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PACIFIC LIFE OPEN

March 12, 2006

Paul Goldstein

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Paul.
Q. How did it go away so quickly?
PAUL GOLDSTEIN: In the third set?
Q. Yeah.
PAUL GOLDSTEIN: How did it go away so quickly. I got a break 2-0 and, I don't know. I mean, that first couple points of that next -- that next game, I thought he started to find his range a little bit. I definitely thought that he upped his level when I got up that break in the third set. So that preeminently was the reason I thought it got away from me.
I thought I was still competitive through the set. I mean, did I lose -- I think the 2-all game I lost at Love, but the 4-2 game, I'm up at 40-15, really should have held on there. Then at 5-2, it was sort of a walk-away for him.
But I think more than anything, he raised his level a little bit at 2-0.
Q. Did you get at all carried away with thinking you might have a scalp to put on the wall?
PAUL GOLDSTEIN: Always try not to get too far ahead of yourself. I don't think at 2-all I'm thinking I have a chance, or, you know, any more so that I have the chance to put the scalp on the wall at 2-all, but at 2-0 certainly, it's the first time all match I got my nose in front. He broke me first game of the match. I mean, maybe I guess at 5-4 in the second set, I was up a little bit, but at that point, I was sort of -- the momentum was on my side. I was sort of rolling with that.
Then to really get up the break in the second set was the first time, and it's not that I think that the scalp is more so there, but I tend -- and it's the thing I regret most about my game, I tend to get tentative, cautious when I get ahead. It's a lot easier if you're playing like you have nothing to lose when you're behind, and that happens whether I'm playing on Court 17 in a challenger against Pete over there or whether I'm on stadium playing against Andre.
And it's just -- the situation is exacerbated by playing someone who's capable of doing the things that Andre is capable of doing. So because I get a little more tentative it's a little bit more difficult for me to execute the style of play that had put me in the position of lead. And then, like I said, it's easy for me to play a little bit more like I have nothing to lose when I'm behind.
The first time all match he'd been behind, he started hitting out on the ball a little bit more and finding the lines a little bit. I mean, that game, first point -- I think had a good serve the first point in the game. I had a forehand to hit, and I just didn't get enough on it. I think if there's one thing I thought I played pretty well the whole match, very well the whole match, there are a handful of shots that I wish I swung at a little bit more, a handful of shots that I could have been more aggressive on that and I think could have made a big difference.
Q. How badly did you get hurt there? You went down pretty hard.
PAUL GOLDSTEIN: I didn't get hurt at all.
Q. Looked worse than it was?
PAUL GOLDSTEIN: I don't know how it looked.
Q. It looked bad.
PAUL GOLDSTEIN: I had a winner on the shot. No, I mean, I think I just caught a little edge in my shoe, which, of course, has no traction on it, and just, my momentum was going that way. It's happened before, but I was not -- I was not injured on the play.
Q. Was there some psychology going on then with either one of you? It gets wet, I want to play, I don't want to play?
PAUL GOLDSTEIN: Well, Andre was clearly concerned about injuring himself. I think after seeing me go down, he became more concerned, and I respect that, and I respect him. I told Jerry Armstrong, the supervisor, when I got out there and they're asking me what I felt, I said, "Look, I'm on the court here with a guy I have all the respect and admiration in the world for. You can't make -- I don't want to have to make the decision. That's -- it's your decision. I'm okay to play, but if it's in the back of Andre's mind, I don't want -- I don't want to be out here if he doesn't want to be out here." So that's what I told the supervisor.
Q. Well, you've really had some wonderful matches and you're very close at times to just major breakthroughs. What's it going to take to just turn that thing around a little bit?
PAUL GOLDSTEIN: Man, I'm working on it for eight, nine years. I'm still trying to figure it out, coach. You're right. I've had a few opportunities against, you know, really elite players, four sets against Sampras in the Open back in '98, but I mean -- and then this one here. But I think this -- night and day where I am now and where I was back in '98.
The thing I had in '98, which I sort of wish I had again now is, I -- I felt like I played much more -- with much more reckless abandon, with much less, like - how is the word - more carefree back then. And I think I'm a much better tennis player now. I think my forehand, backhand, serve, blah, blah, blah strokes, I have a better understanding of the game now, but I was more carefree back in '98.
