US OPEN

August 25, 2003

Todd Martin

TODD MARTIN: Thanks, Chris.

TODD MARTIN: Well, it's the first time I've met Robert today, and I didn't know much what to expect. I had heard a couple things. Not so much how much age difference there is, but more from a, you know, from my position with USTA, interest in what kind of player he is. But I did a pretty good job the first and third set of focusing on my own game and not letting thoughts about his experience out here. I don't know if I did all that bad of a job of it in the second. I think he just settled down a bit and let himself play much better.

TODD MARTIN: These tournaments aren't more grueling. I think the week-in, week-out grind of the tour is more grueling, which is why I don't know how many tournaments I've played this year, but it's not a ton, why so many other older players don't play as much as maybe they used to. But these tournaments, I think we're all ready to play. Good conditioning is in the mind as much as it is in the body. Our bodies are typically prepared week in, week out. It's more the mind. The mind can get the body to show its best more often and for longer periods of time and even convince the body that things aren't all that bad when really they are.

TODD MARTIN: Well, I always enjoy being here. I try not to be too reflective. I try to be focused on the task at hand. But there are times where some memories - and most of my memories here are very good memories - come into mind, preferably when I'm watching on the TV or sitting in the locker room, or maybe going out and practicing. But I try to keep them far out of my mind when I'm playing.

TODD MARTIN: I think about it, yeah. It's hard not to, regardless of whether my peers are starting to call it quits. It's a thought, and it's kind of a pleasant thought in some ways, and it's a thought that I'd prefer not to have too much when I'm out and about doing my job.

TODD MARTIN: Well, I think what his legacy will be is how much he won, how many Grand Slams he won especially. As a player, I think his legacy will be his serve and his athleticism. And I think that's an injustice to him. I think Pete knew when to play, when to play better, how to play better, and more than anybody I've ever met. I think that's a skill and a talent that was too often veiled by the accolades that he got for his physical talents. But, you know, at 4-all deuce, he knew what to do and he did it, time after time after time. Boy, it would be nice to walk in those shoes once in a while.

TODD MARTIN: I saw Andy interviewed a couple days ago about it. I thought he answered the question very appropriately. It's been a year, you know. Most of us haven't seen or heard from him in a year. I think it will be enjoyable to see him celebrated and see him put some formality to what we all thought was the truth already. But, you know, emotional, no. The guy ruined parts of my career (laughter).

TODD MARTIN: The guy that his career was ruined by Pete Sampras (smiling). No, it's... You know what? Legacies are -- I don't know. I think it's a big word for things such as tennis players, or people such as tennis players. I hope my legacy is written after I'm long, long gone, not just no longer playing tennis.

TODD MARTIN: Well, I guess I was done with that answer. I'm not good at periods. You just gave me one, so...

TODD MARTIN: I don't mean to disagree with you. I don't mean that he didn't have great heart. But my comment was he knew when to play better, and he was able to do so. He knew how to lift it. That didn't have much to do with Connors-like tenacity or Chang-like tenacity. I think there's a difference there.

TODD MARTIN: Well, you know, the games are supremely different. Pete had the ability to play certain points differently than what you saw for a half a set. Andy plays every point . Andy is much more similar to Jim Courier than he is to Pete Sampras. I think it's gonna be really difficult to -- I mean, intensity-wise, emotion-wise, game-wise, weapon-wise, it's much more similar to Jim. But most importantly is Andy plays every point very similarly. Pete would lull you into a sense of security. He'd stay back and hit a few ground strokes, maybe slap a few balls here and there, but at 4-all deuce, second serve, you knew exactly what he was gonna do: he was gonna do everything he could to get to the net on that return and be athletic at the net. Andy's not gonna do that. That's not to say that Andy won't be able to raise his game at the most important points of the match. But it's not gonna be -- presumably it's not gonna be because of strategical changes. It's just gonna be, "Now is a more important part of the match. The same forehand I missed the last game, I'm not gonna miss." I think all great players have that component to their game, and I think Andy's exhibiting it more and more as he goes along.

TODD MARTIN: I enjoy what I do. I enjoy getting better at it. I enjoy learning about it and learning about myself as I learn about the game. I still think that the competition is enjoyable and that I can compete.

TODD MARTIN: Thanks for asking about me, Chris (smiling).

TODD MARTIN: I would like to say yes, because I think in the numerous times I was asked about Pete's career in those two years, I continued to insist that he had the ability still, just a matter of a few things clicking at the right time, and also a matter of him accepting not breezing through tournaments week in and week out. I was starting to feel less that way by the time the US Open came around last year. But he definitely proved lots of us right and wrong.

TODD MARTIN: I can't remember what happened. What was the semifinal last year? I can't remember who he played.

TODD MARTIN: It was 6, 6 and 0 or something? It was three straight sets maybe, close? Andre was Hewitt and it was a tough four-set match. Well, I think, you know, the Saturday/Sunday, playing early is a lot easier on Saturday. Pete's game fits into that structure or format better. Pretty economical game. Certainly, the result that he had on Saturday was more conducive to performance on Sunday. It's gotten better through the years. It seems like both semifinals are - I don't know if they did it this way last year - but both semifinals were back-to-back. Also the final - football games are getting longer and longer - so it's nice to start the final a bit late.

TODD MARTIN: Which time?

TODD MARTIN: Well, you know, I left from the hotel this morning at 8:45. I mean, presumably I'll get home by 6:30. That's a fairly typical working day for the normal nine-to-fiver. It's obviously an obsolete term, but... That's on a match day, which is, if you're lucky, every other day for two weeks. My normal practice schedule is, you know, it's probably a five- or six-hour day door-to-door, or hotel door to hotel door, I should say, round trip. Minus the fact that we work weekends and minus the fact that we eat and sleep according to our job, it's doable. And it's just a matter of being able to, you know, keep your focus, when your focus has to be tennis, on the tennis, and when you're home, making sure that you eat properly and sleep properly. My son, so far, has allowed us to sleep properly (laughter). I thank him every morning for it.

TODD MARTIN: Well, I thought Pete always did a great job of being prepared to play and, you know, I think was able to do what he needed to do off the court in order to be at his best on the court. At times, that meant being one of the guys; at times, that meant doing his own thing and removing himself from or separating himself from some of the others on the tour. I think that just spoke volumes of his love for the competition, the love for the game, and the fact that he kept his eye on the prize.