NEWSWEEK CHAMPIONS CUP

March 11, 1998

Petr Korda

MIKI SINGH: 6-3, 3-6, 6-Love were the scores for Petr today over Scott Draper. Third round tomorrow he'll face Tommy Haas. First question for the Australian Open champion.

PETR KORDA: I probably still didn't realize what I did in Australia. I didn't had the chance really to celebrate. The day after the final, we had just a little dinner because I was very tired, especially emotionally. Then the day after, I flew home. Then at home, kind of a madhouse. I was most of the time staying in my house. My family left after a few days to the United States. I was alone. I didn't celebrate too much. That's probably when I'm going to see my family after this tournament, I probably going to more realize, you know, what I did.

PETR KORDA: I have only one home. Always it's going to be in Prague. My residence will be Monte-Carlo. Let's say the basis United States.

PETR KORDA: No. But, I mean, you have only one home. I have always only one home, where I was born.

PETR KORDA: I went back to Czech Republic. I felt, you know, I didn't want to go directly to Dubai. First of all, my wife had to see the doctor. Second of all, when I came home, I started to have big problem with my back. I was more time spending with the doctor than on the tennis courts.

PETR KORDA: Actually, he didn't know my number. Right after when I flew, the spoke with the captain of our team. On my desk, I have Dominik's number. I was supposed to call him the last four days, but he's got a tight schedule. I just didn't want to bother him in the moment. Plus, you know, I promised him picture, which they took the last year in Key Biscayne. The guy who took the picture didn't came up with the picture after one year.

PETR KORDA: I'm waiting once I'm going to have a picture, I'll call him. At least I will have something in my hands.

PETR KORDA: I feel fine. It was probably worse for me to play first match night under the lights. As you know, I don't like that. That's the worse one for me. Always first few matches, if I play, I have this problem with my serve. I didn't grew up under these courts, under the lights. But, I felt I play very solid set until 2-Love. Then he came back, and I just fall asleep. I did pretty good work in the third set. I think I was all over him.

PETR KORDA: I'm not angry, you know. He was firing balls quite perfectly, hitting every corner. He just was -- he just outplayed me at that time. I just fall asleep, just didn't play my game in that time. Good thing is when I was 30-Love in the first game down, you know, I came back, just trying to produce the tennis, smart tennis again. Obviously whenever you win, it's most important. I didn't play well, and I won the match.

PETR KORDA: Like I said, worst scenario. I came here already Tuesday, but I'm falling asleep around 9:30. I had to be ready, you know, today. It really was bad time for me. But I'm the pro, and I have to adjust for the schedule and for everything. That's the way it was. I was scheduled to play second match from 6:30. Luckily, Martina played short match and I was able to start much more quickly.

PETR KORDA: Uh-huh.

PETR KORDA: Uh-huh. It was my kind of treatment. I need to have a warm climate for my back. Luckily I didn't choose the Florida because it's freezing there. My wife is freezing there. I just did the good choice. I came here, stay on sun, exercising, trying, you know, to improve my back.

PETR KORDA: Probably want this No. 1 more than me. If that happen, fantastic. I would never trade for Grand Slam. No way I would trade it. I'll be No. 1 when my second kid is going to be born, I'll be that position again. But in my private life, not on the court.

PETR KORDA: Like I said in Australia, when I won the trophy, let me enjoy it. I just kindly ask everyone, let me play my game, let's see what's going to happen. In my heart, Pete is No. 1 in the moment. I'm just going to do the best I can. I'm going to put the best effort. We will see the results. If that happen, it's going to be fantastic achievement. If doesn't happen, you know, the guys, whatever, somebody was better than me. But I'm still going to have that Grand Slam under my belt, which is what I was working for and what I was living for. In my age, you know, I would never dream it could happen to me.

PETR KORDA: I didn't have any contact with Vladimir, which is I don't want to say bad. We just went different direction. When I'm going to feel the time it's right, I would love to have a chat with him. But when I saw my father in the airport, I don't want to say I collapsed, but I mean I had the tears in my eyes. In that moment, I realize what that meant for him. He was also in I would say the life of a roller coaster, when my parents divorced and everything. I think it was probably the biggest moment in his life. You know, he said when I was playing matches, some of the matches he even left because he couldn't take it. He felt his heart is going to broke because he was so nervous, just he felt he's going to have a heart attack.

PETR KORDA: Probably at that time he had a lot of alcohol. He was celebrating more than me. But he the one who deserve it really lot. Because without his support, I would never make it. I mean, I don't think so anyone would teach me to play tennis the way he teach me, he explain me everything. Unfortunately, he can't travel with me because he doesn't want to anymore. He just want to enjoy his life. But whenever I feel I need to talk to him about tennis or Thomas, we know, we both know how to pick up the phone and talk to him about the technique. He can straighten me up over the phone quite quickly.

PETR KORDA: I wish, you know, he would realize how close I am still to him. You know, I don't think so I'm ready to make that first step in the moment. I think he's the one who should make that step because he's the one who left me, who left me in that moment, when we split up.

PETR KORDA: I have like two persons which they can help me over the phone. It's my dad and Tony Pickard. Obviously, you know, the most important is what I have, which is the man next to me. I think I'm one of the guy which has a younger coach, Tomas. These are the guys that can help me. I say most of the time, 95 percent of the time, I'm talking to Tomas. If I need something, then I know where to call.

PETR KORDA: She can give me the tips. You'd be surprised. She's more giving me the support. You would be very surprised. When I come home and when I throw my bag somewhere to the corner, that's it about the tennis. I'm just probably a little bit different than other tennis players. I don't talk about the tennis. I love to talk about something. When I come home, I'm trying to be the husband and father. I mean, last five weeks I really missed that, with a lot of attention being around me. If I would have the family, I would probably be more relaxed and more be focused for do my things.

PETR KORDA: No. We are facing every tournament the same way. I'm just trying to prepare myself for every tournament, to play best tennis I can. You know, we'll always see the results. If the guy is better, what can you do? The Grand Slam, they are most important to the players. Obviously I'm going to take some time to prepare and maybe some nation's cup for the French Open. But it's a little bit different than hardcourt.

PETR KORDA: I'm going to look in the same way. I mean, why? There's going to be red clay. We're going to play with Roland Garros balls. There's going to be two big stadiums. It's going to be hopefully the same. I'm going to have a little bit -- I'm not going to have my wife around, which is probably going to be the most difficult thing for me.

PETR KORDA: I think it's -- to be honest, I know it's in middle of July, I think around 20. But I'm not pretty sure about the date. It's too far away.