US OPEN

September 1, 1997

Petr Korda

Q. Petr, considering the circumstances here, is this the greatest victory of your career?

PETR KORDA: I'm happy with the victory today. I mean, I'm really proud of myself, you know, what I went through last three, four years. I feel, you know, I'm climbing -- I was climbing, you know, on my mountain, and I feel I'm starting to reach the point. And I feel, you know, I'm playing again Top 10 tennis, which I was playing before, you know, before I hurt my left groin. It was a very, very long journey for me. I'm really proud today.

PETR KORDA: I got lucky with the call. I think the ball was in when Pete hit that volley. But I got beat with the referee in the first set. I truly believe I broke Pete, which could turn different in the match, completely different way. Just, you know, I got help. Then I had the good return. I just came back, luckily. Then I was starting to produce great tennis. I felt, you know, I was holding the cards because I felt that Pete is not -- you know, he slowed down, he was a little bit slower the more we were playing. I felt, you know, I had a really great chance to break him on 3-All. I just was very happy I could even close the match in the tiebreaker. You know, always tiebreaker is always kind of roulette. I think I bet on the right color today.

PETR KORDA: I think you have to ask him.

PETR KORDA: I'm trying to hit the ball over the net and to the other side. That was my only strategy. I was fortunate to grew up with the players like Melan Sjreber, which in his time when he was playing, he had the fastest serve on the world. You know, that's where I learned how to return, you know, the serve. But when Pete is serving hard and well, it's very difficult to hit the ball over the net. That is really what happened in the fourth and the beginning of the fifth set. I was just walking from left to right.

PETR KORDA: The first one helped me. The other one, you know, didn't help me.

PETR KORDA: The second one didn't help me. I think I was on a roll at the time. But that's the game. You have to accept it. You know, he really came, after the second one, really he was fired. He was really fired up. He was hitting the ball very hard. Probably I was playing little bit more defense.

PETR KORDA: I mean, when I was 3-Love down, I start to hit the ball very hard. I felt I was getting, you know, the control of the game. Especially, you know, I was winning lot of baseline rallies. When we came back, you know, after the second rain delay, he was better than me in this type of game. Like I said, you know, one lucky point, 3-1, he missed the volley, a little bit change, you know, the match.

PETR KORDA: That happened really. I don't like to have the matches interrupt, you know, with the rain delay. I never had a great record. But, you know, I just pulled a victory today.

PETR KORDA: Like I said, I was very proud of myself. I didn't want to, how do they call, the scissor kick. Didn't felt right at that moment. I just was really happy. I was just really happy, you know, with myself. I think, you know, in my mind was three and a half years, four years, just went through my mind. I wish I could have some more kind of moments like this in the future.

PETR KORDA: I don't remember. I was flying around somewhere (laughter).

PETR KORDA: I learned I can beat him, you know. I always -- we always had tough battles. We always played tough matches. I mean, in Wimbledon, I think was kind of turning point. You know, I started to feel, you know, I'm coming really back, coming back, you know, starting to produce the tennis which I was producing before my injury. And really, you know, it helped me mentally a lot, that game. Unfortunately, you know, he was better.

PETR KORDA: Different kind of surface. Grass is different than the hardcourt. I was able to put more balls over the net and to the other side than I was able to put on grass. Especially when he is serving well, I mean, there's not too many people that can return.

PETR KORDA: I mean, my ankle still hurts, still hurts. It's not a hundred percent.

You know, I was really nervous. I mean, the way I was working whole summer I was preparing for this tournament. Then, you know, my coach came. Finally I felt we going to start to hit some groundstrokes, we going to practice, really to put everything together. In the first practice, we were hitting together, I twist my ankle. Really I think I was not in a great mood, you know, since -- I mean, for the whole week. When I came here and I start to practice, I hit a bit with Patrick McEnroe. I make only one game out of the set. Everybody was beating me so easily. I was going really crazy, you know. Then I really settled down. First match really helped me, you know, put me back to the settle. I just was starting to work a little bit, trying, you know, to not aggravate my ankle.

