WIMBLEDON

June 28, 2000

Paul Goldstein

MODERATOR: Good evening, everyone. Mr. Goldstein.

PAUL GOLDSTEIN: I, first of all, called the trainer once at 10-9 in the fifth, whatever the change of ends was. The next change of ends, it's standard for the trainer to stay out there on the court and treat the player. All I can say is we're battling for - how long was the match?

PAUL GOLDSTEIN: We're in the fourth hour of the match. The last thing on my mind is trying to do anything in any way unethical or unsportsmanlike, trying to get an unfair advantage. That's why the trainers are there. The previous serve, when I went down on the serve, my left thigh started cramping. It was just my first instinct to call the trainer. Not a thought in my mind was trying to get any unfair advantage over Jeff. All I can say is that it's been 25, 30 minutes, however long it's been. I haven't talked to a player in the locker room, a staff member in the ATP, any one of the trainers who feel like I did anything unethical or unsportsmanlike. I feel like it's definitely an unfortunate situation, but I feel like I just went out there, played tennis, put my head down after every point and just battled. In no way, shape, or form did I do anything to try to gain an unfair advantage.

PAUL GOLDSTEIN: I said, "You don't want to shake my hand?" I was a little startled to be honest. He said, "Why don't you call the trainer on your serve?" That's all. "Why didn't you call the trainer on your serve?"

PAUL GOLDSTEIN: Never happened.

PAUL GOLDSTEIN: "Why don't you call the trainer on your serve, before you serve?"

PAUL GOLDSTEIN: Not a word was exchanged between Jeff and I.

PAUL GOLDSTEIN: I didn't feel like that. I felt like it was just a battle. He may feel like it. I don't know. I was just out there. In the fourth or fifth set, I don't think there was one even fist pump or chant of, "Yeah." I might have done one in the fourth set on a really good shot, but not anything. There was very little emotion, I thought, during the course of the entire match. Many of you perhaps saw the match, I think would attest to that as well. I was frankly really surprised, because we finished the match, even during the changeover, the next three games, he didn't say a word. I was surprised. I had no idea what his problem was.

PAUL GOLDSTEIN: It does a little. I'd be lying if I said it didn't. Again, with the reinforcement that I've gotten, I feel really comfortable in the way I handled everything, and I don't feel like I did anything unethical. It does unfortunately mar it a little bit. In retrospect, I try to think about it and keep it in perspective. We went out there, second round of Wimbledon, battled for four and a half hours, however long it was, 12-10 in the fifth. I was pleased with the way I competed. I was pleased with the way I served, especially in the fifth set. To end like that is really unfortunate. To have that kind of hate - I don't know, maybe "hate" is too strong a word - but anger, bums me out a little bit. I certainly would like -- would have preferred it if we would have, you know, shook hands and said, "Gee, that was a battle. Let's have a beer tonight. It's on me." That's the way I would have preferred it.

PAUL GOLDSTEIN: What do you want me to say to that? I feel like if you ask any one of the players in the locker room, they'll feel like I'm one of the fairest, as a person, respected people out there. I think if I had no conscience whatsoever, I would have said, "I don't give a hoot what Jeff thinks. I'm just pleased I'm in the third round of Wimbledon." It did mar it a little bit. Again, I don't think I did anything wrong or unethical, nothing to gain an unfair advantage whatsoever. Everything was in the rules. I was concerned about it. I asked the ATP staff, "Did I do anything outside the rules, anything unethical?" Not a person said there was even a remote possibility, nothing. What happened with him and Scott, I have no idea.

PAUL GOLDSTEIN: It's a little tough. I mean, certainly we're in the heat of the moment there. We've been battling for four hours, as I said. I can understand disappointment. I can understand somewhat anger. I don't know what he's going to say now having cooled off and having gotten a chance to think about it, whether he's going to continue to say I purposely screwed him. Perhaps he will. Certainly everyone is entitled to their prerogative and opinion.

