NASDAQ-100 OPEN

March 21, 2003

Mardy Fish

MARDY FISH: Yeah. You know, I think that when I play guys that are, you know, ranked whatever he's ranked, Top 10 or whatever he's ranked, close to it, I always just pick up my game. I obviously played a lot better today than I did a couple nights ago, especially in the first set. I think actually the first round I picked it up in the end of the second set. In the third set, I played a fine third set, you know. But to have a good win like that and to play, you know, play as well as I did in front of those people and in front of my family, who was fortunate enough to come watch, is exciting for me and hopefully exciting for them, too.

MARDY FISH: Yeah.

MARDY FISH: I don't think so. I said before the match that I was going to -- I told Todd Martin that I was going to come to the net 150 times. I don't think we played 150 points, but I definitely tried to come to the net as much as I could, you know, to break him there in that second set when I was down a break. I think I came in like three or four consecutive times and, you know, got him there in the end. But, yeah, I just tried to put constant pressure on him.

MARDY FISH: Yeah.

MARDY FISH: Yeah.

MARDY FISH: Yeah, that and, you know, just tried to basically, in the beginning of the match, I was trying a little bit to chip and charge on the forehand because that's what a lot of guys do against me because my backhand is definitely better than my forehand. So I try to take the grip of just the backhand grip and slice the forehand and hit the -- hit over the backhand. You know, fortunately, I was lucky enough to get a couple deep or get a couple to take away the angle. And then, you know, my movement at the net has gotten so much better in the past, you know, three, four, five months that, you know, once I get to the net and close in there, I'm confident enough to be able to knock a volley off.

MARDY FISH: I was down a break -- first thing comes to mind is this year in Sydney, I was down a break in the third against Moya and came back. That's basically the only one that comes to mind in this year. But, I mean, it definitely is up there. It has to be, you know, with him being up. I don't know if he was up 40-15 or 40-30. I think 40-30 -- might have been on 40-15 in that 5-4 game; I think he was, actually. You know, to win four straight points is, you know, is -- says a lot for me to stay in the match and, you know, that I can pull it out as well.

MARDY FISH: It was very tough. The second serve especially was very tough. I was a little tight, a little nervous on it. He definitely took advantage. He loves to run around and hit the forehand, and he cracks it. He hits it -- he hits one of the best forehands in the world. He really hits that thing well. You know, just tried to concentrate on making a first serve on that side, not necessarily trying to hit aces like I normally do or put the, you know, pressure on him -- just try to put the pressure on him really with a first serve on that side because it was tough. The deuce side, you throw the ball up, it was right in your eyes, the sun as well. So the wind and the sun, it was really a tough side to hold on.

MARDY FISH: Oh, yeah. Yeah, definitely did it once to me at 5-2, 2-5, I was serving in the second set. I was up 30-love, I remember, and tossed the ball up a little too low. The wind just took it and didn't catch it. I just hit it and it goes anywhere. At 4-3, it was definitely a relief to get a free point from him especially. You don't get very many free points from him. To be up 5-3, knowing in the back of your mind that if you don't get this next point -- that's why I tried to just put the pressure on him on that 5-3 point, because knowing that if I don't get that point I'm still serving at 5-4, I still have two serves to win the match.

MARDY FISH: I think it might. I mean, the wind definitely doesn't help him, put it that way. I mean, I don't know, he definitely -- I don't think he served badly. He got a lot of first serves in. He kept going out wide on the ad to my backhand, which was -- I was glad he was doing that because that's my best shot. I missed a couple in the end of the first set. That kind of gave him confidence to keep going back there. I was glad he was going there, because that's definitely my best shot.

MARDY FISH: Uh-hmm. My parents are down here. Actually, my dad is going back and forth because he has to work. He wasn't here today. He was a little bummed out he couldn't make it. But my mom and sister are staying down here.

MARDY FISH: Was it out?

MARDY FISH: I actually thought that it was in, so -- or I thought it was definitely really close. You know, I mean, it just doesn't -- I already got my point across from the first time I argued with him. He's not going to change it, so there's really no use in arguing.

MARDY FISH: I played Escude at Wimbledon not last year, but the year before, and he gave me a pretty good butt-whooping. But he's a great grass court player, so that's to be said, I guess. And, you know, Tim is coming off an injury. And, you know, I definitely have a lot of respect for him and his game. I love the way he plays. I think it would be very exciting if I played Henman, just the name and growing up and watching him on TV and stuff like that would definitely be a highlight for me. Like I said, I'm glad that my family could be here, too, to watch. It's definitely not an easy match for him, because Escude can play as well.