PETR KORDA: It's tough match. He is on a roll. He's playing really well, Jonas. I just want to bring the same game and we will see the results.

PETR KORDA: Yes. I felt a little bit when I think it was in second set when he double-faulted, wherever. It's always nice for the player, you can play up. Pete is playing, everybody's trying to beat him. He's No. 1 player in the world. He can feel the pressure. I think I'm not the player, you know, he likes to face. Always when he has to beat me, really he -- I don't want to say play well -- but always it's tough match. You know, he had very easy three rounds. Three rounds, always in the middle of the week, always comes the match, bad match like was today. Player like me, where he always can get lot of balls back. I don't think I'm like his favorite player to play.

PETR KORDA: Can you rephrase your question? You're too quick.

PETR KORDA: Me?

PETR KORDA: I don't know what happened, but I think in one game I hit like three aces. In that time, I was trying, you know, to put most of my first serves in. Especially, you know, I was trying to win the first point, start to control the game. That's what happen. But, you know, it was not like a special strategy to win the game Love.

PETR KORDA: I don't think he was tight, I think he was tired. He was not tight; he was tired. I made him work for every point. Always when we were playing in the Grand Slam Cup, we didn't felt both well. I knew, you know, the longer we going to play, it's going to be in my favor.

PETR KORDA: I don't know. Maybe because I feel better when it's going longer match.

PETR KORDA: No. No idea.

PETR KORDA: That's what we decide, you know, what we decide with my coach. You know, we going to play to his backhand, to let him play. I even called Tony Pickard for some advice. That was the strategy, to really put the pressure on his backhand because when he is fired up in his forehand, you know, really he can make you run left and right. It's very dangerous, his forehand.

PETR KORDA: I don't know. You know, you have to ask him. I just was trying to control my game.

PETR KORDA: I mean, everybody have a chance, you know. 128 guys, before the tournament; they have a chance. But I'm taking the small steps. Always it's better to take small steps, day by day, round by round. I have Jonas Bjorkman. That's what I will concentrate, you know. Obviously I have a chance, if I'm going to play the way I'm playing. I have a chance to go a long way. I don't want to predict. I just want to enjoy every match, enjoy my every round. That's all.

PETR KORDA: I aggravate my groin in Dusseldorf, during the ATP team competition, 1994. I kept playing for a long, long time, taking the antiinflammatories, like candies. In '95, I was playing like a great match against Andre Agassi here in the Open. Suddenly, my left leg become a little bit numb. I didn't have a great feel. At the time I was with Tony Pickard. He was really disappointed the way I lost the match. I always kept it inside of me. I don't know why. I couldn't practice for two and a half years. I lost my conditioning. Then I went and played a tournament in Ostrava. I couldn't lift my leg. I went to see the doctor, he told me I needed surgery. I mean, I said, "No chance." Tony said, "Come on, pack your stuff and we're going to have a surgery." That's why I went to surgery. In that time, I was ready to quit the tennis because I didn't want to go through the pain which I went. I couldn't sleep at the time. I don't think I was in great mood as a person. I was out of the tennis. After the surgery, I went to England and I spent probably the most time on my tennis career. I came back probably believing I could play tennis again. Most important, probably enjoying tennis without the pain. This is probably the most important in my comeback. Then last year in the French Open, when I start to play, I felt I'm coming back. I just went immediately. I wanted to be back as soon as possible because three years I didn't do any condition. For the first time I done with the guy. Right now I feel I'm level with the conditioning. Is going to be up to me if I'm going to be mentally, whatever, motivation, you know, to work hard. Because you going to look on my age, I'm not the youngest one over there.

PETR KORDA: It was in '95. It was in '95. I had a lucky day. My first surgery was October, Friday, the 13th. I will remember that day.