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GREAT AMERICAN INSURANCE ATP CHAMPIONSHIPAugust 5, 1997Albert CostaCINCINNATI, OHIO JOE LYNCH: Albert Costa into the second round after saving two matchpoints against Jim Courier. He will next meet Tommy Haas of Germany and that evens Albert head-to-head 2-All with Courier. First question. Q. Can you talk about those two matchpoints and how that kind of rejuvenated you? ALBERT COSTA: No, it was only fighting. I never lose my concentration and it is like every point, no, the same, the same thing. I was thinking that I can and I can all the time, including the two matchpoints down. If you have the matchpoints down with his serve, it is different. If you are serving sometimes two good serves and -- Q. You remember when he was once No. 1 and people feared him; did that go through your mind at all? ALBERT COSTA: Before the match I was thinking the match was going to be very tough and Jim is unbelievable player, especially on these kind of courts. But now on these courts I am playing well and I was fighting all the time in the match and trying to do my best. That is it. Sometimes you can say Jim Courier was No. 1 and now he is not so good for him, not for his ranking, but, I don't know, you have to be concentrate on the court and you don't have to think about these things. Q. He has won two tournaments, but he has been knocked out in the first round in 7. When you go into a match like this, do you think who am I going to be facing here; am I going to be facing a great Jim Courier or facing a guy that is going to be knocked out, do you -- (inaudible) JOE LYNCH: His consistency. ALBERT COSTA: Who, Jim? Q. Yes. ALBERT COSTA: Well, I know he is consistent and -- but in the court you have to think you are better than him. You have to make -- Q. He hasn't been consistent this year. He has been up and down. ALBERT COSTA: Well, I think that -- Q. He is still a tough match to get in the first round. ALBERT COSTA: For me it is a tough match to play with him, very tough. I think Jim, he is always dangerous. Now this year maybe he is inconsistent, but if you look at the draw you can see in the first round, if you see Jim, you don't have a good draw. Q. Can you talk about playing on hard courts, are you feeling comfortable on them? ALBERT COSTA: I was practicing one week before here and for me now I like to play here because it is not so fast and hard courts, well, now I am playing well. I was also playing well in Australia and here I think I can play good. I don't know if I am -- I don't know how many matches I am going to win, but I am feeling very well. We are practicing, I think all the Spanish are practicing a lot on hard courts and that is helping us. Q. Have they built more hard courts in Barcelona? ALBERT COSTA: Like this one, yes. Not too much indoors, but like this one is enough. Q. We don't think of you necessarily as a hard court player, but what do you expect from yourself coming to Cincinnati, New Haven, and going into the Open? ALBERT COSTA: I think for me it is not easy because now in Europe they are playing some small tournament, clay court tournaments, but whatever, I think you have to play one Grand Slam, U.S. Open and you have to prepare good and for me I think this is the motivation to play here and to play in New Haven and Boston and then you have to -- you are very good prepared for playing in U.S. Open. Q. You had an injury? ALBERT COSTA: Yes, after Roland Garros. It is okay now. JOE LYNCH: Anything else? End of FastScripts… |
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