AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 23, 2004

Taylor Dent

TAYLOR DENT: Yeah, that was definitely, without question, the worst tennis experience of my entire life - not only professional career, but my entire life.

TAYLOR DENT: Well, I didn't look at the stats or anything. But the double-faults and the low first serve percentage was the biggest problem, and that hasn't been an uncommon thing. It's been something I've been trying to work on. Andy just exploited it because he didn't let me break back and get into the match. The other day against Chela, I got broken ten times. I mean, you know, no decent player gets broken ten times in a match. I don't care if it's 20 sets. Andy just didn't let me break back. That was the difference tonight.

TAYLOR DENT: I didn't really think too much about anything. I knew that breaks were gonna be rare for me to come by because he serves so well. I had a feeling that I was gonna struggle with my serve because, like I said, it's not like it just happened tonight. It's been kind of a common factor since the beginning of the year, really. So, yeah, I knew I was gonna struggle. Didn't surprise me that I broke him because, you know, I had good success breaking him both the previous times that I played him yeah.

TAYLOR DENT: Just kind of -- I don't know. Trying to make some humor out of it because I wasn't tanking out there. I was busting my butt. I was running down everything I could. Just after I started to go through that bad patch, I just lost all my confidence out there and, you know, I was mentally as tough as I could be out there and I just was trying to make, I don't know, make it kind of a joke to myself to try and lighten up a little bit.

TAYLOR DENT: Well, that's how I normally serve. You know, if you look back on the stats that I served in all the tournaments I did well, US Open, Bangkok, Moscow, all those tournaments, I hit my second serve pretty big. Even when I slowed it down, I still couldn't get them in. So, you know, I probably was overthinking a little bit out there when I was going through that bad patch but I was just trying to, you know, challenge him somewhat, just not give him everything.

TAYLOR DENT: That would be ideal, if I could just say, "That was the worst ever," and move on. I think the great players do that and it's something I'm learning to do. But, unfortunately, certain situations in tennis sting for me. You know, this is gonna sting for a little bit. This is gonna make me stay out on the court a long time.

TAYLOR DENT: Oh, absolutely. There was one person that yelled out, "Come on, Taylor, I paid good money for these seats." I answered back. I said, "Look, it's costing me a lot of pride to stay out here." It was embarrassing. It was absolutely embarrassing. But, you know, it happens in all sports, so I'm not the first and hopefully I won't be the last.

TAYLOR DENT: I mean, I don't know. I'll probably have to do some soul-searching later. But I've played, you know, big matches before. I've played No. 1's in the world before, I've stretched them. I'm normally pretty good with the nerve side of the thing. Like I was saying earlier, this isn't an uncommon thing that's been happening. If you look back at my match with Chela, I don't know how many double-faults I hit, but I got broken ten times in that match. It wasn't the situation. It was just... Just, you know, it's the way it's kind of been happening.

TAYLOR DENT: He played good. The times I made him play, he was playing well.

TAYLOR DENT: Okay, for the average player, I don't know. You'd probably have to ask them. You don't see the good guys, Top 10 guys in the world, have too many of these. I can't ever recall Andy playing a shocker of a match. I can't, you know -- I can't really say, but that's part of the reason I'm ranked where I'm ranked. I can play very good and I can play very bad. Unfortunately it's one or the other. There's not too much in between and that's what I'm trying to work towards.

TAYLOR DENT: Yeah. Like you say, it was tough to judge. I wasn't pushing him too much.

TAYLOR DENT: Oh, boy. I think she owes me money for staying out there, actually (smiling).