TMS - MADRID

October 18, 2003

Nicolas Massu

NICOLAS MASSU: Well, I think it's not that big surprise because -- is a surprise, but not too much. Maybe for the people is a big surprise. For me, it's a surprise, but not too much because I play tennis all the days, I work hard. I always try to do this, you know. When I was young, I always try to be dreaming about beating the top players in the world. Now I have a good week. But I want to win this tournament. It doesn't matter if I play Ferrero or Federer. I think now in the final is the last step to the trophy.

NICOLAS MASSU: Normally nervous, but nothing special. I think I was nervous because when you serve for the match, you start to think about you're in the last game. But I was with a lot of confidence in the last game because I didn't lost the serve in all the match. I say in the changeover, you know, I say I didn't lost the serve in all the match. I say that I have to do the same. I lost the first point. I was Love-15. Then I get a little bit nervous because if I lost that point, I going to be Love-30. Love-30 is difficult. But I won this point, and then he make two or three errors, yeah.

NICOLAS MASSU: Is difficult to say. Is difficult to find the reason, you know. If I ask me, I don't find the reason. Just confidence, I think. Sometimes you get confidence and you start to believe in you, and to feel more and more confidence. When you win an important match, when I beat Guga, I think I can do something great in this week. And after Roddick, I say, "If I beat Roddick, why I cannot won the tournament?"

NICOLAS MASSU: I've played long matches against him, tough matches. Right now I'm not sure, but I think I lost in the Olympics and in Vienna last year, tough matches. I defeated him in Indian Wells. So if I have defeated him once, and lost twice, I think the match could be even. If I play against him, I play against the second best player in the world. But I'm going to try to do my best, and let's see what happens, as I told you last week.

NICOLAS MASSU: Let's see, first of all, if he wins. He's No. 1 in the world right now. What can I tell you about his game? He's a very consistent player. He has a lot of qualities, a great game from the baseline, and he's very fast. Those are his best qualities, I think.

NICOLAS MASSU: The key, I guess is technique, to have a tactical plan. But I wouldn't be able to mention all the factors that influenced my victory because all players are different. If I play against Roddick, I use a certain game; if I play against Federer, it's another type of game. They are all different players. I guess he has an impressive serve, a very good forehand. His backhand is a little weaker. I tried to look for that.

NICOLAS MASSU: I was not a hundred percent either. I had no strength to move in the beginning. I guess the match was even to start with. My match yesterday was very difficult. My reaction today is the same as yesterday. First I found it difficult to move. I knew I had not the same strength as usually. It's important to be physically fit in order to win this tournament. It's true at one point I noticed he was making many errors, so I tried to take advantage of that. It's the same as I saw Chela very, very tired during the last games of our match. That's what I have to take advantage of, to move him around so he makes errors.

NICOLAS MASSU: I don't know, Ferrero is very consistent. He plays probably at the same level all the time. Maybe Federer has peaks and days his game is incredible, and others it's not. It's more irregular. To be honest, I don't really care. If it's Ferrero, it's Ferrero. If it's Federer, it's Federer. One is No. 1, top player in the world, the other one is No. 3. What can I say? On clay, it would be Federer. On hard court, it would be Ferrero, of course.

NICOLAS MASSU: I don't know. I think the crowd has supported me during the week. They're going to be there. I mean, Chile's people and the Spaniards have enjoyed my game. If it's against Ferrero, I have no problem to have the crowd against me. I would like to have everyone on my side, that's true. If they're not on my side, I have to face the situation as it comes. However, I haven't really noticed that the crowd is annoying.

NICOLAS MASSU: Yes, I've always said that in a sportsman's life, one has good and bad moments. When you have a good one, you have to take advantage of it. Right now I'm in a good moment. I have to be intelligent. If I have a bad time, I need to remember this period of my life. However, I don't know if it's just a matter of luck because one has to go through good and bad moments. Who knows what would have happened if I had stayed in Chile. I wouldn't be here maybe. But this year I haven't been home since February. Maybe it's luck. Maybe the fact of my dad winning a car and my football team doing well, maybe it's luck. But my work is my work.

NICOLAS MASSU: I think there's not many sportsmen in Chile that are recognized and admired outside. There are three tennis players. In football, there are a few more. But we are a country that needs this type of performance. We need triumphs. We are not like Argentina that's used to winning, for instance. That's why when I win, my people are happy. But I want to be calm. That's why when people start asking me about the ranking, about Chile, about all this stuff, the key is that they want their sportsmen to win. And when you don't win, they just stop supporting you, they leave you. If you're winning, they think you're God. I would just ask the crowd to be a little bit more consistent, not to be on an extreme all the time, not depending on whether I lose or win. Chile has difficulty understanding this. This is just advice I'm giving them. But I would like that to change.

NICOLAS MASSU: I have no idea, to be sincere. I don't talk to people my age and friends of that subject. It's difficult to talk of politics.

NICOLAS MASSU: No, because yesterday I finished at 7:00, 8:00 in the evening. Right now it's 5:00. It's different. I have time to recover. The points today were shorter. The match against Chela yesterday was really tiring. It's the same that happened to me in Kitzbuhel this year when I beat Costa. I was really tired. The next day, I took it easier and I was ready for the final. Yesterday I had pain all over my body. Today I'm okay. I'm going to be okay for tomorrow.

NICOLAS MASSU: I'm telling you, this is just a matter of you putting pressure on me. What? If I win, I'm No. 12, so what?

NICOLAS MASSU: It's difficult to answer that. What can I tell you? I'm happy. I'm close to a dream. When players get obsessed about one thing, that's very bad, too. You need to keep calm, like I'm doing now. If it comes to me, great. If not, it doesn't matter. Players are sometimes obsessed with the ranking, with points; but the important thing is to play well. That's my way of thinking. That's why I'm telling you once more, I don't care about the ranking.