TMS - CINCINNATI

August 11, 2000

Gustavo Kuerten

THE MODERATOR: First question for Guga?

GUSTAVO KUERTEN: It was a long one. It was tough. Since the beginning he play I expect more aggressive serve-and-volley. I was trying to move him around, too, but not so easy. So I think we got pretty open match and he had chance to win first...(Inaudible).

GUSTAVO KUERTEN: Yeah, it's tough. But still one break only, no? So I was hanging around there and not really thinking that I could win, but at least get the chance to see how the guy's gonna work. So...(Inaudible) I come back for juice and I break after. So after I got the break, everything was tight again. And the match could be mine or it can be him.

GUSTAVO KUERTEN: Yes, I don't know. I serve him. When I change the grip, my skin got tight in the grip...(Inaudible).

GUSTAVO KUERTEN: They tried, yes. But I never had any problems. I'm not used to playing like that so I take it off.

GUSTAVO KUERTEN: I lost three games I think.

(Laughter.)

GUSTAVO KUERTEN: Yes, I fall. I didn't see. I think it was pretty much because...(Inaudible) I extend I think.

GUSTAVO KUERTEN: Yeah, it is.

GUSTAVO KUERTEN: Don't really matter for me. It's gonna be -- from now on it's just more mentally I will have to be prepared. Everybody's playing well, winning some match. So I got to be strong tomorrow. As I did today, fight, and when I have my chance, I have to do it.

GUSTAVO KUERTEN: Like I said, it's, for me, who ever I play, I just got to know anybody who playing in semifinal is not only playing the game against the guy, but you be prepared to play semifinal in a good atmosphere on Saturday...(Inaudible). So it's a lot of things. It doesn't really matter who you play against.

GUSTAVO KUERTEN: Yes, I had not won lot of tiebreaks. I lost one in Canada...(Inaudible) And one more in the doubles here, then one again here in this match. So it was little bit frustrated. And it's tough sometimes to make the things working the other way around. The mind's kind of blocked. But I think I just served so big, maybe three or four points I go out only serving. That was really the key for me for the win.

GUSTAVO KUERTEN: No, I think just tough break and it's tough to stay there. I had to think in my head that I was out of my game playing for a while, and I thought I would have -- I had the last for sure. And just things start to change, and you know it's just one point to the other sometimes.

GUSTAVO KUERTEN: Yeah, I think it's kind of situation. I have not winning so many matches I did before like two, three months ago...(Inaudible) And that's maybe what's also, because there's been many tiebreaks before now. Many match go to deciding tiebreak. So it's a big change. If you win like two or three in a row, it's like you feel so comfortable that you're gonna win again. If you lose like three or four like I did, it's tough to make the things going the other way around.

GUSTAVO KUERTEN: Yeah. But now I think more relieved. It was important match and it was a good time to do it.

GUSTAVO KUERTEN: Well, was tough for me because I so much have chance to break at 5-0. And just like this, I played bad two points in the beginning of tiebreak and he was 5-Love already. So it's so frustrating. But you start to playing a little bit better the second set, the third...(Inaudible) And I was just turning around. So that was important.

GUSTAVO KUERTEN: Well, I think it's a great event. It's a great tradition, too. It's tough to change -- make change I think. Sometimes, you know, we don't have too much things to do during the night or going out or going for many restaurants as you find in New York, say. But we also don't have too much time for this. So I think it's -- it's traditional event. So anything you want to change, you have to think a lot about it.

GUSTAVO KUERTEN: Well, I think maybe it's a little bit nice. You can have more life action, see more people around than all this. Like I said, sometimes, like today, it's gonna be the first day that I will be able to have dinner. All the days I got to the hotel 9:30, 10 o'clock. So even if I was in the city, I have no chance to go anywhere.

GUSTAVO KUERTEN: ...(Inaudible).

GUSTAVO KUERTEN: I never see one. I try.

GUSTAVO KUERTEN: Yeah, I think as you can see as the Race go, I think I so far the one I think playing better tennis this year. But that doesn't mean that I'm the best tennis player in the world, you know. We have so much tournament and a lot of situations. You are good one week, you are bad the others. So I still a lot far from let's say what Sampras, you know, did...(Inaudible). So at the moment I am playing well, playing every little bit better. But I think I still have to build my career and...(Inaudible). And then I can see myself with more titles and more things in my back to really see myself as the best in the world.

GUSTAVO KUERTEN: Yeah, for me everything I get, like today, was so nice for me. I never played semifinals here. So as far as I can get, things that I never did, it's always good for me. I always gonna try to do it a little bit more than I have done.