US OPEN

September 2, 1997

Sergi Bruguera

Q. Sergi, do you think that with Sampras' loss last night, that everyone still in the tournament has a different attitude; that everyone thinks they can win this tournament now?

SERGI BRUGUERA: Well, I don't know. I think I have the same idea before Sampras because I go match by match and I'm going to go as far as possible. With Sampras, for sure there's -- he was the favorite, is the best player, no? Now is everyone thinks that he's going to win. But now without him, there's more chances for everybody.

SERGI BRUGUERA: I think my favorite is Agassi.

SERGI BRUGUERA: Well, I think he's the one who won also Grand Slam, and that I think is important. He's the only one I think is playing every time better and better. He's very fresh mentally because he didn't play at all this year. He's raising his level as it used to be. And also he's the one, I think, he's going play more relaxed in important moments.

SERGI BRUGUERA: I didn't say that he cannot win.

SERGI BRUGUERA: I just said.

SERGI BRUGUERA: A good shot in the final?

SERGI BRUGUERA: I think he has pretty tough matches to win, no? I think he has to play Pioline or Chang. If it's Chang, I think Chang can play against him. They play a little bit the same way and maybe he doesn't like very much the game from Chang.

SERGI BRUGUERA: Well, I think I was a little bit slower than the other days. I was not moving very well today. I didn't serve very good. So I have to play all my service games with a second serve almost. He was serving very good. He make a lot of free points. The first set was close. Second set he played really well. Third set all the time was like close to change, I was feeling going to change, going to change, going to change. I shake hands at the end.

SERGI BRUGUERA: I think he receive the ball. I think he's very complete. He returns very well. He serves well. He moves well. He's good competitor. I think he's very complete.

SERGI BRUGUERA: I think if Agassi's playing his tennis and good mentality, which I think is going to happen, I think he have a much better game than Chang, much better.

SERGI BRUGUERA: If he's there, he has always chance. He was winning, I don't know, like 6-Love, 7-Love against Rafter. He play in quarterfinals and Rafter won. Always the same. Don't matter how many times you beat the other guy. I think he's playing his best tennis, and more than now he has good chance to win. I mean, if Rafter is playing his best tennis and Agassi is not in his best shape, like he's beginning his shape, but still, he's like No. 60 or something like that, because he didn't play very well.

SERGI BRUGUERA: I think I should be a little bit more aggressive. But the problem is, like I said, I was not moving very well, I was arriving always late to the ball. Then it's difficult, you know, the have good position to attack the ball. You have very probably to miss the ball, no, if you not in good shot. That's the reason I couldn't attack more, because I was always arriving late.

SERGI BRUGUERA: Yeah. In the third set, I think I started. The ball was coming slower; I start to feel I was moving better; I have more time. Then I start to play much better. I was the one who is attacking. But he was serving very big in important moments. He save a lot of points. When I have almost breakpoints, I didn't make it.

SERGI BRUGUERA: No, I don't know. I mean maybe I play a lot of tough matches here. My body is not as used to it. Playing on clay is different. Muscles are more sore, I mean - I don't know - maybe a little bit cold also.

SERGI BRUGUERA: Could be. I don't know. Could be.

SERGI BRUGUERA: Well, I mean, I'm not studying Rios. I don't know. You should say. You see more tennis than Rios and me.

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