WIMBLEDON

July 1, 2000

Gustavo Kuerten

MODERATOR: Good even, Ladies and Gentlemen. Gustavo Kuerten.

GUSTAVO KUERTEN: I think he played well and I wasn't too strong. The first set I played good, but then I felt a little bit tired. I think he really played better than me, so he deserved to win. He was really solid today.

GUSTAVO KUERTEN: Just sore a little bit. I have a bad cold for a few days. Really got me bad yesterday. Today I think as match was going, I feel maybe because I lost first set, too; I didn't feel enough power to see myself with chance. I tried to get some help there, but wasn't too helpful.

GUSTAVO KUERTEN: Almost before it started already coming from Brazil, was kind of, you know, there, but didn't went away. I think after I played two days ago, I feel a little bit worst with fever, you know, here too (indicating throat). It can happen. That's why it's tough to see whether you can do well or not in these big tournament because something like this can happen, can maybe take your chance a little bit less.

GUSTAVO KUERTEN: I don't know. I have to check now. I've been seeing the doctor few days. I didn't had too much, almost normal, 37, 38. But today I don't know. Probably now because I finish the match, I have a lot of pain in the body. I think now I can have a few days to recover.

GUSTAVO KUERTEN: No. I was not feeling really, really bad, just weak. I could run, could play, but not full of energy. That's enough to be out of tournament like this.

GUSTAVO KUERTEN: No, I have Davis Cup in Australia. Probably maybe go back today, and then I go to Australia on, I don't know, Thursday, Wednesday.

GUSTAVO KUERTEN: Yeah, but not only because of that. I think everybody's playing too much. We have a Grand Slam event in the first month of the year, then The Masters is almost in December. You have to play almost 12 months. I think that no sport the players play like this. Especially when you are only one, you have to run by yourself and do everything by yourself. I think that's kind of too much. We can see the players, they cannot play well during all the time. We see a lot of injuries, the guys playing well here or there, maybe one month off, two months off. I lucky I don't get too much injuries. Just can be, you know, enough healthy to play most of the tournament.

GUSTAVO KUERTEN: Yeah, it was funny. For me, I don't have -- not that important for me the playing here, otherwise I be practising or playing other tournaments before and all this. So for me it's always more funny, more relax. But wasn't too good. Like I said, I wasn't in my best feeling this week. Sometimes was tough. But, no, I think I did good enough just playing some good match. I went as far as I could go. Today he really was, I think, maybe too strong for me in this day.

GUSTAVO KUERTEN: No, I like to be pressure. I like to play important tournaments. Otherwise be no fun for me. Pressure is one good thing that makes you more excited. Even coming here, I feel myself with chance to win, so it's a little bit of pressure that I like to put on the game.