COMPAQ GRAND SLAM CUP

October 2, 1998

Petr Korda

Q. Can you explain what happened? We have never seen you double-faulting 16 times. Did you have problems with the shoulder or were you trying to avoid --

PETR KORDA: Why you coming up with I had a problem with the shoulder?

PETR KORDA: That happened. You know, I didn't play match for a long time. I've been working extremely hard last week, especially I was working on my serve, serving a lot of balls. Suddenly my serve just give up. That was the reason. I was giving him two free points to each game. I just gave him all the control for the match. Like I said before, I need to play matches right now, you know, to get through these problems, you know, to win the matches, to get my match condition back, confidence and everything.

PETR KORDA: It's not end of the year. End of the year is after the last one, I'm in Moscow, or if I make the ATP final. That's the end of the year. Until that time, I'm running on the same speed. I'm trying to finish this year. After this tournament, I'm going to sit with the family and revise what is my needs, or if I can reach any goals in the game of tennis, how fit I am, and most important, what I always said, is what's going to be needs of my family. Because this year, I went after Australian Open eight months. Out of the eight months, I was six months without the family. I'm going to have to sit and see what's going to happen.

PETR KORDA: No. Like I say, I have a family with me. I don't have to talk about the tennis for 24 hours.

PETR KORDA: They're here right now. They going to travel a week, week off, week with me, and a week off. We will see how does it going to look. Really all the question I'm going to be ask you -- answer you in the end of November, beginning of December.

PETR KORDA: My strong determination in the moment is to get where I feel I belong; that's to play tennis on Top 10. I was working really hard after US Open for ten days. I feel in the practice, it's starting to work. I feel I'm starting to play better. But, you know, the matches are different. I need to get through some matches, win some matches, then we can sit and talk what is going to be my needs for the rest of the season.

PETR KORDA: I was healthy whole time except special time in Wimbledon which I did my foot. That happened. Only I had the problem with my motivation. Because, like I said, eight months I was traveling, and six months without the family, it's really hard. Only the people who they have the children they can understand.

PETR KORDA: Message for fans (laughter)? I really do enjoy playing -- playing with my computer, surfing - how do you call - Internet. My message to my fans: "I'm going to try to be back, you know." That's all I'm going to say. I'm going to work the hardest I can, and we will see the results. Is a big challenge for me to prove to the people and the writer how wrong they are about me, hopefully.

PETR KORDA: No, I don't have any nightmare, you know. I said in the beginning, you know, I never -- I would never trade winning this Grand Slam, you know, for the No. 1 player in the world. That's mean more to me, to win the Grand Slam. Look Marcelo, he became No. 1 player without winning the Slam, but he is a little bit younger than I am, and hopefully he's going to have a chance in the future. I also said always I'm trying to compete. You know, once you reach the highest ranking, too, you only have way to go, if you want to compete against yourself, to be No. 1. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. But I can say from the bottom of my heart, I did everything I could. But the guys that were in that time producing better tennis than I. That was just the key. You know, I don't want to say I choke or something. Just the guys, they were playing better. I lost to Rios in Indian Wells. I lost to Kucera Antwerp. I lost to Pioline. I didn't choke, you know. That happened. I can say they're a lot better than me. You have to look, I'm 30 years old. Show me who is like 30 years old on the circuit and is still competing on the Top 10 level. There is no one around me. I think I have to be proud what I'm doing, you know, how I'm still playing. I think closest is Thomas Muster. What's his ranking, 20, 30? Maybe one day or in the near future I'll be there also, in his water.

PETR KORDA: My relationship?

PETR KORDA: Now from your country we got Thomas. You know, he has the good team to beat South Africa. We will see, you know. There is always -- there is the door which we spoke with Thomas, I always can come back, if it's going to work. But there is a door, maybe it's going to be closed forever. It's going to everything depend on my decision what I'm going to do in the end of the year. I'm really still enjoying the tennis. I always will. But the family is getting more priority. I really don't want to miss those things and to be away from the family for a long time.