U.S. OPEN

September 9, 1995

Boris Becker

(new questioner).....

BORIS BECKER: Do you want me to go out again?

BORIS BECKER: First of all, I think we did something fine and important today and that was we played a great tennis match. What happened two months ago is something which very few people still care about. I may have said a few things which aren't right; he has said maybe few things which aren't right, but we are all not perfect. In the heat of the moment you say some things, a couple of days later you may think about it again and you say, maybe I shouldn't have said that. But the point is, that you cannot be loved by everybody, you know, everyone has a difference of opinion about so many things and some people will like you for the same reasons; others will not like you. I personally always liked Andre. I respected him as a player. And I respected him as a person. But obviously, he has some faults too, like me, and I have made a few comments at Wimbledon and will make comments because it is my right to do that. But, you know, the bottom line is, that we are both, I believe, great champions and we showed a great tennis match out there today.

BORIS BECKER: You know, I know players who don't like Andre and I know players who like him very much. Same thing as with me. So, you know, unfortunately, we haven't spoken personally yet with each other and, you know, as I was trying to explain this week, it wasn't so much about him personally. It was about his company that I made comments about. And he took it personally and, you know, if he did, it wasn't meant to be, but honestly, we are -- that is there is a very famous German politician Adenauer; he says once (BORIS RECITING PHRASE IN GERMAN) (AUDIENCE LAUGHTER) I cannot explain that in English. Okay? I am sorry.

BORIS BECKER: One more English or...

BORIS BECKER: Thank you for now. First question I actually care about. From my part, I had a few chances early on in his first three service games, 15-30 twice and 30-40, attacked him very much. Somehow wasn't able to pull it off to break him. After that, on his service games I got a bit frustrated. I got a bit down because I, you know, I had, early on, so many chances and I sort of lost timing and believing in my returns a little bit. I served well and I volleyed well, but, you know, I wasn't giving him on his service games, after that, you know, much trouble, you know. We went into a tiebreaker. In the tiebreaker, it is always like going to the casino a little bit. In the first tiebreak, I was early ahead. I was -- had a little break and I thought I was playing better at that moment. In the second tiebreaker, he was better from the beginning and he deserved to win that. But to lose two sets in a tiebreaker without losing your serve once, it is very hard to swallow. I tried to stay in the match. Unfortunately, he had broken me early on, but I was still trying on that because I always sensed that if I at least try, I still have a chance because he has to serve it out, which is not the easiest thing to do and right away what happened, he got a bit, you know, he wasn't going for his shots as much anymore, and, you know, that is when I sensed that I had a chance, I took my first breakpoint opportunity then and I happened to play then a very, very aggressive and very good games and I had -- beginning of the fourth set, he wasn't sure anymore about his game plan because I sort of came back from the dead again like in Wimbledon and he wasn't playing with much confidence and, you know, I had a very good breakpoint and I played a great forehand return and he made a running forehand crosscourt and another good point, so, he pulled his neck out of a very difficult situation then. And after going down a few times to his corner talking a little bit to his people in the middle of the fourth set, he started to regain his confidence and he started to play more aggressive again. And then he just played typical Andre Agassi shots to finish off the match - three winners. I didn't even see the ball. And I, you know, that was too good then.

BORIS BECKER: On Love-30, it was actually a pretty good wide serve and he saw -- he smelled the corner; maybe he saw it and just ripped it harder than I served, and I wasn't even finishing my motion and the ball was already passed and on the other one I served pretty good second serve down the body and he ripped it again down the line, and that is too good for me.

BORIS BECKER: Exactly what I said.

BORIS BECKER: I thought so too. That is why I was talking to the umpire about it, and he obviously didn't see what I saw.

BORIS BECKER: Actually he served great today. He went for his first serve a lot which surprised me. Normally he plays sort of a three quarter and he made many, many first serves and that caught me off guard too a little bit. I wasn't expecting that. I thought he was going to serve a different pattern and, you know, he served great throughout the match.

BORIS BECKER: No, I just lost a lot of faith in the umpire early on when he overruled my first serve on, you know, on the match when I served an ace wide and he -- I thought it was clearly on the line. He overruled the first serve. That is not really something which makes you believe very much with the umpire, he overrules you your first serve; did another couple of unfortunate calls, or actually, after that, he didn't overrule clear mistakes on both sides anymore, and I thought, he wasn't capable of doing a good job out there. There were many mistakes out there, and he just didn't overrule anymore at all, and, you know, in my match with Patrick McEnroe the umpire was stronger. He was better. He went in when he thought so, and he wasn't strong enough today.

BORIS BECKER: Well, it's the match everybody wanted to see, wasn't it? You know, it is always, I would say, a bit of an advantage if you have played the first semifinal because you have a few more hours to recover. We battled over three hours out there. Andre has less time to regroup, and less time to get ready for tomorrow, but, you know, he has done it before. It is a U.S. Open final. I think he can get up one more day to play great tennis. Predictions? It is open. You know, both are playing great right now. Different styles. It should be very exciting match even for me to watch it.

PAGE CROSLAND: We have a rough translation of what Adenauer had to say: "I said something yesterday, but I don't care about it today."

BORIS BECKER: But he said it with a very, very strong sense of humor in his dialect; that is what makes it so special.