	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

U.S. OPEN

September 5, 1993

Jim Courier

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

Q. At 4-2 when he had the doublefault, do you think it was a case of nerves on his part?

JIM COURIER: I don't really know, you know, what was going through his head. He played a good game to break me. And then, you know, just didn't convert there. Hard to say what happened, really.

Q. Did you turn it up at 4-2, Jim, all of a sudden to get the adrenaline rush and start going for it?

JIM COURIER: I can't say that I turned it up because he doublefaulted three times. I wish I could take credit for turning it up.

Q. Even after that?

JIM COURIER: I was ready to turn it up, had the balls gone in, but you just played the cards you dealt out there and I did turn it up after that game, at 4-3 I played-- I won about, I don't know, maybe 10 or 11 straight points in succession there. So I did turn it up a notch.

Q. How do you rate the level of your game at the moment?

JIM COURIER: Well, on a scale of one to two, probably two.

Q. Have you played Pioline before?

JIM COURIER: Yes, I played him a few times. I played him two weeks ago in Indianapolis. He is tough.

Q. You lost only one set in three meetings.

JIM COURIER: Yes, but we had a very tough match in the Orange Bowl in the 18 and under, extremely tough. 7-5 in the third, so -- no, he is much improved and we had a very difficult match in Indianapolis and I came in on top and I feel like I am playing well. And I feel like if I play well, I will come out on top again.

Q. Mal has had a number of chances to breakthrough against top players and just had a lot of frustrating results, especially in five setters. Do you remember what it was like for you when you were kind of on the verge and maybe couldn't quite get over the hump; and what was going through your mind, did you ever wonder if it would ever happen?

JIM COURIER: I think it is different for different guys. Everyone has their own unique situation. I haven't been in the same situations that he has been in. But I have had my own hurdles to clear and eventually, you know, I cleared mine and I am sure that Mal will eventually clear his.

Q. It seemed like after he broke early, I think he got the first break of the match. It seemed to turn around rather abruptly, you won the next four and broke him in the first game of the fifth set. Is that true and what happened?

JIM COURIER: Well, that is exactly what happened. And, you know, what happened there was he broke me and then he played a little bit of a loose game. Then I picked it up a little bit and played aggressively and, you know, I got out on top in the next two sets. I lost the break back immediately in the second set and it was a tough set, but the third set, I kind of ran away a little bit. Nice to get that early lead.

Q. How about playing at night, was it at all a hardship in any way?

JIM COURIER: No. Not really.

Q. Adjustment?

JIM COURIER: No. It is a give and take. You know, you know you are going to get a good crowd; your days -- your day is pretty much shot. It's a give and take. I am here to play tennis, whenever they schedule me I will be ready to go.

Q. Jim, do you watch the draw during the tournament?

JIM COURIER: No, and don't tell me what is going on. I don't and don't tell me what is going on. Please.

Q. How do you --

JIM COURIER: It is enough to worry about is what is in front of me. I don't need to worry about what everybody else is doing.

Q. How do you isolate from that?

JIM COURIER: I don't read the paper. I don't watch tennis on TV; just try and be a normal person and observe some other things in life.

Q. Such as?

JIM COURIER: Such as you know, CNN or MTV or HBO or I watched Oh God, and Oh God Book 2 today, pretty good movies, you know, kind of puts things in perspective a little bit.

Q. Do most people when they meet you know that you don't want to hear it or do you have to tell them what you just told us?

JIM COURIER: Not many people would, but if someone starts to mention, hey, this and that the other, I say listen I could careless.

Q. Have you always done that?

JIM COURIER: Yeah. I mean, when I first came on the tour I was, you know, trying to read everything and read all the articles all the results, and it just doesn't help me. I mean, I just- it is a waste of energy for me to worry about what everything else is going on or even to observe it. I just do what I do.

Q. Did would you watch Jose play tomorrow?

JIM COURIER: Yeah, I am looking forward to that.

Q. Are you going to cheer?

JIM COURIER: I am hoping he loses so he will have some time to spend with me this week. No, he is going to have fun out there. He is hitting the ball well.

Q. Thank you.

End of FastScripts....

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297