COMPAQ GRAND SLAM CUP

December 8, 1993

Wally Masur

WALLY MASUR: Yeah, one thing led to another, and I feel like from the Johannesburg Doubles Masters until now, one week has sort of ruined my preparation for the next. It is just two tough to do to play on two different continents over three weeks, different surfaces every week, to try and prepare and play your best. I mean, it hurt me for the Davis Cup, didn't get selected, and I feel -- I was happy the way I played today, but I feel like another - having had that match under my belt, another few days practice, I felt like I would have been playing my best tennis.

WALLY MASUR: Yeah, I am disappointed. Yeah, I mean, I am disappointed. I am happy that I played well. I think few things in the third set were a little bit hard to take. Fortune, the match definitely went in his way - in the end, especially - but he went for it, and he made the shots, so good luck with him.

WALLY MASUR: That is one thing about him, that you always- I mean, to hold your serve against him every time you go up and serve, you are really under threat. He doesn't give you that many free games, and at 4-1 it was a situation where it was the last game I had to serve with the old balls; I was aware of that, and I just didn't make any first serves, and he jumped around and hit some great returns, and, you know, it is a hard thing to hang on to a service break against him for a whole set. He broke me, but I pretty much bounced back from, that got back into it, but he definitely raised his game from then on. But I wasn't thinking I have got him, you know; I was fighting with myself to concentrate because I know how he can come back.

WALLY MASUR: Well, we did - Gavin, I think he sets my goals. I don't really set my goals. He is the one with the goals, but we did pretty much everything that he aimed to do. I got my ranking inside the top 20. We tried to focus on the Grand Slams, and I ended up getting here, which was a good result also. I mean, it was my best year-to-date, and fortunately it was a good ten months; it wasn't a good year, my last two months were sort of - almost been a waste of time in a way, just the way things have gone, preparation, the injury, and one thing led to another. The last two months I haven't really played that well, although I was happy with the way I hit the ball today. I think my year sort of ended after the Davis Cup against India, I haven't really done much since then. So it was a good ten months. It wasn't a good year.

WALLY MASUR: One thing that I will be doing, I played with a regular partner for the last two years Mike Kratzmann and so it is tough when you are playing 25 singles and 22 or 23 doubles events every year, so I am going to try and just play with various partners; not with the goal of making the doubles finals, so I'd like to play with some different people, John Fitzgerald and Pat Cash, just some guys that it will be fun to play with, without the pressure of-- the added pressure of having to sort of be there for a doubles event every week. If I feel like I have got a lot of tennis, take days off; if I need the matches, I will try and play doubles. That is one way in which I can look at next year.

WALLY MASUR: When or how?

WALLY MASUR: Well, I am sure that he can-- if he just gets his head right, I am sure that he can come back. I think he is making a good attempt. I hear-- just from what I hear, he is practicing hard; he is actually playing an event this week, a Challenger doubles event in Adelaide, and you know, I think he has realized that tennis is something that he has a great talent for, and I think he is going to make a good go of it this time.