NEWSWEEK CHAMPIONS CUP

March 12, 1998

Petr Korda

MIKI SINGH: Petr Korda, winner today. Will play Marcelo Rios tomorrow in the quarterfinals. Questions.

PETR KORDA: It's like another match. That was in the past already. I mean, we have good memories and the bad memories, but it's the past. It's another day of our lives, another match of our lives.

PETR KORDA: I don't know. You'll have to ask the media. I think it's eight meetings. I think I'm 4-3 up, but I'm not pretty sure.

PETR KORDA: Doesn't matter. I have to play tennis, over the net, to the island. Doesn't matter if you have a left-hander or right-hander.

PETR KORDA: I'm not playing as good, like I played in Australia, but I'm winning, which is most important. It's a good thing I still have room in my game. I didn't practice a lot after Australian Open because I had a problem with the back. I had a good opportunity to practice four, five days before this tournament. I just feel my game, it's starting to pick up the pace again. But I need more time to get for the satisfying level for me.

PETR KORDA: I feel very young. I think you old how much you feel. And I feel very fresh. If I'm going to start to feel very old, I think I'm going to use the back door to leave the Tour.

PETR KORDA: I enjoy that much. I didn't like it the way it was after Australian Open. I was always I don't want to say like a familiar guy, but I was always rather to be in the corner, really to be myself, to do my own stuff, which my life a little bit change, became a little bit hectic. But I don't have any problem right now to be in the spotlight or in the dark corner. I just want to play my game and enjoy my tennis, which is the most important things for me.

PETR KORDA: I'm the person which I like to take small steps. I would love to prepare myself for the next match and try to win it. This is what I'm going to work for, going to concentrate on. I don't like big steps. It's better to take the small ones. If you going to fall, it's not going to hurt so much as you falling from the big ones.

PETR KORDA: Yes, I did. I did. I reduced the schedule. I'm going to play only two events on the clay, maybe three. I'm not going to play Washington, because we expecting baby. I'm going to have a three or four average with tournaments I normally playing in. Plus Pete never played doubles. I used to play regularly doubles, which I quit, mostly when Stefan retired. I don't want to say I didn't have the fun, but I couldn't just pick the right partner on the same level like Stefan was. Just mainly I quit the doubles, completely from this year. I might play one or two doubles this year, just for fun, which means I'm going to have extra energy because before I was playing singles, doubles every tournament.

PETR KORDA: I mean, I have -- I'm going to have the same tournament if I'm going to be 45 or if I'm going to be No. 2 in the world. I'm not going to change anything.

PETR KORDA: I'm not going to push anything because I want to prepare for the claycourt season. I need the preparation. I want to have a break because after the Australian Open, I didn't had any break. I had the problem with my back. Now I'm playing two very difficult tournaments, and I would love to have a break, you know, to prepare, to work on my endurance and to work on my game, to be ready mentally and physically for the claycourt. That's the very difficult with all the Spanish around. You have to be fit, you know, to compete with them.

PETR KORDA: I already scored that goal. I already scored in January, right in the corner. I have one more goal, but it's in my personal. It's a goal for my wife and myself, that's for the baby. That's our main goal. That's what give me very high motivation, especially in the end of the year, to work hard, to be probably more focus. I'm just very thrilled again. I'm looking forward, which is, I would say, probably is going to be maybe bigger than Australian Open for me.

PETR KORDA: I think it's good for the game of tennis, especially probably in the United States. It's give to people big rivalry between Pete and Andre. I think it's great he's playing well. You know, the way Marcelo Rios is playing, myself, other guys, I think it's bringing some kind of interesting tournaments, interesting field. Whoever is going to play well, is going to have the same career like Andre has, either now or in the future, I think it's going to be great for the game of tennis.

PETR KORDA: Four breakpoints.

PETR KORDA: I don't know. You have to ask him why he didn't convert, if he had the problem like a nervous break-up.

PETR KORDA: I was playing the same game. Doesn't matter how old you are. I mean, probably all the older players, they having much more problem with the nerves than the younger players because, you know, if you young, you don't have to care about nothing, just to hit the ball. Something is happen; if it's miracle, bad, whatever. But if you older, you think in other ways. Sometimes it's disadvantage to be older.

PETR KORDA: You have to ask ATP guys. I think I'm 4-3 up, but I'm not pretty sure.

PETR KORDA: Who, me?

PETR KORDA: It's always good when you are nervous. I think it's always -- you have a kind of -- I like to be nervous before the match. I think it's always a good sign. I was nervous, you know, when I was 6-4 down. You can't go for the big shot. You have to really - especially he was serving - to put the ball everything inside the box, just try to make mistake. That's what I did. When I was 6-5 down, it was like, "Come on, let's hit some big serve." I hit the ace. Sometimes you are nervous more, but you can't show him how nervous you are because, I mean, he's the one who can show you his frustration. You can have the advantage of it, which I did especially in the second set.

PETR KORDA: Thank you.