TMS - MADRID

October 13, 2003

Alex Corretja

THE MODERATOR: Questions in Spanish for Alex.

ALEX CORRETJA: Well, it does help. I've been working for months, traveling, training without results, positive results. I hope today is the beginning of my recovery. It's gratifying to see I can play well again. It's something I was looking for for weeks and didn't find. Same as in Lyon, where finally I lost. I had break opportunities which I finally lost. But today I've been calm, a little bit more experience, working hard. Suddenly, because of the last set, you win. The same as months ago, because of the last set, I lost. You have to wait. But to wait is very difficult.

ALEX CORRETJA: We met in the Godo, and that was a tough fight. Today has been another one. He's a very good boy who plays well, it's true, but the important thing was to win. Good impressions come maybe afterwards. Maybe you enjoy things when things are easier. But now it's only a matter of winning.

ALEX CORRETJA: Right now I'm working to get to the top again. If I ever thought I wouldn't be able to do it, I could have retired before, yes. But I don't think that way. I might as well stay at home if I felt that way. I think it's better to play tournaments, to be maybe in the first round, challengers, that's my moment right now. I've not thought about retiring, not now. I hope not to think about that for a while, three or four years.

ALEX CORRETJA: Yes. I'm going to be patient. I know it's been hard for months. But I have to keep my mental control. I'm working with my coach, with my physical trainer. I hope all that helps me improve, because that's where it has to be reflected, in victories.

ALEX CORRETJA: The captains asked us if we had any problems playing together. They asked both. I said I agreed. Feliciano, too. That's why we're going to try. More than try to win, we're going to try to see how we work together, if we're comfortable or not.

ALEX CORRETJA: Yes, it's just a trial. It's not definite. But once we see what we can give together, the captains are going to try, keep trying teams, then choose according to that.

ALEX CORRETJA: I don't want to answer that question because that's up to the captains to choose. I'm only glad to think the captains keep thinking about me. They have to answer that for you.

ALEX CORRETJA: For me it's been a great day. I don't feel like thinking about bets or betting today. I haven't seen anyone throwing a match because of this stuff of betting. If it's someone, it's up to him, but I have no news.

ALEX CORRETJA: Now I'm much elated again. Before with my former coach, even though we thought we could win something, it was obvious we couldn't. There was something wrong. I needed something new. Now I'm working on my mental control, legs, stamina, trying to keep up, get my level of game back. I knew him so well that sometimes it was difficult for me to pay attention to small details. Sometimes you need a new person whom you respect and you don't know as well to learn and keep giving your best. Both coaches are different, do different things on the court. Sometimes he just asked me strange things. He asked me to train after a match. Last time, I was off the court at midnight almost. But I did it because I trust him and I think he's doing it for my best interest. That happens in small details. I changed my mobile phone because I had many people phoning me, and now I have time for myself, I can rest. I just try to think about myself more than about other people.

ALEX CORRETJA: Right now I don't want to think about anything like that. I wish I were Agassi, in fact. But I don't want to think about tomorrow. Tomorrow we'll train because I'll have a smile on my face because I won, not the face of failure. But the good thing is I have the chance to keep on playing. Ranking, I don't really care about that right now. You get what you deserve. You cannot fake that.

ALEX CORRETJA: Yes, I know it's important to be precise. If you lose concentration, then it's very difficult to get it back. Actually, there's examples, Sampras, who have retired - not because of failures but because maybe your head cannot go beyond a point. Even if everything is very nice apparently, one has to sacrifice, work very, very hard. There's a point where either you like tennis a lot or you just think, "I have everything I want, I can stay at home, have a child, have a wife." I think it's important to keep on. That's the important decision. I think I have something more to give.

ALEX CORRETJA: Look, I know captains are going to do the best for the team. If I'm chosen, I'll give my best and I'll go. For example, I wouldn't go to Australia. Doubles, grass. But if I accept Davis Cup, I think it's because it's something unique. I would perfectly understand not to be chosen as one of the members of the team, and it wouldn't be a surprise for me. For instance, if I play with Feliciano sometime, people would be very critical with me. He's young. I'm older. If the captain decides not to have me, I would be sad but not really surprised.

ALEX CORRETJA: No, I don't think so. If the captains decide to change, I think that's a brave decision. It's easier to choose the same team that has reached the final. To say they're playing good, "Okay, we're going to reward you with staying on the team." If captains think that a change must be made, I think it's brave and good for the team. So to have a new player is a risk. To have two is a double risk. As I've said, I would accept two new players because that's logical. If you break a team, it's logical, you break it by taking the two of them off, putting two new ones. It's a risk, that's true. But any decision that they make, I think we're going to accept it, even if it's not easy. You can always say, "Go on, you play the final." That's not easy. When you've never played a Davis Cup match... I would accept it, but it's not easy. As I said before, any change is going to be accepted. Depends on your mentality.