US OPEN

August 28, 2003

Taylor Dent

TAYLOR DENT: Yeah, right now I'm healthy. Last injury was a wrist thing. I ended up hurting a nerve in my wrist, couldn't play literally for three weeks. Could not pick up a racquet. I actually just started hitting like 12 days ago. I'm playing pretty well considering that.

TAYLOR DENT: The biggest thing I was surprised about is my fitness out there. I was a little tired in the first match, but this match I was, you know, up the whole way. I hired a trainer in the off-time. For those five weeks, six weeks, I was just grinding, just laying it all out there every day. I think my foot speed has picked up. Now I just have to get a little match enough.

TAYLOR DENT: Nick Anthony, who worked with Justin Gimelstob. Just Brad Stine, my coach, thought he would be great for me.

TAYLOR DENT: Well, we haven't done anything here just because the reason is it's tough enough for me to play these matches without having played any. But back home, we had this like 70-yard hill. It would just go seemingly straight up. You have to do 10, 15 sprints pretty much non-stop. Sprint up, walk down, sprint up, walk down.

TAYLOR DENT: Newport Beach. He just came out to Newport Beach.

TAYLOR DENT: Newport Dunes, back bay. Then we went to the beach and did a whole bunch of little wind sprints in the sand, changing directions. That's pretty much the bulk of it. A lot of core strength and weights.

TAYLOR DENT: I didn't throw up. Only the plane ride.

TAYLOR DENT: It's an all-day affair. So we do one session in the morning, then another session in the afternoon. Then I'm sleeping in between (smiling).

TAYLOR DENT: Actually, no. The doctor said I probably just hit a stroke funny. It's the ulnar nerve. He said I probably hit a serve funny, miss-timed it, just pinched the nerve really bad. Said, "There you go. Six weeks."

TAYLOR DENT: He said, "Six weeks, you'll be back playing."

TAYLOR DENT: Doesn't do any good for the nerve. When I first hurt it, there's a hand specialist in Newport who said it was going to be five to seven weeks. I'm like, "Yeah, right. This guy can't be serious." I was doing physical therapy every day. Apparently I was making it worse. Ended up being like eight weeks.

TAYLOR DENT: I think they did it in a different way. I think those guys were winning so many matches, they got their fitness that way. I think the game is a little more physical today. The pace is a lot faster. Guys are hitting the ball bigger. They're doing it. You got to keep up. You got to stay with it.

TAYLOR DENT: Exactly.

TAYLOR DENT: Like I said, we were doing all sprints. I did not get on the bike one time and ride for longer than five minutes. I used it as a warm-up. Other guys will go out there, guys like Davydenko, planning on staying out there all day. They'll probably get on the bike and go for hours. He did not let me do any cardio. I was all explosive all the time.

TAYLOR DENT: Sure, all that stuff.

TAYLOR DENT: I was told Fernando Gonzalez. That's going to be rough. I better be serving well.

TAYLOR DENT: The good thing about me is, the way I return, it takes all the pressure off, so it's no big deal. But hopefully I'll be executing well. If I keep holding serve, I'll be in there. Just got to keep holding serve because he's going to be tough to break.

TAYLOR DENT: Only practice in like the French. God, I remember he beat my ass bad. Broke like three racquets.

TAYLOR DENT: A fresh grip?

TAYLOR DENT: Yeah, we were both hitting the ball pretty big. He was just making more than I was, jerking me around.

TAYLOR DENT: Yeah. Broke a couple (smiling).

TAYLOR DENT: No, I think it was the year before this one. It was a while ago. He's going to be ripping the ball. The points are going to be short. If it's good tennis, he'll be ripping passes and I'll be hitting volley winners.

TAYLOR DENT: Exactly.

TAYLOR DENT: Just my dad is here. Sorry, my brother is here, too. He's hitting partner for Sharapova. Just the old man cheering me on.

TAYLOR DENT: He hasn't really told me. He's amazed how hard she hits the ball. My dad says Top 10 without a sweat.

TAYLOR DENT: Jennifer Hopkins still.

TAYLOR DENT: That's getting on three, isn't it? Close to three.

TAYLOR DENT: No, no, it was off. We were still seeing each other. It was just hard. Tour life is hard. I like her.

TAYLOR DENT: Hers or mine?

TAYLOR DENT: I was going to say mine, a small list. Hers? She is just a really sweet girl. I haven't met many girls that are sweeter than her. I think she's very pretty. I think she's great. She puts up with me is her biggest quality.