GREAT AMERICAN INSURANCE ATP CHAMPIONSHIP

August 7, 1996

Thomas Muster

THOMAS MUSTER: Because I had a designation.

THOMAS MUSTER: It bothers me the same than the others. It is not that I am -- I don't know, that I am steel and I just reflect the heat or something, or whatever. I just probably can take it a little better than others, I mean, it was extremely hot. If Michael, who is pretty fit, struggled today, it is difficult conditions for everybody today.

THOMAS MUSTER: You just make sure you have enough fluid in your body and take a lot of minerals and make sure you have your cold towels, but there is not much you can do when you are out there because concrete doesn't really absorb the heat and it just reflects it and it is really -- the humidity is really up, so there is not much you can do.

THOMAS MUSTER: Well, since I haven't played the Olympics, not at all.

THOMAS MUSTER: No. I knew from the beginning that I am not going to play the Olympics so, for me, it was quite easy because my schedule was up with Stuttgart and I am playing Kitzbuhel and having a week off and coming here, so it really hasn't affected my schedule or preparation at any stage.

THOMAS MUSTER: I can't play too many weeks because my body is not going to take it, so I have to take a week off in between. I am not going to last four weeks on hard court.

THOMAS MUSTER: There have been Austrians over there. I guess they are here for training camp or something and so I mean, I just played, I think, twice here in my career, and I think one was 1988 or 1987, I don't know. I played qualifier and then few years ago, I think which was a short time, but it is a nice tournament, I think, to play because - especially in front of -- before the U.S. Open as a preparation and I think people try really hard to make it a good event.

THOMAS MUSTER: Well, I mean, I think especially winning a Slam last year and then on top of it becoming No. 1,, I think people know about me and they have been reading about, you know, the controversy about Andre and myself, maybe, discussions were going on about rankings and so forth, it was quite disgusting. I am still known more in Europe because I play more there.

THOMAS MUSTER: Yeah, many people know who I am, yes, especially -- I mean, if you are a tennis fan, I think if you don't know the former No. 1 or 2 player in the world, I don't think you are really interested in tennis, but I think there are surely more fans and more people approaching me for autographs and -- I think so.

THOMAS MUSTER: My feelings is just stupid argument, from it doesn't matter whoever brings it up because I said that there is no supermarket where you buy your points. Whoever makes the points at the end of the year is there and if you don't make it, you are not there. You see, Andre lost points; he didn't make any, so he dropped back to 7 that easy. So I mean, as long as you are making your points wherever, you deserve to be No. 2 or 1 in the world, whatever. Let us say Pete hasn't won a Slam this year, does he deserve to be No. 1? You can bring up anything you want. He is the best player right now and that is because he got the most points and that is it.

THOMAS MUSTER: You can do anything. You can go by the prize money like the PGA. You can-- who makes the most prize money, has played most and won the most tournaments, you can do it either way. Start from the beginning on every year. You can do the averages, but there is always going to be argument from somebody. Whatever you do there is going to be a mistake. There is always something for good and something for bad and that is the system we are in right now and that is what we have to play with, we have to live with and that is it. You have to respect that.

THOMAS MUSTER: That is what the computer prints out is reality every Monday. Nothing you can change. That is it.

THOMAS MUSTER: Well, I have to. If I stand on my head now and say it is wrong, it is not going to change because that is what we agreed on and that is why we have to play with it. I mean, the players made the ranking and the players decided what is happening on the Tour, so why should we complain afterwards. It's a federalistic system where you vote and that is it.

THOMAS MUSTER: Well, that is good.

THOMAS MUSTER: Oh, sure. It is always going to stay there. I mean, it is always going to be there whatever I do after now, it is still No. 1 in the world. Nobody can take it away from me. I mean, tennis is my job and if you become the best in your job what else can you expect? It is great.

THOMAS MUSTER: I think there is, sure. Let us say in the third set, it is 3-All, and you got broken, just broken, I mean, it always leaves the other one open and your body language goes down, but I think it is pretty even because if we see the matches today, they are going to the end of the second or third set. I mean, the level of tennis goes down from both players because it is just so difficult to match it.

THOMAS MUSTER: I can't tell you because I haven't played in the heat like this for a long time and I hadn't really had a -- top notch today, so I can say where my edge would be in that heat. If you look at Edberg or Medvedev, Chang, that was the kind of matches you can ask those people where their edge is.

THOMAS MUSTER: Zero-zero.

