WIMBLEDON

June 27, 2003

Todd Martin

TODD MARTIN: It can't be too dissimilar. But it's also, you know, they've got different games, despite the fact that they both spend a lot of time at the baseline. Rainer is much more aggressive than Lleyton is, but also I think Lleyton does some other things better than Rainer does.

TODD MARTIN: I don't know. Right now, I just know I'm going down (smiling).

TODD MARTIN: Yeah, you should of (laughter). You know, I didn't need to play five sets today, and, you know, that's the unfortunate thing about it. But, you know, once you get there, you play the cards you're dealt, and I played them all right. In fact, the fifth set was probably the best set that we played, and Rainer unfortunately played it better than I did.

TODD MARTIN: Well, it happened twice today - once on breakpoint in the second set after I was up a break, and it was almost an identical shot; then, obviously, at 5-all, the first point in the fifth. You know, I can't say that that's not a good break for him, but, one, he got to a tough ball; two, he hit it very well. If it misses the net, I'm in pretty tough shape. Of course it certainly caught enough of the net to maybe stay on his side, too. But it's a matter of what you do from there.

TODD MARTIN: I'm in the Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame and also the Northwestern Hall of Fame, and I would suspect that those are where I'll stop. But, you know, that's really not important to me.

TODD MARTIN: Well, you can rest assured that Magic Johnson is. I would imagine John Smoltz is. There are a few other prominent athletes from there, so... But, you know, that's one of the challenges of sport, is to stay in the present and focus on today. You know, I think if we start to think about it, the idea of history and what part you have in it, when it comes down to it, that doesn't mean diddley-squat. What matters is how well you go about your business currently, you know. Because when I die, it's certainly not going to matter to me whether Billy Smith in 2223 knows how good of a career I had; it just has no bearing.

TODD MARTIN: You started it (laughter).

TODD MARTIN: Well, I'm pooped right now. But, yeah, I tore a muscle in Queen's and was worried about whether I'd be able to play here. It didn't bother me at all...

TODD MARTIN: In my chest. ...and I was very pleased about that. But, you know, the three hours of practice I had before this tournament proved to be enough to execute my tennis business, but it didn't prove to be enough to be as strong and as resistant as I needed to be, especially against Rainer today.

TODD MARTIN: I'm playing Washington first and then I'll get on my hands and knees and beg a little bit for wildcards in Canada and Cincinnati.

TODD MARTIN: Bud, for some reason, it comes at a difficult time of the year.

TODD MARTIN: What, I've got eight days, nine days?

TODD MARTIN: And I've been on the road for seven weeks in Europe and I'm 32 and I have a wife and son.

TODD MARTIN: (Shaking his head).

TODD MARTIN: Don't change it, please. Beat a guy when he's down (smiling).

TODD MARTIN: Yes.

TODD MARTIN: I don't know him well enough personally to comment, and I don't think that he's particularly fond of me right now considering I represent an organization that he's opposed to. That being said, it is disappointing that he finds it necessary to sue the ATP because, essentially, he's suing his fellow players. And I think if that were conveyed to him enough, then maybe they'd understand. But everybody does what they feel is necessary and, you know, Lleyton shouldn't be any different than the rest of us.

TODD MARTIN: Sure, but they don't have to put up with things that they don't feel are right. In his defense, if he feels that he's been wronged, you know, in the States we'd say it's an inalienable right to take action. But I don't think there is the proper grounds for the action.

TODD MARTIN: I said how I feel about -- I said I don't believe he has grounds, but...

TODD MARTIN: Well, when they're with me, it's a lot easier than when I'm on the road by myself. But, you know, we've all -- I guess for the first nine or ten years of my career, I conducted my profession in a certain manner and that was be on the road when I needed to be on the road, and I looked forward to being home and was excited when I was home - but I didn't have nearly as much to enjoy at home. And then when I got married, obviously, I had to take my wife's life into account and our relationship into account when scheduling, and so you tweak it a little bit and it works out just fine. Since we had our baby, it's been the same process. I love it. It's the best thing that I've ever done. But it definitely is a challenge for us to be able to refocus or redirect some of our thinking at times. You know, like this trip, I'll have, I think, been on the road for seven weeks. They've been with me the last couple weeks, but, you know, that's too much. But sometimes we got to grin and bear it and see what we can make of it.

TODD MARTIN: Well, I see the end coming from a different -- couple different standpoints - one, what's home is a whole lot better than it ever has been, and that's tremendous. I couldn't ask for more. But then again, what's on the road isn't as good as it used to be, either. I'm hoping that I'll wake up one morning and say, you know, "I don't need to go to the airport this morning," rather than finish a tournament one week and say, "Well, I can't get in to any more tournaments." Because, you know, it would be much more on my terms if I were able to just say, "Enough's enough."

TODD MARTIN: (Laughing). I used to say numbers like five years, but, you know, it's a difficult time to answer these type of questions. But, you know, a lot of me gives thought to this topic often, and it's difficult to -- makes it difficult to play, you know. Once you start thinking about it, it's difficult to avoid the continued thought. The more you think about it, the closer you are to having it happen.

TODD MARTIN: Absolutely not, no. Well, I mean, you know, I think 75% of the guys out here have that goal. But in my mind, if they've chosen the right spouse, then it should only help their career; it should only make their life more complete. When that happens, everything else gets better. You know, the first year that I knew my wife was by far the best 12 months of my career, and I don't think it's coincidence. I think it was a huge part of the boost that I had in my career.

TODD MARTIN: In his career?

TODD MARTIN: Well, if he swings like that the rest of his career and he makes it to 32, I take my hat off to him. But he's going in the right direction. You know, he struggled early on this year and struggled on, I think, what some people probably thought was his best surface in clay. But when it comes down to it, I don't think he's going to have - at least in this point in his career - a better surface for himself than grass. I'll be a keen observer of how things go the rest of the tournament.

TODD MARTIN: That's not -- no offense to you, but that's not worth answering. There's absolutely no way I can make that decision today, one way or the other.

TODD MARTIN: Well, it happens earlier.

TODD MARTIN: I don't know about that. I think, you know, it's hard to get past the emotion of today whether, you know, whether it be Monday where I come from behind and win a five-set match, or today where I had a lead and lost it. On Monday I was happy because of Monday; today I'm disappointed because of today. I guess it goes sort of back to the Hall of Fame issue, just has very little bearing when it comes down to it, you know. Couple years from now, if, you know, I come over here in another capacity or if I'm at home, you know, sitting around with my son watching the tournament, I might get a little nostalgic then. But my focus was to do well in the tournament, and I played all right and not as well as I'd liked.

TODD MARTIN: Well, it is more difficult. Don't get that wrong.

TODD MARTIN: But I still think that the net is where an attacking player needs to be. Today, I was forced to stay back on a number of my first serves, which is rare. But, you know, guys have longer racquets, they take full swings at the ball, and the ball's heavier and it's getting more and more difficult. And I think probably the biggest issue is the fact that each one of the guys out here is faster and more gifted at hitting passing shots than they used to be.

TODD MARTIN: Maybe a little bit, but not -- I mean, not noticeably. It's more what the other guy can do now. It's very difficult.

TODD MARTIN: Yeah, definitely. Oh, definitely.

TODD MARTIN: Well, it's heavy out of the can also, so... But the reason it fluffs up more than it used to is because guys play more from the back court and it has more chance to fluff up, so...