U.S. OPEN

September 5, 1994

Todd Martin

TODD MARTIN: I think regardless who you are playing; whether you are playing a good friend like Richey or somebody you don't even know, I think it is a disappointment. Not really a disappointment, I guess, but it is not the way you want to do it. Especially after being beaten in the first set, being outplayed up until the point of his injury, and I feel pretty bad for Richey because it is certainly no way to go out of your best tournament.

TODD MARTIN: I just asked him what happened. He told me what happened and I thought if nothing else, might as well try to keep it warm until the trainer gets there because it is chilly.

TODD MARTIN: Well, I really don't care.

TODD MARTIN: Well, last year I think Wimbledon was the first time I got past, I think, the third round since the French Open in '91 and sort of that really gave me the confidence in myself to that I can do this tourn -- four times a year, sort of. And the fact that it came again in Australia and again in Wimbledon, it is just encouraging, I think, you know, I had my fair share of breaks. I hate to refer to this as a break, but as far as progressing through the tournament, that is what it is, and I have also played some good tennis. I don't really know if I am making a mark. I don't know what a "mark" is, really.

TODD MARTIN: You play -- the four Majors come -- you know, except for Wimbledon and the French Open, they are all spread out fairly well. You play tournaments to gear up to those tournaments and ATP Tour has a great system of, you know, gradually taking us up to the Grand Slams; not bearing us down with lots of big tournaments. We play a few small ones, a few bigger ones, then we get to the big one, and it is certainly nice that I have played some of my better tennis this year yet at the big tournaments, but certainly doesn't mean I wouldn't like to play well everywhere.

TODD MARTIN: Well, he did everything pretty well in the first. I started off terribly. I was lucky not to be down 2-Love and he, you know, you can always expect Richey to be very steady and very consistent, but it is his aggressive side that really is what is dangerous. If he feels like being aggressive, then he usually maintains his consistency through that and he is about as dangerous as anybody; as we saw Monday night against Boris and certainly this -- he was doing the same sort of thing tonight. It is just too bad for him that he couldn't keep ongoing.

TODD MARTIN: I don't know what it was. I think just whatever muscle it is, if you feel it is best to stop, he couldn't really make a play on any ball away from the center of the court, so it was just going to endanger him even more if he would have stayed out there.

TODD MARTIN: Well, I actually haven't felt all that great. Just been pretty stiff after my match against Rafter the other night. Now I am getting a bit of a day off here, and I will be able to take care of it as much as possible and, you know, it didn't affect me at all out there, but it has just been uncomfortable.

TODD MARTIN: His injury?

TODD MARTIN: Well, at 30-All at 5-3 I felt like he -- he hit a good serve and then almost acted as if the serve was out and played what I thought was just a nonchalant forehand crosscourt and I missed it. I missed his shot off of that ball but it seemed like that must have been where he hurt it because he didn't go really all out at that forehand and the next point he just hit an 88 mile-an-hour first serve, which is very slow for him and, you know, next thing I knew he had the trainer coming out and, you know, we all have bumps and bruises all year long, but something like this it is unfortunate that it has to happen in the big tournament like this one.