AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 20, 2001

Chris Woodruff

CHRIS WOODRUFF: What's that?

CHRIS WOODRUFF: No, it was not hot out there at all. I think I became a little too predictable with the way I was playing and he seemed to get a good groove and I just -- I didn't think I thought as well out there as I could have. I was playing really smart in the first set and a half. The struggle started long before he broke me at 5-4 in the second set. I think it started about 3-all things started to get a little harder.

CHRIS WOODRUFF: Fine. I tweaked a little something in my leg and it may have cost me some mobility mainly out to the right side, but other than that, I felt fine out there. It's a beautiful arena. No, it wasn't windy at all in there. I couldn't believe it. It was a magnificent atmosphere, and really nice to play in there.

CHRIS WOODRUFF: I don't take the loss very hard. Beating myself up about losing a match, I'd like to think those days are behind me. I think I had a good tournament. You're right, I did have a tough draw. That's an awfully tough -- I was playing well enough to keep on participating here in the Australian Open, but it was unfortunate in some ways that I had to come up against him. We've played several times, and he's starting to get the best of me. And the matches are always close, but it was a bit unfortunate that I had to play him in the third round.

CHRIS WOODRUFF: Well, you know, he's already told me that I'm going, so that's not really an issue. I'll probably leave on Monday. I'll let my body calm down tomorrow before I sit on a plane, go back home to Tennessee.

CHRIS WOODRUFF: Well, he kind of insinuated that a couple of days ago. And I think the win over Gambill was, you don't want to say like it was a college challenge match, but I think that had some weight behind it. I think he sees I'm playing pretty well. Hitting the ball very cleanly right now. So I think we're going to -- three guys are pretty definite who's going over there, myself, Jan-Michael Gambill and Todd Martin. I think the fourth guy is still up in the air. Maybe it's his brother.

CHRIS WOODRUFF: Wouldn't be surprised.

CHRIS WOODRUFF: To be honest --

CHRIS WOODRUFF: I'm not -- I don't know. Maybe more than a gut feeling, but I'm not going to say because I really don't know. I know there are about four or five guys for sure who he's looking at, and I know his brother may be one of them.

CHRIS WOODRUFF: Well, just as long as those two don't clash and tussle over who's the captain, it will be okay.

CHRIS WOODRUFF: Yeah. We have a good team, we'll be quite capable of winning.

CHRIS WOODRUFF: Well, I don't know what's been said. I know that Kafelnikov came in here and said that we weren't paid -- he thought we were underpaid. And is anybody else -- has Todd or Pete or Andre, they had anything to say?

CHRIS WOODRUFF: They have. They think we're overpaid or --.

CHRIS WOODRUFF: Pete thinks we're overpaid.

CHRIS WOODRUFF: Well, I guess what everybody has to understand is relative to the professional golfers we don't get paid nearly as much as they do. His point is very well taken. In fact, a friend of mine won the Tucson Open who went to the rival high school in Knoxville, Tennessee, I know him very well, Garrett Willis (ph). I think his payout was $540,000. That is what I would categorize as winning Memphis. It's about that level. I think the payout at Memphis is 125,000. So relative to golf, we're definitely underpaid. Compared to golf, I want to emphasize that. I think for Pete to say -- if Pete in fact did say we're overpaid, it's easy for him to say that, you look in the player profile, he has $42 million in career prize money or 41. I think everybody has to be realistic. It's a very, very nice life style out here if you're successful, and we make -- I think we make a very nice living. But I think Yevgeny, what he meant to say was relative to the professional golfers, we don't make nearly as much as they do and so...

CHRIS WOODRUFF: Yes. I'd assume, you know, probably to -- but he speaks his mind and maybe it wasn't the most appropriate thing to say because I don't think tennis is as popular as golf is right now either, and that's pretty obvious. But, yeah, you have a good point about -- but I think he meant -- like I said earlier, I think he meant that relative to golf. I don't think he necessarily meant that we're underpaid in general. My understanding was he was comparing that to golf, is that correct?

CHRIS WOODRUFF: So what he says is accurate then. We are underpaid relative to golf.