U.S. OPEN

September 10, 1994

Todd Martin

TODD MARTIN: Well, I think I didn't play well and he played well. That usually makes for a bad match for me.

TODD MARTIN: Oh, I am not -- I am not really too disappointed with myself after the first set and a half. He played awfully well, and I think I was caught off guard. The ball was getting back to me a little quicker than I have been used to this week, and I didn't really ever make an -- not an attempt, but ever make a successful attempt at changing the momentum or changing just the sway of the match. He was controlling every point, and that is just when he is at his best. And the second, third, and fourth-- the fourth or the third, I really was disappointed with the way I started and really he just provided a lot of opportunities for himself. That is what you got to hope for, and then hope that you come through when you have those opportunities. He did that, and I can only give him credit for it.

TODD MARTIN: My serve went off-- actually, I served very well the first set, first two sets. Third set my serve went off a little bit. I actually was regaining it a bit in the fourth, but, you know, a lot of other things -- you can't expect yourself to serve five straight sets at your best. I didn't think I served all that bad until the third.

TODD MARTIN: The whole week since it has been cool, it has been extremely windy. So for guys who move their feet as well as Andre does, that doesn't affect him maybe as much because he can always reposition himself no matter when the time comes. And for me, it is awfully tough. I just -- and especially the way I was moving. I wasn't moving well all week, and that takes a lot of effectiveness out of your game, out of my game, especially.

TODD MARTIN: I think, he has been pretty focused for a while. I think, you know, you got to give yourself a chance. You can't just focus for two weeks and be at your best. It is not just -- this is not just a one-time shot for him. He has been very focused for the bulk of this year, and I think pretty focused for almost the last twelve months, he is playing well. I think, you know, you can't misread hitting the ball well with playing well. And Andre, if he hits the ball well, usually plays well. But right now, he is very focused, and he is competing well. He is not -- I played a good flash of tennis in the second set, and he didn't let that bother him; whereas, you know, sometimes he could get a little bit distracted by that; especially considering he outplayed me so much the first set and a half. I was really lucky to be in it still, and, you know, he is just -- he is hitting the ball well, but I think even if he doesn't hit the ball well, he is playing well right now.

TODD MARTIN: I think, I will think about the tournament as a whole. I don't think I will think about it too much. I have got a week off, and then I go to Sweden for Davis Cup; and that is my priority now. It would have been fun not to think about Davis Cup for another day or so, but I am excited about that, and I think I will take goods and bads from here, and take them home. And I don't necessarily think I will think about them that much, but just get to work on a few things that I feel I need to, and keep on getting my body in better shape.

TODD MARTIN: I think, this is what you have been hoping for; not in the fact that Agassi is there, but the fact that the two best players in the tournament are there. Michael is playing great, and Andre is playing great. So you got a matchup between a guy who has got a much better serve than I do. So I think Andre will have a little bit more trouble breaking. But also if Andre controls the point, Michael is going to stand to be challenged by a lot of the same things that I was today. So I think it should be a good match if both guys compete well.

TODD MARTIN: After the comments that my opponent the other day made, I don't really want to venture to guess.

TODD MARTIN: I'd put money on both of them, though.

TODD MARTIN: No. I mean, the guy won the biggest -- or one of the two biggest tournaments ever this summer, and he won it in pretty -- not an easy fashion, but pretty good fashion, and everybody knows that he is a very dangerous player. It has taken him a while since he had a few of his letdowns a year and a half ago or two years ago, to regain his confidence and anybody with this much flare, obviously rides the waves of confidence.

TODD MARTIN: He is not hitting the ball that hard. Don't misunderstand that. He hits the ball very clean, with a lot of topspin, and he takes the ball very early, and that last part is why everybody thinks he hits the ball so hard. There are tons of guys who hit the ball twice as hard as he does from eight feet behind the baseline. That is where the change of time for his opponent to get ready to play really takes effect and yeah, that was difficult.

TODD MARTIN: I don't really even know when Brad started working with Andre. I don't think Jimmy Johnson made a good comment yesterday on TV; he said that coaches don't make the teams win, the players make the team win. And Andre is making himself win. And Brad has helped him out a lot, I understand that 100%, but once -- something has to click in Andre's head and say, "This is how I am going to play, and this is how I am going to play every point," and once he does that, then he is very good.

TODD MARTIN: One.

TODD MARTIN: Right.

TODD MARTIN: Thrilled? No. No. I am pleased with my progress, but as you have seen today, there is a long way to go. That might be the nicest thing about this year that I realize that there is still improvements to be made. Hopefully one day I will reach what I feel is my potential.

TODD MARTIN: My wedge game.

TODD MARTIN: There is no disappointment. Sure, I am not pleased with the way I played today, but you can't come into these events expecting to win. You can't come into the semis because you have won five matches already expecting to win. Andre didn't come in expecting to win. He came in and knew he had a good chance to win, just like I did. And, you know, I have had a very enjoyable two-and-a-half weeks here in New York, and there is no reason to be down about it and there is plenty of other reasons to be happy about going to Sweden and representing the country.

TODD MARTIN: I think for all but this one I will prepare the same exact way. I think I said the other day I went down to Australia in very good shape and I think it really showed in my tennis. Likewise for the French and Wimbledon. I think the problem was after such a tough Wimbledon, I broke a lot of my body down, a lot of my mind down and one thing broke, but nothing else healed in the process because I really was not able to do much in those four weeks that I took off. So next year I just won't get hurt after Wimbledon and come in here and maybe do better.

TODD MARTIN: Well, I think one this is a better surface for Andre. 2) I played better at Wimbledon. 3) I think he was a little less confident in the way he was playing. 4) let us stick with three.

TODD MARTIN: Crowd underdog? It doesn't bother me at all.

TODD MARTIN: This guy is a superstar, you know, he can dress up in goofy clothes on TV and make commercials and people still like him. You know, and what I am finding out, actually, is that he is not a bad guy, which is the problem with the way I think he is received. He is all love/hate. Love is great, but it is not fun to be hated, and I think he gets a bad rap, you know, as far as, well, he is so talented and he is 25 in the world or whatever. Listen, he is talented, but there is a lot of other guys out here that are talented, and it is nice to see. I am envious of him to have this kind of support, but I realize what he has done compared to what I have done to deserve it.

TODD MARTIN: Just spending more time around him. I don't spend a lot of time, I don't know him at all, but I think -- I think I can now say from seeing him around more and more that I think he is a little bit misinterpreted, by some people, and by some people I just think, you know, he is good for the game, and--

TODD MARTIN: Well, I have never thought that he was a bad guy. I just thought that, you know-- geez. Wow.

TODD MARTIN: I mean, I am happy for him.

TODD MARTIN: I think everybody understands he has got some things to deal with, that none of -- well, not many of us have to. Maybe he and Pete and Boris and Stefan and Jim, and Chang. He is ridiculously large. It is awfully -- you know, it is hard to be one of the boys when you have to worry about walking out your hotel door without your bodyguard or whatever, and that is-- I mean, I think he is dealing with it better and better. I don't think I have the right to say anything about it, though.

TODD MARTIN: Come on, let's keep going.