US OPEN

August 29, 2002

Jan Michael Gambill

Q. How do you rate that job around the net tonight compared to other good performances you've had?

JAN-MICHAEL GAMBILL: Well, I think that I'm getting actually some feel up there. You know, I've always been okay at the net against guys if it's not a very good shot. I'm getting a little more feel against shots that are big. My footwork is better. I'm in a better position body-wise to make the ball. The doubles has helped quite a bit, but I've been working on it on the practice court as well.

JAN-MICHAEL GAMBILL: Well, I think that I'm a pretty fiery guy, I'm pretty intense on the court. It's the gemini effect. I'm a gemini, June birthday. Off the court I'm a pretty laid-back guy. When it comes down to a competition of some kind, video games or tennis, I want to win. I stay fiery out there. I stay intense. That's how I play my best tennis. I did it today.

JAN-MICHAEL GAMBILL: I think Carlos has been playing some very good tennis this summer. He proved that in Cincinnati, beating up on Hewitt when Hewitt was playing good tennis, in my opinion, I thought, through the rest of that tournament. Yes, he's definitely -- knowing that, coming into this match, I still wasn't thinking, "He's been playing great tennis this summer." I was thinking I wanted revenge for some matches I thought I should have won in the past. That brought me into this match with the right attitude. We worked on a game plan that I was going to stick to whether I was going to win or lose. It was a game plan that worked.

JAN-MICHAEL GAMBILL: Oh, this is a thousand times sweeter than that. The win over Andy -- hopefully Andy and I will have a lot of matches that are going to be close. He's going to win some, hopefully I'll win some. Andy is a friend of mine. On the court we do battle. Off the court... This is different. This is a match three years ago I thought I should have won. In fact, each time I've played him, I thought I had my chances more than enough to win those matches. To come out here and to play this well, to keep playing this well, even when I got broken in the third set there, I stepped it up, returned even better, took it to him. That feels great.

JAN-MICHAEL GAMBILL: I had no idea who I play.

JAN-MICHAEL GAMBILL: I played him two years ago at the Ericsson Open. I won that one.

JAN-MICHAEL GAMBILL: He's a very good player, yeah. He had me down a set, he was serving for the match there in the second set in the Ericsson. I just decided to hit the ball a lot harder, take it to him. If I can do that, that's when I have my best chance to win that match.

JAN-MICHAEL GAMBILL: I thought that he made the call way too slow, too late. The ball was already in the net. I don't really feel like I need to gripe about all kinds of calls out there. I'm going to give the referee the eye, look up at him, if I feel the call is wrong. Probably not going to gripe a lot when there's close balls. When the guy changes a call where I feel like I've already won the point, that irritates me. That's something that I'm going to come up and let him know. I didn't think that ball was even in. At the same time, I want him to call it, immediately to make that call, so that next time I just want him on his toes. I just say something. Got me fired up even more. I used that to my advantage, I think.

JAN-MICHAEL GAMBILL: Actually I think this is my cleanest performance of the year. This is the kind of tennis I think I can play a lot more of. Knock on wood, I'm injury-free now. I feel good about myself, my game. There's no more monkeys on my back. I'm out here playing, enjoying myself. I have the whole rest of the year to make up ranking. Nothing to defend for the rest of the year, that's a good feeling. I'm excited about it. I watched last night, they played an old Jimmy Connors match back when he played Patrick Mac. Unfortunate match for Patrick Mac back then. Watching Connors was very exciting for me. I think I might get some old tapes of Connors and watch them for my matches. He's the reason I play the game in the first place.

JAN-MICHAEL GAMBILL: I would say I'm hitting pretty close to as well, absolutely. My mind is in the right spot. I was able to stick to a game plan. That's something I've had trouble with in the past. I served very well throughout the whole match, especially when I needed it, when I came up with the big serves. I was down Love-30 twice. I made him fight real hard for that one game that he did break me, so that makes me feel good. I felt like I played a clean match. I can't really return any better than that. Didn't matter if he was making first or second serves, I was returning them. That feels great.

JAN-MICHAEL GAMBILL: I'm absolutely a technically better volleyer. I have more confidence up at the net. My feet are in the right spot. Before you'd see me stumbling all over the court, just not in the right position to hit the ball. I used to use a little too much wrist on especially my backhand volley, forehand volley, breaking my wrists. I think I'm a lot more sound.

JAN-MICHAEL GAMBILL: What I'm doing is preparing myself to be at least in the right spot. I'm split stepping at the right time which allows me to move either way. When you split step at the right time, your body automatically goes in that direction. I played tennis so long, it's just like a return. When you have the right frame of mind, you see the ball when he hits it, if you're going the right direction, you're in great shape. Then you just need to be able to have technique, which is getting better.

JAN-MICHAEL GAMBILL: Right before, a split second before.

JAN-MICHAEL GAMBILL: Right before he hits the ball is when you want to split step up at the net. Something I actually used to not even really do. I just ran up to the net, hoped the guy didn't hit a good shot or missed.

JAN-MICHAEL GAMBILL: Well, I think just really working on it a lot, being told a lot of different ways helps.

JAN-MICHAEL GAMBILL: My dad and I, Scott, Nick Saviano, also worked very hard on it. Maybe having three different people tell me the same thing different ways has helped. It's starting to get through to my head. I'm trying to be really receptive, you know. That helps.