MARDY FISH: "It quickly replaces fluid and electrolytes..(reading from the bottle)".

MARDY FISH: Yeah, I think it's for little kids.

MARDY FISH: I don't know. After I broke him in the first game of the set, I went back to my coach, Kevin O'Connor, and I said, "At least I won a game this set." And, you know, he says, "Yeah, glad you got that one out of the way early," you know, so... But I just, I guess you get down, and I don't know. I mean, if I knew, I'd change it, that's for sure. I definitely don't like losing 6-0.

MARDY FISH: No, because like a couple -- for instance, in those challengers at the end of last year, I was coming out of the box and breaking them. I think I went through one tournament where I won the first game of the other guy's serve every time for that whole tournament, five matches. And, you know, I'm always -- I've always been known as a quick starter. It was just weird to lose those two sets like that. It's two straight matches, too. It was kind of a little nerve-wracking, you know, not knowing how I was going to do playing a Top 10 player, going out there. I mean, if I'm losing 6-0 to a guy ranked 75, what am I going to do against a guy that's

No. 10, or whatever he's ranked. I was a little nervous at first going out there. But just tried to put the pressure on him and it worked.

MARDY FISH: I think the experience of playing in my first final is going to help in - hopefully - if I have another final. I don't know if that experience I take so much into the early rounds. You know, I guess the only thing that I take from that now is confidence and knowing that I can win, you know, four straight matches against all these guys and definitely be in there in the final. I was a little disappointed that I couldn't get my first title and Jan-Mike couldn't just give it to me maybe. He's got two already. Two already? He could have given me one. He's got three now, I think. Yeah, I forgot what I was talking about.

MARDY FISH: No.

MARDY FISH: Sure. There's so many coming up right now, I was so glad -- was there five Americans in the quarters last week in Indian Wells? And Taylor and I didn't even play, you know. Not saying that we would have definitely made the quarters or anything like that. But, you know, Taylor's playing awesome and Robby's playing awesome. Vahaly couldn't make it here but he's playing great. Vince is back. James and Andy are obviously out there. Andre speaks for himself. You know, I'm so, so happy to see all those guys coming up and all my friends who we grew up playing, we were in challengers in Mobile, Alabama; Birmingham, Alabama playing clay court challengers at some country club. Now Robby's here winning rounds, getting to the quarters. Vahaly is the same. James is already up here but he was there with us as well. It's just awesome to see those guys. You know, for me it's a dream come true to be playing in front of -- playing a match like that, like I just played. I remember coming here four, five, six years ago and watching, like watching guys practice and, you know, going to watch a match like that, a guy like Sebastien Grosjean. It's just a dream come true for me, and I'm sure it is for them. I'm just happy that they're doing the same.

MARDY FISH: Hopefully.

MARDY FISH: Yeah, I mean, you know, you can't really argue -- I mean, it's just like a line call, you know. They're not going to change their mind once they've made up their mind. They're not going to change. It was a little disappointing that Taylor and I - Taylor or I - if Taylor would have gotten in, I would have been fine with that. You can definitely justify him getting a wildcard, as for myself, too; him winning Memphis. I thought it was a little ironic that we didn't get a wildcard, yet we weren't even able to make the quallies because we were still in Delray Beach and Scottsdale. I thought, you know, that says a little bit to maybe where they made, you know, the wrong decision or, you know... We've talked about it, but, you know, there's really nothing you can do about it.

MARDY FISH: Sure. I mean, I, personally, I like rest and I like weeks off; I love them. You know, I got to play golf three times. That's, you know, fun for me. It's more fun maybe than flying out to Indian Wells and getting my butt whooped in the first round. So, you know, it's definitely disappointing that we couldn't be out there because I love that tournament, I love Indian Wells and Palm Springs - and my phone's ringing. But, you know, like I said, it's just, you know, it's their decision and I just thought it was a little ironic that we weren't even able to make the quallies.

MARDY FISH: Sure. My dad, who's a huge part of my...

MARDY FISH: Yeah, team per se, and, you know, my agent Tony. My dad definitely voiced his opinion, there's no doubt about it. He didn't do it in front of me. I don't know what he said, you know. He doesn't involve me at all in anything like that that he does. You know, but like I said, I wasn't too, too disappointed. I mean, I was a little. But you just, you know, take a week off and train here. I was glad to take a week off and to, you know, get my fitness back and play a little golf and relax a little bit.