TMS - INDIAN WELLS

March 14, 2001

Andre Agassi

ANDRE AGASSI: I thought it was a real good match, highly competitive, excluding just maybe slight indecision on a couple crucial points for me to consolidate the break to go 4-3, 5-3. But outside of that, I felt like it was high quality, highly competitive. I feel real good with the way my game got better as the match went on.

ANDRE AGASSI: I mean, at that point you're just trying to continue executing and make him play a good breaker to beat you. I mean, for me at that stage, I was a bit frustrated because I felt like I had a couple opportunities to close that set out. But once I was down in the breaker, I just kind of -- I didn't want to just leave it in his hands; I wanted to execute my shots and at least feel good with the fact that if I go into the second set a set down, I'm starting to let my game fly a little bit more.

ANDRE AGASSI: Yeah. I mean, I want to be better. I mean, I feel like I can be, and I think every day is an opportunity for that. As long as I'm still in the event, very, very happy.

ANDRE AGASSI: You know, it's kind of hard to say. I mean, I think sports are so much about match-ups. To say who's better is a difficult thing. I think that each have strengths that the other one doesn't. I mean, I think Nicolas moves better than Tommy. I think Tommy has more firepower off the backhand than Kiefer does. You know, competitively speaking, day in and day out, it's hard to say. Against me, I feel like they're always going to be challenged and out there competing hard. Like today, Tommy had opportunities to go away, and he just refused to. He kept working hard out there, which is great to see. Tomorrow will be a whole nother match, same program. Both of us will be trying to do what we do best and keep the other one from controlling.

ANDRE AGASSI: I like everything except where the player's box is located. It's like lower than the court and it's in the corner, on the same side as the umpire's chair. You can't see 60% of the court. The people that matter the most to your game. I think that's the only criticism of this whole facility. The rest is outstanding.

ANDRE AGASSI: I got a hunch I'll pay my respects (smiling). How and when, all that, might be up in the air. I don't like anybody that I care about that's been important to me to not feel respect from me.

ANDRE AGASSI: I don't know. You're going to have to ask her, if you can get an interview.

ANDRE AGASSI: A few words?

ANDRE AGASSI: I haven't seen Mardy's game too much. Obviously, he had a great win here against Philippoussis, up 4-2 today, then kind of lost the match against Kiefer. I don't know his game too well, only what I hear. I'm never comfortable really speaking to that. I think Taylor has a real powerful game. He has a couple struggling points, but I think he has a big enough game to work around it and certainly can do a lot better than he's done, has a lot to look forward to.

ANDRE AGASSI: It's good for the game, I guess. I don't know. Hopefully it's good for the NASDAQ, too.