US OPEN

August 28, 2001

Todd Martin

TODD MARTIN: Well, what else is new? I actually felt fine. The first point after I tweaked my leg in the third set, I felt fairly good running around. I think as long as I would have stayed out there and kept the adrenaline flowing, I think it would have been okay.

TODD MARTIN: No, no. When I did this, the umpire saw that I hurt myself. He wanted to know if I needed the trainer. I probably just looked at him and said, "Yeah" at first. I looked back up at him and he still looked like he was looking for an answer. So I just said, "Phone the trainer."

TODD MARTIN: I've known Mike since he was pretty young. He played junior tennis against some of the kids that grew up near me that I knew. And he was, geez, when I was in the 18s maybe, he was a pretty good 12-and-under, if not a 10-and-under at the time. So I got to see him then. I didn't really know him until probably close to the first time we played up in Canada back in, I don't know, '96 maybe.

TODD MARTIN: Was that '96 or '98? '98 maybe.

TODD MARTIN: Yeah, it was Toronto..

TODD MARTIN: Well, I think it's not that big of a deal. I mean, I think it was fine the way we were doing it with 16 seeds. I think once we all get used to having 32 seeds, it will be fine. Personally, well, I guess just the fact of the matter is I think the tournaments will be guaranteed a few more marquee names in the latter rounds, meaning probably the third and fourth round on, there will be a few more marquee names. For the players, I think for the seeds, for those 32 guys, it's a big advantage to be guaranteed not to have to come up against one of the other top 30 players in the world. That makes a big difference. I mean, it's an advantage when you're in the Top 16. But I think from 16 to 30, things are a little closer than from 30 to 60. And I think that makes a difference.

TODD MARTIN: I tell you, I hit a couple shots today that I come up against or have to deal with on a fairly regular basis, and I hit them better tonight than I do usually. I think first and foremost, the ball is very conducive to my game. And it's not really that it's a fast ball or a slow ball or what have you, I just have -- I seem to have a better feel for this ball than some of the balls we use during our Masters Series events and International Series tournaments. That makes a big difference. If you're comfortable with how the ball comes off your racquet, you can play a lot more the way you want to than if you're not comfortable. You just look at how upset Pete was in Cincinnati about the balls there, and you start to understand that it's pretty important to be confident and comfortable with that part of the game. But also, I mean, it's the US Open. It's no -- it's pretty important, and I think it's a lot more important to me than many of the other players.

TODD MARTIN: I get back a couple times a year.

TODD MARTIN: No family, no. My charity is still there, so I make two trips every year for that. It's getting to the point now where if it's not for that, then it's -- I can get a lot of things that I need to get done during those two visits and don't need to make another.

TODD MARTIN: From ten.

TODD MARTIN: No, it's still very much home. So... Yeah, it's just an awesome place for me. I could take any one of my good friends there and it might not jibe so well with them. But it's my home and until I -- until my wife and I start a family and settle down somewhere else and know that we're gonna be there for a long, long time, it will be my home.

TODD MARTIN: Oh, goodness gracious. No. I mean, I hope -- I mean, I would be extremely disappointed if this were my last visit to Flushing. I'd be really disappointed.

TODD MARTIN: Well, Mike does a lot of things well - a lot of things that I'm aware of. I guess I was pretty aware of what his strengths are. He moves, he's extremely fast, and he's got a very good forehand. I thought his backhand had more on it and was more productive than I was expecting. I was aware that his serve is not necessarily a huge weapon, but he can use it effectively, and he did that tonight. The one thing that -- I guess the two things that I was surprised that worked for me, that worked in my benefit were that, one, he didn't -- points here and there, he didn't get into as good a position to hit the ball as he needed to and I got some free points that way. And his game -- and also he missed some forehands where he was in control of the point. And those two things, when you play Mike's style of play, those points come back to haunt you.