U.S. OPEN

September 3, 1995

Jim Courier

JIM COURIER: Yes, yes, yes.

JIM COURIER: Yeah, it is clean. Hitting the ball well, moving through the draw, that is the way to be.

JIM COURIER: Yeah. Yeah, it will be a good match for me. I like my chances. I have a pretty good record against Thomas.

JIM COURIER: Yes.

JIM COURIER: Well, I am still low key, but I am excited as well. Just in a low-key fashion.

JIM COURIER: I don't think so, just play my same game, I think. I've got to play my best tennis and see if he plays his best tennis; we will match it up and see who plays better, pretty simple. We are both grinders, so it should be a good grinding match, I would hope.

JIM COURIER: Well, obviously he feels like he he is in great mental shape, I guess, because he is on a roll from the clay. And, you know, when you are rolling, you can play on nails and play well. So, I think that that is probably his theory, was to play to his strengths and come in here. I think he is playing, from what I have read, he just feels like he is playing with no pressure. Anything he does here is a bonus for him. So, I hope he feels getting to the fourth round is about enough.

JIM COURIER: I find it to be easier to go from faster surfaces to slower surfaces. It gives you a little bit more time when you have to go to a slower court. Going to a faster court, obviously the footing is different; can't slide, and you have to be faster with your feet. You know, it's a difficult transition normally for me because I don't go from clay to hard, I go from clay to grass and it is a pretty tough transition.

JIM COURIER: I guess in probably the last four, five years there has been a bunch of Americans. I think we have done it before in other Slams where we have had eight or nine in the round of 16. We have quite a few guys and it is a good thing that it happens here at the U.S. Open, keeps our fans a lot more interested. And I know that I play with a lot of pride here and I think everybody else does too. Hopefully we can keep those eight Americans -- I don't know, I am sure some of them have to play each other now, but hopefully we can get as many on through.

JIM COURIER: Not really. Vince is a good player. I have played him earlier this summer and he is playing well.

JIM COURIER: He played a good match, true enough. I have been having equipment problems all summer and finally got a handle on it on my week off. That has been a big difference for me. I finally feel good with my racket and my handle and spin. It has been a long time since I felt that way.

JIM COURIER: Took some weight off my racket. It was a little bit too heavy in the head and I felt like I was slow on the court, and it was because my hand speed was slow, wasn't able to get the racket through, and now I am feeling a lot better. And not to take anything away from Golmard, he did play a very fine match against me; played a gutsy match, but I like my chances against him any time we play.

JIM COURIER: About five grams.

JIM COURIER: Yeah.

JIM COURIER: No, that was in tape.

JIM COURIER: Well, I feel like I am in good shape today and I feel like I am in a good mental frame of mind, and I am just taking it day by day. Hopefully I will continue to feel this way for a long time. When I am feeling this way, someone has to play pretty well to beat me. I feel good about my chances here.

JIM COURIER: A year ago I was tired. I played a lot more tennis than I have to this point, and had been on the road a lot more, and was just basically burned. I didn't want to travel anymore. I wanted to go home. And although I like to go home, I am happy to be here playing and hope to stay here for a lot longer.

JIM COURIER: Keeping it on the short-term, there is no reason to look long-term because I have to take the first steps before I can start running again, so...

JIM COURIER: I think their matches have been really exciting this year when they have played, and certainly they have been playing for the past year the best tennis out there outside of Muster on clay, of course, but obviously you guys are doing your part to build it up. I think it is great for the game. It is bringing a lot of people that might not necessarily be as interested in tennis -- those two guys are bringing them to the park, so to speak, and we like that. The more people the better. I like playing full houses and if they come to watch them, maybe they will come watch me too.

JIM COURIER: Probably not.

JIM COURIER: Well, I have got things to do. Too many good golf courses out there to be bothered.

JIM COURIER: He wears Lotto so does Boris Becker and they should know that Nike does all the scheduling -- a lot of players get -- they have no privilege. He is lucky to be playing on the main side -- I mean, I am surprised he is not playing in Central Park.

JIM COURIER: Phil pretty much just decides what court he wants to sit and watch a match on, basically.

JIM COURIER: I played on court 16 my last match. I don't have a problem with that. That is Thomas' business.

JIM COURIER: I feel good when I line up against him on any surface. I am ready to go anytime, anyplace, anywhere - I am there.

JIM COURIER: No, definitely not. I mean, if I get myself back up in the rankings -- I feel like they deserve everything that they are getting. There is no doubt, and I have been up at the top and I know what that is like and I am striving to get back there, but I don't -- there is no pride lost not seeing my face on commercials. I don't want -- I don't watch that much TV in any case, so I think it is great. And it is great for the game. Also they are on different commercials where, you know, not just the tennis tournament. If you see a basketball game, you see those guys, that is good for tennis. I like that.

JIM COURIER: Yeah. I am a tennis player first. I am not a consumer advertiser, so to speak. I am an athlete. That is my primary goal. That stuff, you know, is on the side. This is why I am here is to play tennis, not to try and get on TV for commercials.

JIM COURIER: No, not at all. I played well in Davis Cup the next week after that. So it didn't set me back at all.

JIM COURIER: Anybody left at this point.

JIM COURIER: Yeah.

JIM COURIER: Some have better shots than others, but everyone has got a shot. There is no question about that.

JIM COURIER: I am in a good frame of mind, it has been so long -- no -- I feel like I am in a good state of mind. I am just -- I feel very in control on the court so I am happy with that. I am taking baby steps, one at a time see what happens. Thanks.