You know, there are times, particularly in this match, where having a little bit of what-the-heck on this shot would be invaluable because it would prove to a guy that I can be offensive as well. Clearly I think I played defense really well, and I'm more comfortable doing that. I think I'm at my best when I play just enough offense to make the guy feel honest or to keep a guy honest. And then he's starting to press, I can't just let him come in because he's going to do something.
So like I said, a couple more balls today I wish I'd have swung at. You know, I never feel -- I think every time I've played Andre in the past and then my match against Haas in the Australian this year, playing Haas reminded me of all the times I played Andre in the past. I never felt like I'm the most talented guy out there, and when I come up against a guy who's clearly more talented than me and plays at the level he's capable of playing at, doesn't try to win shots with just one swing of the bat because it's hard to do. And Tommy was willing to hit four or five balls to get me off the court so far that by the time he hit the sixth ball, it was a winner because he had created so much open court.
That's what Andre's done to me every time in the past. And you're going to see lopsided score lines when Tommy plays at his level like he did in Australia, when Andre, prior to today, plays at the level he's capable of playing, when I'm up against him, because I don't have really anywhere to go, I can't decide, things aren't going my way, I need to whack a few serves, blast a few forehands, change momentum that way. I'm not going to be able to do that very often, so there are a couple of lopsided score lines, I think that was the reason why.
But right now, to answer your question, I feel like I'm on the right path. I feel like in Las Vegas, the thing I was doing, I was playing within myself, even against, you know, Malisse at 40 in the world, even against Lleyton in the first set who's, you know, 10 in the world but capable of being No. 1 in the world, and then out here today. I thought I played within myself. Even when I'm trying to take chances, I felt like it wasn't a panicky slap shot, and there were a couple times I thought today I could do a little bit more with the ball and I think I'm on the right path. I'm learning every time I get out there.
Q. He says that he's not feeling like himself as he has since the U.S. Open. He's going to be 36 years old next month. You've played him a number of times. What do you see differently there than the old Andre Agassi, if anything?
PAUL GOLDSTEIN: I think clearly he didn't play his best tennis today, which is all the more disappointing for me because I feel like if there's ever a chance for me to get a win against him, today was probably the day. So that was disappointing for me.
I think I presented a little bit of a tough matchup for him if he's not feeling that well because that's what I tend to do to people. I tend to get under guys' skin by keeping the ball in the court, by covering the court well, by not taking too many chances, not giving a guy too many great looks at balls.
And so today I just thought he didn't have -- he didn't have the discipline within the point that he had in the past. Like I said, in the past he'd be willing to hit four or five big balls to get me so far off the court that by the time -- like particularly to my backhand side, by the time he hit the ball up the line, there wasn't any -- hit it, blasted it for a winner, he just created so much open court.
Today, he didn't seem as willing to hit -- to construct the point that way. He didn't seem as willing to hit eight straight big balls. In the first point of the match he actually did. In the first few games of the match he actually did. But midway through the first set, I started to see something different in him in terms of that discipline. And he relied more today on the one-shot tennis. And he's just so talented and gifted that he was able to win that way.
I don't think he's at his best when he does that. I think he would agree with that. The reason I say that is some of the times that we've had a chance to practice together, that's precisely what he told me I need to be good at. And so I learned a lot from him from our practice sessions in Zimbabwe when I was practice partner with the Davis Cup team. And other times, he said I need to be a more disciplined tennis player. He's more capable of hitting the big one ball, but when he's playing disciplined tennis, there's nobody better.
I think that's the biggest difference I saw today. He's still capable of hitting the big ball. I mean we saw it today. He's absolutely capable. I can't speak for him in terms of how he's feeling physically. I don't know. But he definitely wasn't playing his best today. I told him at the net, I said, you know, good job getting through, get yourself going, have a good week, because he probably wasn't -- I'm sure he didn't feel like he had himself going today.

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