adidas International

January 10, 2003

Juan Carlos Ferrero

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Juan Carlos, please.

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Yeah, I was thinking, you know, I start very, very well, 3-1 winning, you know. But I know him very well, and when he is playing good, you know, he's difficult, when he's gonna come back playing good, when he's gonna come back playing bad. I think he plays unbelievable the first set, aside the 3-1 in the first set. I sit in the chair, you know, and I was thinking, "Don't worry, I have to try to play the same level of the first set," because I was playing good. I was winning 3-1. I was okay until 3-1. So I have to try to give the same level, and I think I did it the whole time.

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Today, it was difficult today because the wind, you know, I think both players, we felt a lot of the wind today because I think the wind, it goes like this, you know (swirling his hands) all the time, and the ball was going very fast you don't know where. But, you know, I think I play a good match for the conditions today, you know.

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Is important, because you have to finish the points in the net. Because from the base of the line it's difficult to finish all points. Is easy to finish the point in the net, so I try it all my matches and some days I could finish the point well than other days. But I think today I did it well. I tried to go to the net to close the point, you know, and sometimes I did it.

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Maybe, yes, because I am very aggressive in the hard court and also in clay courts. But in hard court maybe you have the opportunity to go to the net more times than on the clay court.

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: No.

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: No, no, no, no. No, no. With my coach maybe sometimes we spoke about something in specials, you know, volley or something sort of special, but not today, no.

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: I don't remember. You mean...?

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: No, of course not, you know. All the time your coach -- I mean my coach is telling me that I have to try to close the point in the net, because I think is the tennis of now, you know? How I tell before, you know, it's very difficult to finish all the points from the base of the line. So maybe now with my serve, because is not like Sampras, but maybe with my forehand or with my backhand I try to go to the net very often.

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: (Smiling).

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Is not difficult, only you run and you go. You have to do a very good shot to go to the net. It's not mentality, is not anything, you know. You know that the net is there and you have to go to finish. So when you do a very good shot, you have to go and you have to finish. That's it. It's all you thinking.

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: I didn't understand the question. I don't think so. I have to go.

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: I know, I know. I'm trying, I try. I'm working on this, because I like to play hard courts and I like to go to the net. I like to play doubles. It's all the time is volley. So I think, you know, the Spanish guys, we are working on that and we are improving a lot.

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: Of course. I think it's very important to be in the -- in there. Hewitt, Safin, it's like my age, 21, 22. I have to stay of the same level as them, you know. I have to try to win them, of course.

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: I think I play against Squillari first round.

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: I think I have Santoro in third round. I don't see any more. Only I see on the TV five minutes before the match.

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO: The only time I played against Ferreira was in Rome like two years ago, and it was very easy because I think he played really bad, 6-2, 6-love for me. So I think I never played against him in hard court. I played against Lee in the Olympic Games two years ago here, also in Sydney, one court over there. I won in three tough sets. He had matchpoint in the second set against me. So I have experience against both players.