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XXVI OLYMPIC GAMES

July 30, 1996

Sergi Bruguera

ATLANTA, GEORGIA

Q. Sergi, what were your expectations coming here? You had kind of a rough year, and you've had injury problems, so has this been a pleasant surprise to you?

SERGI BRUGUERA: Yes, I think I came in my best conditions or confidence, rather than expect -- I was not dreaming, I just wanted to play my best tennis, and let's see how it goes.

Q. What do you think made the difference today against Mal, who had to be coming in with a lot of confidence after his Wimbledon Final?

SERGI BRUGUERA: Well, I think it was a very close match all the time. I think he was serving very well. He served his games and was playing very well. I didn't break him until the last game. Maybe he was a little nervous or anxious to win the match. And then I broke him and I got a lot of confidence again.

Q. Sergi, do you feel a different atmosphere around here compared to any other tournament?

SERGI BRUGUERA: Well, it's different because we are in -- all the Spanish team we are in the same house. And it's like by teams. They all are together fighting for the medals. And it's a different atmosphere.

Q. And around here, the stadium and all the facilities around here?

SERGI BRUGUERA: Well, this is very similar, less things to do, but I don't want to do anything but tennis. But you can go also to see the other sports.

Q. Sergi, you won two Grand Slams, does it feel like a long time since you've been close in a Major and now that you're closer, are you starting to think gold medal?

SERGI BRUGUERA: Well, it was two years ago, I keep fresh on my mind, so it doesn't look very far for me.

Q. How about here, now that you've made it this far and beaten Washington, are you thinking I can go all the way?

SERGI BRUGUERA: Well, I mean one match to go in order to get a medal and I'm here, and happy and with confidence. The only thing I can expect is to try to play the same as I'm playing these days and with the same fight and with the same confidence.

Q. Sergi, you've not had that much confidence, success on hard courts in the past, it's been mostly on clay. Is there anything different now? Is it feeling better now for some reason?

SERGI BRUGUERA: Well, I think you learn all your years, maybe in these tournaments I'm serving better than usually. Sometimes I get good results, but not very -- in one year maybe I play two good tournaments, but six is easy or quick, maybe this week I'm on. I need to play my best tennis to get my best confidence to play hard court. On clay even if I'm not playing good I can win the match and I feel comfortable all the time. Here you feel so bad and you lose the confidence, so you have to be like a hundred percent, all your mind, your legs, I'm not used to playing these courts.

Q. You seemed very confident today, especially, obviously, in the two sets that you won. There were times when Mal did not seem confident, he seemed actually a little sluggish, can you talk a little bit about how you felt?

SERGI BRUGUERA: I can talk how I felt, not how Mal feels, I don't know. I was trying to stay there until the end. I know sometimes it's hard to finish the match. And I was trying to keep that, if I have chances, to make it and that's what happened again.

Q. Did you think you could win that third set at the beginning or did you think it was going to go either way?

SERGI BRUGUERA: Well, all the time it was very close. I know he get confidence when he won the second set. And I was a little bit down because I have big opportunity at the beginning, the second. But then when he broke me, I was not thinking too positive, because I didn't break him at all. And I thought it was going to be very difficult to win. But then when he missed the first shot, I was pumped up and I was ready to break him.

Q. Early on you seemed like you had a little problem settling down, did you say something to yourself? On a couple of calls you seemed to be bothered by them?

SERGI BRUGUERA: Well, for the courts, you mean?

Q. The first set.

SERGI BRUGUERA: Hard court it's difficult to see the balls where they land, because it's very fast, it doesn't lift the mark on the court. And also it's very fast, the ball. I thought it was a very few close calls that maybe they make a mistake. There's nothing you can do.

Q. Did it help you that the pressure seemed to be more on him than it was -- that it was more like he's in his home country and the crowd is cheering for him, so you were the underdog today?

SERGI BRUGUERA: I don't know, but I prefer to play in Spain than playing in the States. (Laughter.)

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