven; have a practice there because Andrea Gaudenzi is going to play there and I am going to hit with him there and my coach is going there.

THOMAS MUSTER: Well, anything better than, you know, -- I mean, than the first round loss and -- but I expected maybe quarters or something and I really played a good match yesterday and playing Andre, I mean, he is coming from the Olympics obviously, you know, playing all right, played three sets everyday and he is getting his game together again after playing an awful spring, I would say, and summer, so it is probably fun to play over here.

THOMAS MUSTER: Not much. He has always taken the ball early. If he plays bad, he plays really bad. Because he stays so close to the baseline and if he doesn't get his game together, the balls are all over. But once he is playing like this, it is really hard to do something. You can't play him really out because he just -- he plays crosscourt shots exactly like the ones down the line and there is -- there is no -- just controlling the court really well. That is what he has always done.

THOMAS MUSTER: A little bit, but it is not an excuse because it is not a new story, I guess.

THOMAS MUSTER: Yeah, a little bit yesterday where I think he probably made a little more unforced errors; second set he gave away really easy, I think, at the end. It was like sometimes almost semithinking (sic) and then he had fun to play again, but I think today he was really concentrate every point and probably his coach told him to play every point and he just played very professional game until the end, so, I mean, probably more professional than the last games I have seen him play.

THOMAS MUSTER: No, not really because I didn't really know how his shape was, how his speed would be, but I mean, he was on from the first point on and I think, you know, that -- he knows that I am not going to give him an easy game, so from all what he said in the spring, I think he didn't really want to lose today. That would have been, you know, probably would have been a shame on him then. That was his pressure, but he took it well.

THOMAS MUSTER: Definitely, yes. Plus he wants to go on and get his points defended, sure.

THOMAS MUSTER: No, not really. Brad Gilbert keeps talking all day long anyway. He is like a radio, like, you know, nothing much talking because you don't even need a review of your play because he is going to comment on it I anyway. You just need to be in there.

THOMAS MUSTER: For me, I am a professional. I take it. For me it is not a problem. I know what I have done. I know what all I have been through and what I can play and what is my strengths and where my bad parts of my game are, and the same with my personality, so, I mean, there is no secret anyway and you just got to go out there and that is my job. And once the job is done, that is it and there is a tournament next week and the week after and we will just go on and play. We are doing a job. We are tennis players and -- but one day I would -- our life is going to stop as a tennis player and you have to live as a personality. You have to wake up in the morning and you have to face the mirror and say that is where I am. It doesn't change today. We know it is here, just you have to be happy, that is it.

THOMAS MUSTER: No, I was not supposed to win since I don't know how to play on hard court I am not supposed to win (LAUGHTER)

THOMAS MUSTER: That I would have to play tomorrow again.

THOMAS MUSTER: No, not really. I mean, it was a match and it would have given me extra points which would have been great and being in the finals here, but as I said, I have done good this week and I am happy the way I performed and I just played somebody who played better today.

THOMAS MUSTER: No, I am serious (LAUGHTER).

THOMAS MUSTER: After thirteen years, I mean, there is always something you learn until you die, probably, but I don't think it was a really a learning process for me, but --

THOMAS MUSTER: If you give me a knee, I don't know. I hope it is healthy. If I don't have any problems with it then I will probably go and play more. I just can't play more than four, five weeks, I mean, not even in a row, but that is why I am taking off next week; hopefully be all right for Toronto and the U.S. Open and I can keep going for three weeks, or so.

THOMAS MUSTER: I think I can play better than today, but I mean, it depends on the draw a little bit, but I think -- I have reached the quarters two times there, so why shouldn't it be-- should not be able to reach the semifinals once? One time I had three matches points in the quarters against Volkov and it just didn't happen. I think I have the ability to be semifinalist there, so -- but it is all, you know, depending on the draw a little bit --

THOMAS MUSTER: That is really hard to say, but the way I played today I would have probably beaten a few other guys because they would have let me play my game. Andre just didn't let me play my game because he just -- he just rushed me on any shots and that is what I am saying, if I play Ferreira or whatever, Jim Courier, I got more time to get my game together which I can't against Andre. So it is very hard to say where I put myself, but as I said, the ability is there to be semifinalist and being seeded No. 2, it is probably because of my ranking and that is -- since U.S. Open is not Wimbledon, it might be a good chance.

THOMAS MUSTER: Well, depending on the tactic. Somebody has a weakness in the forehand or backhand or likes to play, you know, flat balls or likes to play topspin, like to come in more, it just depending really on who you are playing, but.

THOMAS MUSTER: Against Andre, you have to kill him with power either with serves or you have to play faster than him which is almost impossible, or you just destroy his rhythm or you get him to a stage where he gets tired, but he doesn't really---if he is playing like today, he doesn't really let anybody, you know, taking the chance like making him tired or overpowering him, he doesn't give you that chance because --

THOMAS MUSTER: That is better for me because Rebound Ace is really sticky and here sometimes you can slide a bit if you got the right shoes, but in Australia you can't. When you try to slide, you twist and it is hot. It is really sticky so that is probably better for me than playing on Rebound Ace.