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U.S. OPEN

August 29, 1994

Markus Zoecke

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

Q. Never in doubt?

MARKUS ZOECKE: No. I was. I mean, of course I was, but I thought I have a good chance because didn't have so many matches lately and I played pretty well, I mean, in smaller tournaments, but I had a lot of matches and I thought I had a chance and he didn't play so well in the first two sets. He gave me a lot of points, so I could take these from him and I think I played pretty good fourth set.

Q. Were you steadier than you normally are?

MARKUS ZOECKE: Today?

Q. Yes, more consistent off the ground than you normally are?

MARKUS ZOECKE: Yeah, probably. I mean, I served pretty good, I think, and I don't know how my percentage was, but I think I hit a lot of winners and was very difficult for him to come in to play his game because he was forced by my strokes, you know. I think, yeah, I think it was pretty good match from my side.

Q. A lot has been made of his serve recently. Did you feel you handled it well and did you feel that that took him totally out of his game?

MARKUS ZOECKE: I think if he serves like in the third set, he was serving unbelievable there. Doesn't give you a chance and he only takes eight or nine or ten seconds to prepare for the serve that makes it even harder to return the serve. First two sets he didn't serve so many first serves, so I had good chances and I think in the last game I returned, too, pretty good first serves, and if you just hit a few back, I think he starts thinking and because he is used to just hitting aces, I think.

Q. So if you could return his serve, you feel you have got a good chance against him?

MARKUS ZOECKE: Yeah, sure, because I know that my serving is pretty good enough to hold and he has got problems with that and it wasn't a matter of who is serving better today.

Q. -- ahead two sets to love in the first game of the third set, you had two breakpoints and couldn't quite nail it down. Did you get a little nervous then or feel it might slip away?

MARKUS ZOECKE: Not really, because I thought he starts trying just to give the match to me because he didn't really try anymore. Seems to me like this, but he was just serving and hitting aces, so, I mean, I thought I still have a good chance because I have two sets to love and I think yeah, I tried until the end and I didn't really thought about winning this match, you know.

Q. When you say he was not, he was just giving you some points and not playing --

MARKUS ZOECKE: He always plays like this, I mean, he is serving in between like 30 seconds he served -- serves three aces, you never know. He hits a winner or he misses the ball. I mean, that is his game sometimes, but today I thought after two sets to Love he was a little disappointed, I think.

Q. One point later in the second set that you served an ace, 3 aces in a row, the third one, he just walked away in the middle of.

MARKUS ZOECKE: Yeah, because I didn't see it probably.

Q. No, he walked away when you were serving?

MARKUS ZOECKE: Probably he didn't see it.

Q. On the final point of the match he hits the net cord, ball bounces up, you come in, were you afraid of thinking too much on that point?

MARKUS ZOECKE: Yeah, that gives you a lot of time to think, but I thought, just make it, and I was really happy when I thought -- when I saw the ball floating -- flying in the court; kind of relieved.

Q. Did you think about hitting it right at him?

MARKUS ZOECKE: No.

Q. Is there any point near the end of the match where you start to think it is the first day of the U.S. Open, and here I am going to beat the second seed of the U.S. Open and you start to think a little too much about that?

MARKUS ZOECKE: I think I didn't today. I mean, normally, I just-- if I have matchpoint like the first matchpoint I had, normally, I try hitting winners, but this time I thought he was pretty nervous and I just put the ball back in and that was not so good. That is why I tried next time tried to hit everything and fortunately everything was going in, but you shouldn't think too much. Definitely.

Q. How pumped up were you after the victory; is that the most pumped up you have ever been?

MARKUS ZOECKE: Again, sorry, again?

Q. Is that the most excited you have ever been?

MARKUS ZOECKE: Yeah, maybe. Yeah. I was really happy. I don't know really, but I think I have to see it on TV, maybe, maybe that -- yeah, it is a very big win for me.

Q. As you probably know the National Football League is putting a football team in Frankfurt next year. Have you thought about perhaps a second career as a linebacker in American football?

MARKUS ZOECKE: I think I am not fast enough.

Q. You are big enough?

MARKUS ZOECKE: Big enough? Yeah, I mean, give me an offer, I will think about it. I heard there are millions in it now.

Q. You said he was really nervous; you could sense his nervousness; what about you? After a win like this, did you become more nervous now, or where do you see yourself going from here?

MARKUS ZOECKE: I just come off the court. I don't know if I am going to be nervous next one. I think not because I play well right now and there is nothing to be nervous about. I mean, I beat Goran, but there are so many very good players in the draw. I don't know, I hope that I am going to win another round, but I don't know who I am going to play, but probably a good player and just-- we will just see what is going on.

Q. He is ranked second in the world, but do you guys see him as the second best player in the world?

MARKUS ZOECKE: I mean, he obviously is because he has more points than the No. 3, but he has got a big serve and he is probably not as consistent as Edberg or Chang or someone like this, but he wins big tournaments and if he plays well, it is really hard for anybody to beat him. That is why I think he deserves to be No. 2.

Q. But he hasn't won a big tournament?

MARKUS ZOECKE: He hasn't?

Q. Hasn't won a Slam?

MARKUS ZOECKE: Made a few finals and he won pretty good tournaments, last year won Stockholm. Obviously, he is a good player. I don't know, he has got more than 3000 points, I have only 600.

Q. Last two years you lost in the first round here. When you saw your draw playing Goran, did you think about going straight out?

MARKUS ZOECKE: Yeah, I thought actually I thought I have a chance because I played much better this summer than I did the last two years, and so when I was playing well and I thought I have a chance, but I didn't know what to expect because he didn't play for-- like, he lost two weeks ago in Indianapolis, first rounds. I didn't know if I would actually play him because I didn't know if he was injured. I didn't think too much of it.

Q. A lot of players talk about difficulties of playing at the U.S. Open, the traffic, the moving around, the airplanes; how do you feel about playing in this environment?

MARKUS ZOECKE: I think the only thing today was a little bit dark because the shade of the this building, I am not used to playing on big courts like this, but I think the planes were pretty far away and when I am concentrated, I don't see too many things. So I was pretty concentrated today.

Q. Is the concentration the difference in playing well this summer as opposed to the last; is that the difference?

MARKUS ZOECKE: Probably. But I think the most important thing is that you win matches. You can practice as much as you want to, but matches are the most important thing and I had a few good ones.

Q. There was some talk after he had served so well in a tournament like Wimbledon that maybe they should change the rules and give the guys one serve. What do you think of that proposal; is that silly or what?

MARKUS ZOECKE: Wimbledon has been good for me, so I don't think so.

End of FastScripts...

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