RCA TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

August 17, 1996

Todd Martin

TODD MARTIN: I am not bleeding, no.

TODD MARTIN: I think -- yeah, but when he is hitting the ball as well as he was today, he could have been standing back, standing in, standing with his back to me and still do pretty well that way. -. He started off the match playing fairly far back on my second serve and I felt a lot of pressure that way. He was -- when he hits the ball that hard, it is just -- it is hard to even make a play on the ball even if it is right at you.

TODD MARTIN: No, but he played two different players. I don't think his service percentage was that high, but he served -- every serve he hit was where he wanted it to be and second serves, I think his second serves was one of the biggest keys because minus a few stretches here and there, I didn't get on his second serve much at all and also he just -- he put a lot of returns in play. He took huge swings at the ball and the ball was going in. I was on the defensive and even when I felt like I was on the offense, he really came up with some great shots to beat me that way.

TODD MARTIN: Yeah, it is -- it is difficult when you are struggling to hold every time and he is winning his games at love or 15 and I did a fairly good job in the second set of getting that out of my mind and just focusing on the task at hand and at 4-All I started the game out with a doublefault, hit a good serve; doublefault; hit a good serve, and then, you know, I missed two not easy volleys, but volleys I should make and at least make him hit another shot. So it is disappointing to lose the second set on that game because I don't feel like I put my best foot forward like -- I felt I was really starting to play a little bit better in the second as much as he was letting me play.

TODD MARTIN: Yeah, I am playing well. I feel good on the court. Just, when you have opportunities like this, you hate to see them go by, but when you are beaten, which I was today, it is a lot easier to stomach than when you lose.

TODD MARTIN: Pete hasn't been challenged too much this week and I think Goran's match yesterday helped him a little bit in that he gutted one out and I don't know how they match up usually, but they are both obviously playing well. They both might be the two best servers in the game and I think both of them have made huge strides in their return games in the past couple of years, so I think one thing is for sure, you could have a great match on your hands tomorrow. But to predict, it is just too difficult. I think whoever comes out read -- more ready to play and more eager to be the champion, then that is probably who is going to win.

TODD MARTIN: Playing in Toronto.

TODD MARTIN: In a perfect world, I wouldn't be playing three straight weeks right before the Open, but with the Olympics in the middle of the summer, the ATP schedule got switched around a little bit and I was designated to play Toronto this year, so I am going to go and hopefully make the most of it and I feel like I really haven't taxed myself too much this summer already. It is only my, I guess my 6th match of the summer today, so I don't think I will be too tired to come -- come New York, so hopefully it will be a good preparation for me.