AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 24, 2006

Fabrice Santoro

FABRICE SANTORO: I think, you know, two days ago I mean I was already pretty tired physically. And against Ferrer, I had a tough period after an hour and 15 minutes of game. Today I had the same problem after an hour, at the same point. But Nalbandian is a great player, he makes me move a lot. He played better and better, relaxed, because he won the first set. That first set makes a big difference. After that first set, I mean, he just gave me a lesson. I have nothing to do. He saw that I was tired, he play one on the right, one on the left. Every time I came to the net, he pass me. Serve and volley, I can't do it because he return so well. That's what I can do.

FABRICE SANTORO: I was very happy to be on the court. I think I played a great first set, and maybe I did -- I mean, to win this first set, because I was 4-3, 40-15, 4-All, 15-40. For sure if I win this first set, maybe the match will have been different and I can deal differently with my physic, and also he can start to have some question, you know.

FABRICE SANTORO: For me nothing has changed. I still very happy about what I did here, because I wait for that moment for so many years. Today I knew that one more time against a baseline opponent, which is the fifth in a row, I'm gonna have to run a lot. I put all my energy in the first set. I think I did it pretty well. I played my best tennis during the first set. And after that, I feel I have no more energy and he's playing just too good for me. I think even if I was feeling better after the first set, I mean, I think he just played great tennis, wonderful.

FABRICE SANTORO: With my game, I mean, I try many things, but he has the answer all the time. Serve and volley was not good. Return and volley, he pass me. If we play from the baseline, he make me run, and I don't want to run today. So what else I can do? Aces at 220, I can't do it. I don't have it.

FABRICE SANTORO: He's gonna be very tough to beat anyway. I think so.

FABRICE SANTORO: He does everything well. I mean, from the baseline he's very good on both side, even if his backhand is better. His backhand is just one of the best on the tour. He can do -- he put one on the right, one on the left all the time. He serves pretty well. He has good hands. He moving well. I think he's a great player to watch. When I see him on the court, I always feel like he has -- before every shot, he has like one minute to play the ball. He's always in advance. He's ready. That's also why he's a good player.

FABRICE SANTORO: Sure, yeah. 34, yeah. Yeah, thanks (smiling).

FABRICE SANTORO: I try my best, you know. If you look at the match today, it's same kind of match I played two days ago. I start very well. I play my best tennis for an hour. Then I went down. But today I won -- the difference is I won the first set, and my opponent is not as good and gave me free points. That's -- the difference is here. In the scores, the difference is big.

FABRICE SANTORO: Okay. Thanks for the comparison. I mean, is much bigger than me (smiling). But even if people feel like, you know, I have great hands, I can play, you know, the right shot at the right time and with good angle and dropshot and everything, all this is living from my legs, you know. I have to be very fit, I have to move well, to be on the ball with my two hands. Today I was late on both side. I was serving -- when I serve and volley, I was far from the net to make the first volley. If I'm far from the net, I can't do anything. You know, one second on every part of the game, it's a lot at the end.