PAUL GOLDSTEIN: You're talking to someone who has been on tour not even really for two years now. I wasn't around when that last thing happened. Certainly there are guys who are in the locker room saying, "Don't worry about it. That's kind of, you know, whatever, Jeff being Jeff." I don't feel that way. I don't know Jeff well enough to feel like I've seen anything like this. I feel like I'm just still relatively new out there. Haven't seen anything like it before. We haven't even played a lot of the same tournaments. In the past, the interaction we've had has been positive. I'm not saying I'm surprised or not surprised because of him when I don't have that sort of a foundation of a person.

PAUL GOLDSTEIN: Haven't spoken with him.

PAUL GOLDSTEIN: What happened? The ball was in. It was a good call by Gerry, the chair umpire.

PAUL GOLDSTEIN: He overruled it really quickly. I was a little startled, everything was happening.

PAUL GOLDSTEIN: Again, it was a good call by Gerry. I have no problem with that. I don't think I argued it even for a second.

PAUL GOLDSTEIN: I don't even -- I don't know. I felt like throughout the whole thing, as I've said, I thought it was a relatively short-on-emotion match. I didn't let myself get too high when I felt like I almost won the match. It wasn't too difficult to hunker down and focus on the next point.

PAUL GOLDSTEIN: It's a fair question, but no, not many at all.

PAUL GOLDSTEIN: It's a good question. I can think of some stories of some other people that had been through the program. The guy is such a great player. Everybody respects him so much as a player. He deserves that. I certainly do.

PAUL GOLDSTEIN: Never saw him at Stanford.

PAUL GOLDSTEIN: No.

PAUL GOLDSTEIN: He's not someone who I traditionally go out and have dinner with. Never had dinner. It's been very minimal, to be honest with you in the past. This week, in fact, I don't think I've seen him at all. I think yesterday is the first time I saw him after he had won. Just walked by each other, "Hey, Jeff, how you doing?" Likewise to me. There's no history between Goldstein and Tarango.

PAUL GOLDSTEIN: Stanford code?

PAUL GOLDSTEIN: It's family. Certainly is family.

PAUL GOLDSTEIN: To me, he isn't just because he hasn't been one of the guys - and again partly because we played a lot of different tournaments, we haven't had too much interaction. But I think he has a base in Europe. I think he plays a lot of European events. I'm mostly in the States. He hasn't been like a John Stark, Alex O'Brien, help me out, help me feel comfortable on the tour. I harbor no ill will towards him because of that. The guy is a professional and he's doing what he needs to do. Again, no ill will in the past for that.

PAUL GOLDSTEIN: I would say it's inconsistent with the way Gould runs the program, definitely.

PAUL GOLDSTEIN: I thought I was playing good deuce points. I had some good return winners. There was a lot during the match where he would get the advantage, when he backed me up. I mean, I scrambled pretty well, won a lot of points scrambling. It was clear when he was able to back me up. I think that was his strategy, a one-two, deep hard ball, flat, right at me, not giving me a chance to use some angles. If I didn't hold my ground and push it back deep, I'd back up, give him a short ball, he's all over me. When you're at match point, you want to win, it's harder to execute. That's what I did. I felt like I even -- he had some great serves when he was down breakpoint. I made a couple returns, was in the point. The shoulders don't relax (indicating), "Please give me this point," instead of doing what you got to do to execute the point.

PAUL GOLDSTEIN: I faced a bunch. Like I said, I got broken like at 3-1 in the fifth, and not the rest of the match. For me, that's a pretty big-time accomplishment, for me to hold out a returner the quality that Jeff is. For me to hold out and serve, I was pleased with the way I served, came out with some nice serves, down breakpoints. Again, I thought it was because I was able to keep my composure throughout the match.

PAUL GOLDSTEIN: I'm not great really. Still cramping. Icing down. Nauseous. But what can you do?

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