US OPEN

September 2, 1999

Justin Gimelstob

Q. Justin, were you undergoing all that treatment? What kind of stuff was going on?

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: Stretching, icing, IV, the whole deal.

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: Just the last game. Last game when I went to serve for 5-3, I had -- my left leg was cramping considerably.

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: No, I think this was just fatigue and just being a little stressed out. I just got tired a little bit, and expended a lot of energy from stressing out.

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: A little bit, sure. Something I was really looking forward to doing, and sitting around all day, not knowing whether I was going to play, trying to get ready to play three different times. Winning very easily then all of a sudden looking like I was, you know, on my way back home with my head between my legs. So there was a lot to it.

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: I feel pretty darn good.

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: Nope.

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: He's great. Real positive and obviously played at a very high level. So he knows what it takes. He's intelligent, and he's had a lot of experience so he's helped me a lot.

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: Yeah, yeah, similar to Harold. Harold is a little bit more, you know, Harold was a little bit more every day with me. Elliot, we work together a little bit less frequently, so it's -- which is, I think, a little bit better for me. When I'm around someone too much, it seems like I don't really -- it's almost like too much of a good thing, I begin to develop too much of a friendship and not enough of a coach/student relationship like I had with Elliot.

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: No, I have a place in LA now. Actually, that's not true. I stay with friends in LA. I practice out in LA more.

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: Yes, I do.

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: I mean I wouldn't go out there if I didn't think I could. I mean I know I've always said I wanted to play the best in the biggest situations, and that's what probably I'm going to get. He's the best player left in the tournament based on the year, I'm excited about it. I'm not going to sit here popping off like I did the last time before I played him. I learned, you know, I learned a lot about competing and not putting undo pressure on myself. He's a great player. He's a great champion. I have -- he's been great to me. I have a ton of respect for him. I've stayed at his house on two different occasions, I've practiced with him before the summer began. I was really, unbelievably happy for him when he won the French Open, I was going nuts watching it on TV, almost got thrown out of the restaurant I was watching it in. I've had unbelievable respect for him. But I also, you know, come to play on Saturday for sure. And if I didn't respect him as much as I do, I wouldn't be as eager to be compete as hard as I can, which I am.

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: Yeah. I mean I'd rather try to play him on this than really slow courts somewhere. But I think he matches up well against anyone on any surface when he's playing well and into it.

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: I was going nuts in the restaurant. I was in Germany about to play a grass court tournament there. I flew in, he was getting whacked. I walked in, I'm eating lunch. I was in there with a couple of American players, John Stark was there. They are obviously more subdued than I am. I started getting into it and into it, I started just feeling for him, knowing how much it meant to him, being around him a good amount, being a tennis player, knowing how much it means to win all four Grand Slams. Knowing how low he's been, I just really started, really started jonesing to see him win it. I was really excited for him. I was -- I don't do a lot of things in moderation. When I celebrate, I celebrate. And I was just going nuts for him in the restaurant. These Germans, they were -- they just wanted to serve my food and have me get out of there. I was just getting pumped.

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: Wasn't the manager. There was a bunch of us there. I was the most exuberant one. I was hooting and hollering. I think they wanted me to watch the rest of it in my room, but I wasn't going to move.

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: Saturday. Okay, see you, Al. (Laughter)

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: Yeah, I was just -- I couldn't believe it. I hit a really good serve and then I just -- just thinking don't -- somehow, I kind of really didn't even see the ball. I was like please don't bounce in somehow. I just literally had -- my tank was completely empty. And I was just estatic. I was just estatic obviously, obviously a little bit overly emotional, but that's the way I am. I don't want to apologize for who I am, I just -- what you saw is how I felt, really.

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: No, I'm staying in the city at a friend of mine's parent's apartment.

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: Am I getting out? I've been much more low-key than I usually have been. I've got a ton of friends in. I've been pretty much antisocial, just hanging out with my friends, ordering in, occasionally going out. But like last night, I just ordered food in, tonight I'll order food in. Just pretty much trying to just, you know, just go with the flow.

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: No, I haven't been doing any of the good stuff. Todd Martin gets to throw out the first pitch at the Yankee game, go to the player parties. I'm just trying to just, you know, hang in there and just enjoy my time but not really trying to get distracted.

JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: Just a Steel bar. But I don't want to mention it because if I mention it, they should be paying me, which they're not.

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