NASDAQ-100 OPEN

March 25, 2002

Jan Michael Gambill

Q. It was a tough way to go out after three sets of really high-quality tennis?

JAN-MICHAEL GAMBILL: Yeah, it really was. A shitty way to end the match, you know. He played two good points to get me down love-30, and, you know, it's unfortunate. I mean, I think I played a good match. It's a tough one to lose.

JAN-MICHAEL GAMBILL: Well, no, I don't. He's won the last three matches. But certainly in the first two, I don't think I was playing as good a tennis. This match was high-quality tennis from both of us. I felt I had the advantage the whole time. I felt I had the ability to win the points. Whereas, you know, he was struggling a little bit more. But didn't end up on top this time.

JAN-MICHAEL GAMBILL: Rephrase that question.

JAN-MICHAEL GAMBILL: I'm not playing Davis Cup. Not this tie.

JAN-MICHAEL GAMBILL: No, that's not my choice.

JAN-MICHAEL GAMBILL: Patrick obviously feels that there's better players than me to play this tie.

JAN-MICHAEL GAMBILL: There's nothing to smooth out. He thinks that there's better players than me to play this next tie. That's very simple. Whether I agree with him or not is irrelevant. He's the captain.

JAN-MICHAEL GAMBILL: Why does people want to keep dredging that up? I mean...

JAN-MICHAEL GAMBILL: Well, I mean, shit, whose mind is that not on right now? I mean, it's on everybody's mind. I was home, you know, thankfully. It's the most horrible thing that I've witnessed in my entire life. And, you know, I love my country as much as the next guy - if not more. This is very painful. It's very painful that it keeps being dredged up all the time.

JAN-MICHAEL GAMBILL: You know what's really funny about that actually is I've only worked on that two days hitting more topspin. It's been too flat of a ball, I've been hitting it way too flat. I've been struggling with my returns, they've been sailing. Having a real tough time in rallies. I was able to go over there and hit one good one, then I was stuck. If a guy hit a good ball cross-court I was pretty much out of the point. I worked really hard on hitting an open stance with a topspin shot - something that's going to help me very much on the clay. Give me a lot of room to improve out of that corner.

JAN-MICHAEL GAMBILL: My attitude's to go out there and take it to these guys. I think my game is, you know, if I stay injury-free, which, you know, having this next week off and taking some time to really do the things that I need to do to stay healthy, you know, I have as good a chance as the next guy to really make a dent in some of those events. I'm volleying better. I'm hitting that forehand, like you said, better. I'm less inconsistent and more patient from the baseline. One thing I need to work on more is maybe a little more fitness. I'm going to run for the next two weeks hard. I'll be in Hawaii next week and running on the beach every day, so... I don't think I could have much better preparation than that.

JAN-MICHAEL GAMBILL: Hawaii's where I go for R & R. It's where I like to be.

JAN-MICHAEL GAMBILL: Both Kona and Maui.

JAN-MICHAEL GAMBILL: (Laughing.) Maybe the last day if I can maybe just make a dent in Haleakala, that would be interesting. I don't know about that. That's a good run.

JAN-MICHAEL GAMBILL: That would be good for my lungs. I'll try that (laughing).