THOMAS MUSTER: Zero-zero. I don't think I have an advantage because I think that everybody goes out there and tries to nail you down for bonus points; trying twice as much to win the points even he if is dead tomorrow he is going to try today as good as he can.

THOMAS MUSTER: No, I can stay in the locker room; take a shower right away and go away.

THOMAS MUSTER: It is like American players go to Europe, they don't feel uncomfortable, but it is not where they are living. It is not their culture. It is not -- it is just different for them to stay over there for 7, 8 weeks and it is the same for us coming here. It is not what we are used to in Europe. We are used to different tournaments. We are used to just different things and that is what makes it difficult. It is just a question of how you adjust and some players like to stay like Jim Courier likes to stay in Europe a lot. I don't know, the other guys, they like to be in the States a lot. It is just different anyway.

THOMAS MUSTER: No, I don't have a problem with it, no. It is not that I am staying here for weeks anyway, for 10 weeks or -- some guys they just play in the States, some Europeans they just play in the States. For me it is not -- it is not affecting me too much.

THOMAS MUSTER: Which picture?

THOMAS MUSTER: I was young enough to come back and to believe in myself, but it is always difficult because even if you can run on the court, you still mentally have that little luck up there that if you don't get to a ball or you are missing balls that you have in your mind and say, well, before that accident I would have got to that ball or I would have run down this ball. So that is something you are thinking until you start winning again, because once you believe in yourself again, then it is all over. But at the beginning, you know, you are struggling a bit mentally, but when I was in that chair, I just wanted to get back on the Tour as fast as possible.

THOMAS MUSTER: Well, I was No. 6 after Key Biscayne and I had -- actually, I was No. 10, but I moved into No. 6 even not playing because we had average system, so I could have been in the top five that year easily because I had the semifinals of the Australian Open; finals of Lipton, so I mean, there was pretty good chance to be there earlier, and after that, I had to struggle a lot because I had made it back to No. 6, but then I had a really burnout in 1991, so it just took me actually years to come back and I had to adjust my game, but I was really happy that I won the French Open finally and then became No. 1 player in the world at the age of 28 which is quite an effort, I think, and there has only been one player, I think, John Newcombe, what, at the age of 30 or 29 being No. 1 in the world at that age, so I think that is quite amazing. Sort of two careers.

THOMAS MUSTER: Well, I think if he feels to retire and for him, I don't know what his ranking now being number 30 or 25 or whatever, it is not good enough for him personal. He feels probably he is tired; he doesn't want to do it anymore, and he has been for ten years in the top 3, that is like, I don't know for somebody else being 150 now comparing it being 25 in the world. If you used to be in the top 3 and then you have to fight every round and you are not winning tournaments anymore you start asking yourself what am I doing out here and then and I think if he feels he wants to spend more time with his family, he wants to retire, I don't think we have to support him with money anyway, so it is fine, so that is all right. (AUDIENCE LAUGHTER). If he finds another interest in his life, I think that is more to respect than playing with age 45 still playing around the satellites.

THOMAS MUSTER: I don't know how long I could go. I know my day anyway when I am finished. That is set anyway, but for me it is not a question of my body or it is not mental burnout or ranking because I have set a date I want to finish my career and that is it because I have other interests in life and I don't want to play tennis all my life.

THOMAS MUSTER: Yes. Personal for me. My coach knows it and I know it and that is it. So -- but that --

THOMAS MUSTER: It doesn't matter. That is it.

THOMAS MUSTER: No, I have no space for all those presents you get.

THOMAS MUSTER: Oh, sure, I am superstar.

THOMAS MUSTER: Yeah, sure. I have a limousine driver. I have security. I have locked up my doors (kiddingly). No, nothing has change in my life. As I said, I won the French when I was 28 or 27. I became No. 1, at 28, so I think I am too much experience and mature probably to have any kind of fantasy with this and any reason to freak out. It is just probably if you become No. 1 when you are 19 or 20, it is difficult because everything comes on top of you because you make more money and this and that, so it is quite hard to take, but what, it is going to change my life? I have played for ten years before or eleven years and --

THOMAS MUSTER: I mean, I don't know. I don't realize. If people look at me, it is fine. In Europe, people recognize me more than over here or more than Australia, probably, but that is something which is all right. But I got to live with it anyway. I don't think it is really bothering me. I am not just -- I think I have the right to go out there and go on the street whenever I want. That is it and I just -- I don't think I need to hire anybody. Nobody is going to steal me anyway.