TMS - MADRID

October 16, 2003

Nicolas Massu

NICOLAS MASSU: Yeah, that's true. It's true I've played well, but not every day you can do it this way. Everything went well. It would be incredible to be able to play at this level all the time. The most important thing is psychological aspect. For me right now Roddick has proved he's the best player in the world. But for me victory was also very important. I played well. I'm happy.

NICOLAS MASSU: I think I played really well because in the first four, five games, I was a little bit tight, I didn't play balls. We play just with the serve. After he broke me, he was 4-2, I think, I change my game a little bit. I start to feeling better. When I was 5-2 down, I have no pression because I thought that I lost the set. I broke in the 5-3, I get a lot of confidence there. I think I start there to play better.

NICOLAS MASSU: I wasn't upset really. Those things happen in tennis. We just changed points of view, the umpire and me. That was a time when he gave me the ball. I had an error. The ball went out. Three errors in a row cost me a game. But I wasn't upset really. It's just I gave my point of view.

NICOLAS MASSU: Among the top world players, tennis players are very similar. The important thing is the psychological aspect. For me, in my opinion, he's one of the best players on the circuit in terms of his psychological aspect. But the second top player cannot deceive me. His tennis is great. This has been one match of many. He's not played well, but that can happen to anyone. You should ask him today.

NICOLAS MASSU: When I go to the court today, I talk with my coach and I say, "I have to just concentrate on my serve, you know. It doesn't matter what happen when he serve." I know that he serves unbelievable, he's going to make me a lot of aces sometimes. Maybe sometimes I'm going to have a chance and have to make it. If not, I go to a tiebreak and then try to make one point or two points and win the set. Then after a few games, I start to go for one side. I try to don't see the ball, just go for one side, to choose like a goalkeeper, you know, to try to see. Just that I return really well today.

NICOLAS MASSU: Yeah, I'm telling you the tennis I played has been incredible today. Sometimes I've played at this level, but not consistently like today. Sometimes I've been at this level one set, then my game has dropped. But obviously, clearly, this has been one of the best matches of my life. I had a lot of confidence in myself. Even with those points that seemed to be a bit more difficult, those points I even saw them easy. I thought I couldn't have errors. I even got used to his serve at one point. I started returning the ball as if it was easy. It's true that his percentage of first serves decreased at one point, and that helped me. I took advantage of that. That's why I think it's been one of the best matches I've played lately, without a doubt.

NICOLAS MASSU: I didn't play too much in indoor in my life. We don't have courts in Chile to play in indoor. Just there's like five or six weeks in indoor, just in the final of the year, these tournaments. If you are not in the Top 50 ranking, you cannot play here, you cannot play. Like from here, two, three years ago, I start to play here four, five tournaments a year. I don't have a lot of experience. Of course, I play always in clay. In hard court, I play good in hard court and in clay. But I start to learn to play here in indoor. This is my first quarterfinal in Masters Series and indoor, you know. For me, I going to get a lot of confidence. I can play good here, you know.

NICOLAS MASSU: Yeah. Obviously one is not always conscious of what is going around him. Ferrero is No. 1 and the crowd are with him. Maybe because I speak Spanish, and Spaniards usually support Spanish-speaking people, or maybe the weakest. But I felt really good on the court. There's been thousands of times that I've had the crowd against me, and it's much better to have them support you. I found it great.

NICOLAS MASSU: Both players are really difficult. What can I tell you? It's the quarterfinals of a Masters Series. I think every player is difficult now. Here we have the best world players. Sometimes it's more difficult to win a Masters Series than a Grand Slam because sometimes in a Grand Slam you get people out of the Top 100. Here it's far more difficult for me because they're usually top 40. I don't really care one or another.

NICOLAS MASSU: If I tell you I want to win the tournament, you'll kill me because you want a Spaniard to win (laughter). The thing is, I only hope to keep winning during the tournament. I'm now halfway. I've already won three matches. I've got three left. Now things change. Every match that you win now gives you a lot of confidence. To win a tournament changes your confidence, changes your way of seeing things. It changes everything.

NICOLAS MASSU: I've played against Ferrero twice. Once I won, once I lost. With Moya, I have -- actually, I would like to play with any of them. They're all better than me a little bit. We're almost on the same level maybe. I cannot really answer. I would like to get to the final, that I know for sure.

NICOLAS MASSU: Well, I remember when I was young, I was a boy, I thought, "I would like to be one of the best players in the world." Now that dream is closer to me. Things seem to prove that I can make it. Top 10 is really difficult. Until I get to the Top 10, I'm not going to be happy with myself. I think my goal is to be Top 10. If I don't get there, it's because I'm not going to be able, but not because I don't want to. That's my dream. I've dreamed of it since I was little. Right now I'm close and very far away both. Let's see what happens.

NICOLAS MASSU: It's good because I think I'm lucky right now. I'm from Vina del Mar, it's a very small city, one of the largest in Chile, but a small one anyway. My team has gone to the first division. That's why I'm happy. I'm happy my team moved up. I hope to be champion here, too. Let's see. There are many good players.