U.S. OPEN

September 3, 1995

Todd Martin

TODD MARTIN: I think, it is nice to see and my fellow Cat up here who was just chatting with me about it and I think it is exciting for North Western because it's sort of been the bud of some jokes in the big 11 or the big 10 plus, North Western, and I think they really might want to assert themselves as a football team amongst big 10.

TODD MARTIN: I was inspired, just came out here and just cat blood was flowing right through my veins.

TODD MARTIN: Most of the third quarter and the fourth quarter yesterday.

TODD MARTIN: Well, I have a friend of mine from school here visiting for the weekend. He stayed at the hotel and had the TV on when I got back, and he started going,"Oh, you won't believe it, it is 17, 9," "Yeah, right, sure," and then sure enough. I was even happy that Notre Dame scored, I think, it was in the fourth quarter, Randy Kinder went to my high school, so it was a little bit of excitement on both ends.

TODD MARTIN: I hope not.

TODD MARTIN: I hope so. I think here I have definitely played better so far than I did last year. Last year I was on the good side of a lot of fortune and came back from two sets to Love down in the first match, and saved some matchpoints than Richey was running me ragged, and he got hurt and I never -- I don't think I have had to play a seed in that whole tournament maybe. That is the easiest way to make it is the semis. But the other tournaments this year, maybe I haven't played quite as as well. I played pretty well at Wimbledon, but ran into a buzz saw there and I feel like I am playing better and hopefully I will show that that Monday.

TODD MARTIN: Well...

TODD MARTIN: You have got an awfully good Australian player playing him today. I would imagine I will play Pete, but I have lost to the other kid on the court, and it is going to be an exciting match to watch. I think if they are not in store for a good match, they are at least in store for a little bit of heat coming out there. I think it is going to be pretty interesting to see how he deals with it; how Pete deals with all the power that he has.

TODD MARTIN: Well, I think foremost in my mind, I have to serve well, and I realize that on one of Pete's better days, it is going to be tough to break him a whole lot. And so I am going to need to hold my service as much as I can - hopefully, every time. And if I do that, then I think I will put a little bit more pressure on his serve, and just he will always feel the pressure of having to hold. And then maybe, I will be able to take a few swings at his serve. It is obviously a match I am going to have to be there for, the whole match, and I don't think that will be difficult considering what the setting will be.

TODD MARTIN: Well, I think it is easier to play a guy like I played today who is always going to give you the chance to play. It is in my hands today. Pete could play incredible tennis on Monday, and I might not have too much to do. I could play great too, and just be a step short, so it is always a little bit easier who is going to give you the chance to play. But if you get on and you start to find your shots, it is actually nice to have somebody coming at you because there is less ways for him to defend himself.

TODD MARTIN: Well, I think just like everybody else, the guys in the locker room are tennis fans, and enjoy watching good tennis. So when they do play each other, I think guys get excited to watch it. I do think the media has highlighted the rivalry a little bit too much, which is good -- which is okay for the time being, but I just -- I'd like to have people know that there are other players out here that compete at their level and because there is not always going to be an Andre and Pete. One of them could get hurt. One of them could just find out he doesn't enjoying playing any more; going to do something else and then you are left with one person out of the rivalry. I think we have to do our best to market everybody and produce great tennis players, top to bottom, and hopefully the media will realize that.

TODD MARTIN: I think you don't have to talk about rivalries. I think you can talk about Vince Spadea coming out here and playing the match of his life last night. I think you can talk about Thomas Enqvist playing better than anybody this summer except for Andre, and then coming in and running into two guys who gave him all he wanted. I think there is plenty of things to talk about, and I think you should talk about Andre and Pete as well. But, you know, there is a balance to be found.

TODD MARTIN: Well, I think he beat one of the better players out there, and I was very impressed with the way he handled himself and handled the situation. I didn't see any of the first two sets except for when he served for the second and faced a bunch of troubles in that game, but played every point well, and really hung in there well. And I think forced Yevgeny to force some things that he rather not do.

TODD MARTIN: That is the way it is supposed to be, give Tom Gullikson a lot of choices.

TODD MARTIN: Actually, he is talking about playing Spadea and I at singles and Agassi and Sampras at doubles. But -- I don't know if he really got the guts, but we will see.

TODD MARTIN: I'd love to play doubles. I think it is a fun way to enjoy our game. I think, I didn't have a lot more lately, and it has been good for my singles and it has been good for me. And if Tom would choose to do that, I'd love to be there. I'd love to be there doing anything, pick up balls, as long as I can go to the black jack table once in a while at night.

TODD MARTIN: He keeps his ideas to himself except for his ideas about how many strokes he wants to give me on the golf course.

TODD MARTIN: Did I open a new can of worms here?

TODD MARTIN: I am not -- when I say I like the people and the media to know that there are other players out there, I am not at all speaking about myself. I am speaking about the guys like Vince Spadea who last night had a great opportunity to play in front of a packed house; in front of a lot of people probably watching him on TV and really the most exciting atmosphere in tennis, and thriving on that moment, I think that is what is necessary; whether it be Vince, whether it be Patrick McEnroe, or myself, I think there is a lot of talent out here that shouldn't be overlooked.

TODD MARTIN: About me?

TODD MARTIN: You know, there is not much I want fans to know about me. I think I am a private person and I like it that way. My life for the past few years has become less and less private, but it is a challenge to deal with things. So if I'd like anybody to know anything about me is that I like my privacy a bit. I like -- I like what notoriety or fame I have and I like people coming up to me and saying, "hi," once in a while, but I think I am no different. That is the way I likes it.

TODD MARTIN: Won last two weeks, but was getting pretty good before I came here. But I have to find a pool hall in Manhattan.

TODD MARTIN: I don't think I am any different from you guys, from people walking -- well a few of the guys on the streets of New York, I am a little different, but I try to be normal and I try to have fun doing what I have done, doing what I do. I think it is pretty easy job and it is an enjoyable job and it's really more than I could have ever asked for.

TODD MARTIN: I think over the past few years more like ten or fifteen -- Michigan has developed a lot of good local programs and that is the way every one of us was brought up, MaliVai, the Jensens, myself, Amy Frazier, Steve Campbell, Herdoiza.

TODD MARTIN: Well, the one bad thing is that you have to be able to afford to play indoor tennis and that can -- expenses can run up a little bit, but I think there are a few communities in Michigan, Detroit, Lancing, Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo that have really developed good programs consistently; put out good players.

TODD MARTIN: Sorry. I know I was forgetting somebody.

TODD MARTIN: I think -- I think Aaron when he first came here and was dominant, really dominant in juniors and came here as a 16 year old, maybe did well and made it to the fourth round, I think that caught a lot of peoples eyes. I think it caught a lot of peoples eyes across the nation, but I think when something like that happens, I think -- especially with a kid, it is going to touch the home crowd a little bit more than the masses. Thanks guys.