U.S. OPEN

September 5, 1995

Todd Martin

TODD MARTIN: I think it is a little bit of both. I think it is always a little bit of both. It is hard when even you sort of have a pretty good idea of where the serve is coming and it is still eating you up and that is just -- it gets to be a bit demoralizing, and I just didn't deal with his serve all that well tonight.

TODD MARTIN: Sure, I think -- he served poorly in the first set and I didn't put a ball in play and unfortunately, for me, I served well in the first, I was able to hang in there until the breaker, but I think if I make him volley a few more times or make him hit a few more balls early in the first set, I do have a chance to hit some secondhand returns, then I think it is a different match, but I just wasn't able to do that tonight.

TODD MARTIN: No, no, geez, I couldn't see it. I just knew I hit it really well. The flight of the ball that I saw was in the whole way, but my momentum was going quite a bit left, so the ball usually tends to fly a little bit that way too and when I heard that it was out, I didn't -- I mean, I was a little bit shocked at first because I thought -- I didn't hear anything and I thought it hit it in, but both of the lineswomen and the umpire said it was - said it was out, so, I got to go with that, if I didn't see it.

TODD MARTIN: I will tell you, Pete played awfully well tonight other than his first serve being off a little bit in the first set, which, with his second serve, doesn't really hurt him too much a lot, and he was hitting his groundstrokes better than I have seen him hit them against me, at least, and he was a little bit more aggressive with his backhand than usual and I think that is always going to pay off for him.

TODD MARTIN: Well, geez, I think it is up in the air a little bit. I think just like everybody else, Andre and Pete being the favorites, but oh, with guys like Korda and Becker and Chang and Courier, I mean, all of them have a good chance, but I would have to say that Andre and Pete would have the best chance and I would think that if Pete serves awfully well and is able to maintain that, I think he has got a great chance because he will be, although Andre returns better than anybody, I think that he would end up being in a lot more games than on Andre's serve than Andre on his serve.

TODD MARTIN: I think Byron returns almost as well as anybody and that is one of the aspects -- one of the characteristics that you need to be able to do well against Pete, but I think Pete is going to be in pretty much all of Byron's service games, and that is just an uphill climb. I think -- I am not ruling out the possibility, but I would definitely expect to see Pete win the match.

TODD MARTIN: I feel like I have hit a couple of dips in the season and that is to be expected. I haven't had the high points that I did last year. Last year I was consistently very good in the Grand Slams and this year I have been consistently very average, mediocre, and I can't complain. I feel like I have played some pretty good tennis, but I have played that good tennis against the guys I should beat and haven't come out and played at my best against the guys that are the opportunity matches.

TODD MARTIN: I don't think it is much more than some better timing and I have gone out in the matches I have won this week and played extremely well and very focused and tonight although I didn't feel like I was playing very well, I hung in there and I gave myself a few opportunities to get back in the match. The problem is guys like Pete are the ones that are tough to come back against. You got to jump on them early and that didn't happen tonight. I feel like I am playing well. It is just --, you know, few breaks here and there.

TODD MARTIN: Well,. I would hope that Andre and Pete are both going. I am not positive if that has happened or not, but obviously nobody has the right to take a spot away from either one of them. So that leaves the Double P or some doubles, Double P being practice partner, although I'd do that, I wouldn't enjoy that quite as much as being out on the court, so hopefully I will have a chance to play some doubles. I know I am in the running and we will see what Mr. Gullikson says the end of this week.

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