US OPEN

September 6, 2004

Dominik Hrbaty

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

DOMINIK HRBATY: I think I won it because, you know, part of the game is to get your opponent physically that he can't any more move or he's cramping. So I think that's also part of the game. Also maybe, I mean, you can always say you have to be a little bit lucky to win from two-sets-to-love down. But I was fighting all the time and he was running so well. He was playing amazing shots. Since the beginning, I couldn't believe that he's going to hold the rhythm of his play and running so well after two 5-set matches, what he did in past two games. I was always hoping to get him somewhere that physically he's going to be in the end of his power.

DOMINIK HRBATY: I mean, you can't think about that, I mean, to feel pity for the opponent. He is only the opponent, you have to fight him and you have to beat him, till the end don't give him any chance. Go for if there is a chance to go for 6-0. That's what I did. Maybe you can lose one game and he can always stand up and fight back. In tennis, there is no mercy and you have to fight for every ball.

DOMINIK HRBATY: I was telling him -- I mean, after the match I was telling him this I'm sorry that it end up like this, because he had already two 5-set matches. He told me good luck in the next game and say congratulation.

DOMINIK HRBATY: Yeah, I think it's great. I've already been three times in the quarters, and out of three times one time in the semis. It's always great feeling, and that means that you are probably playing well and you are probably on the top of your game.

DOMINIK HRBATY: I don't know, it's strange that the public always take -- the public goes with him also. Maybe because he's small, I don't know. Maybe everybody think that this guy doesn't stand a chance. But he's a great player. He has a great shots. But, yeah, it's part of the game. I had my fans there, and I heard them. You know, I followed always with them. I mean, you can't say to the public, "Be on my side." You have to fight and that's it. You're concentrating on your game.

DOMINIK HRBATY: I think we played pretty high level since beginning of the game. But he just always put within more ball inside the lines, you know, inside the court than me. He was running really well. The shots I was making, too, made him run, he always played great defense back. But I was hoping all the time that I have a chance always against this guy. I beat him already once, so there is always chance to fight him. And even I believe in myself to play best-of-five because I feel physically strong. I always know that I have a chance if the match goes longer or to the fifth set.

DOMINIK HRBATY: I feel much better now. I feel the ball much better than I felt in Cincinnati. Today I have a little trouble with my serve in some periods of the game. I didn't serve as well as in the past matches. But, yeah, I got through the round and I'm happy.

DOMINIK HRBATY: I think we played only once, in the finals in Brighton. I don't know. I remember only this match. Maybe we played some other time, but I don't remember the other one.

DOMINIK HRBATY: Sometimes you can play with a guy five times during the year, sometimes you don't meet a guy for five years, and you meet him like every tournament, basically you're playing most of the year together. I can say that basically I practice with all the guys kind of like at least a couple times a year. I always change so then once you get to play him, then you know what to expect. Like, say, with Tim, we practice in Montreal -- Toronto this year. I still remember that practice. I know how he plays. It's good to change the practice partners sometimes, to play with all the guys that you know after a couple of years you meet him and you know what he's playing.

DOMINIK HRBATY: Yeah.

DOMINIK HRBATY: No, Toronto. This year was Masters Series in Toronto, in Canada.

DOMINIK HRBATY: Yeah. I mean, I don't know him that well probably as Roger or the other guys because maybe he's older, you know. He's four years older than me. He was growing up different generation than me. But still I always respect him and we always say to each other hello. We talk, maybe small chat. Nothing special, nothing big. But he's a great player. I always -- I mean, even to watch his serve-and-volley game, I always like to watch because he's only one of a few players that doing that. I have nothing to lose next round. I can only get plus always. There is no minus for me.

DOMINIK HRBATY: He's a very solid player. He always had great results I think in the Grand Slams, not only the Wimbledon, but also the other Grand Slams. No, he's been for many years Top 10. They always said he's not -- the player not able to win a big tournament. But I think he's a great player. He has the ability to win the big tournament or the Grand Slam. Just these days it's all about the confidence in the last round. During the matches, whoever has the bigger confidence, the guy's going to win the match.

DOMINIK HRBATY: I know Paradorn pretty well. We played couple doubles together. We practice a lot during the year. I think with his game, he's a very good hard court player, big serve, great forehand. He improved his backhand very much because I meet him a couple years ago in Tashkent where I beat him first time. At that time he didn't know how to play backhand. Now he's playing all-court tennis. He know all the shots. And he's still very young. I think, like I said, if he's going to believe in himself, he can make a big change, big wins in tennis. He can be there for a long time.

DOMINIK HRBATY: That's a little bit that he has to probably learn. The thing is when he starts to lose, sometimes you -- I don't say that he's not concentrating, but he's too much in a hurry sometimes. You know, like he doesn't -- I wouldn't say he doesn't think too much about the game, but he just goes from one point to another. Sometimes he plays four, five points the same way that he did. But he's still young and he can learn.

DOMINIK HRBATY: Tough to say. I beat couple of guys beat here a few years ago, that was one of the best matches in my memory, Goran Ivanisevic. I was losing 0-4 in the first set. Since then I lost only four games till the end of my match. I lost first set 6-4, and then 6-1, 6-0, 6-1, I won. After the match, he gave all the racquets to the crowd, and he said that he's quitting tennis (smiling). I don't know. Probably I like to play baseliners because you get a little more rhythm. But it just doesn't matter. If it goes, the tennis, the right way, your way, it doesn't matter who is standing the other side, then you know you can play anybody, you can beat this guy.

DOMINIK HRBATY: Boring? I don't know, maybe it's boring because I play -- try to play my rhythm and try to hold up like the guy running on the baseline. I don't do too much like dropshot, don't go serve and volley. But it works and I'm happy to play this game. Ivan Lendl played the same way, and he was No. 1 in the world. Probably it was boring. But, you know, you don't look at the tennis it's boring or not, you just want to win.

DOMINIK HRBATY: Yeah, I mean, if you want to have two guys that they are not boring to watch, you have to watch only Roger Federer. I think he's the only guy that if you look, this guy can play anything what he likes. Then probably the other player that was really great in this was Miloslav Mecir. The guy was amazing to watch. If there would be so many players that they can play anything, the tennis would be I think the No. 1 sport in the world.