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PACIFIC LIFE OPEN

March 15, 2006

Paradorn Srichaphan

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Paradorn, please.
Q. How big a win was that when you consider the way your form in recent months has been? Must be very satisfying to get a win over somebody like Nalbandian.
PARADORN SRICHAPHAN: Yes. I had a great at the end of the year. I'm doing good, final in Stockholm, quarterfinal in Basel. Then have to rest for almost three months because is the off-season. You know, I didn't start well in Australian Open. I got two match point up against Kiefer, then he got to semis. That would make me feel a little better because I have him two match point, and he go that far to semifinal.
Lost I think four times first round before I'm making this quarterfinal in first Masters Series. I always thinking positive even I lost first round in every tournament because it doesn't mean that I lost first round four time in a row, you know. I'm just -- it just a match. I feel like I still have a game.
Of course, it's giving me lot of confidence, this tournament, you know, beating Ginepri, Ferrero and Nalbandian. Now is confidence back. So I think is good timing that to do well here.
Q. Were you concerned? Your history here hasn't been too good.
PARADORN SRICHAPHAN: Yeah, this is the farthest, you know, I've been to quarterfinal in this Master. I think the farthest I can go is second round.
Yeah, I been waiting for it. I working hard. But, you know, it seems to me like it's not really work because my ranking drop to 61. But I still believe that my game is still there, but I just need to really be patient and waiting for right timing, you know, try to take my chances when I have a chance.
Q. Why are you successful now when you weren't successful other times coming to this tournament?
PARADORN SRICHAPHAN: Well, actually I don't know. But this time I come because my ranking is 61, you know, coming into this tournament. I'm not a seeded player. I always have to ready to play a seeded player.
But my best was already happen. You know, I make top 10 and top 20 before. I believe that I still have that game. So I just try to build my confidence back, you know, try to learn what I make mistake from the last couple month.
Q. You've always worked with a member of your own family. Your father, now your brother. Andy Roddick has just started to work with his brother. It's difficult because you've never worked with anybody but your family, but what are the advantages of working with someone who is very close to you?
PARADORN SRICHAPHAN: I think one thing you can really see is it's nothing about business, that's for sure. You know, my father's my first coach. He just retired a year ago. And my brother is taking his place.
I feel like I would love to have someone of my family traveling with me all the time because I'm really used to it. You know, maybe Andy was feeling, you know, he was grew up with his brothers, and he wants someone that doesn't have to talk a word, but this he can understand each other - just like what I feel to my brothers. Sometimes we didn't talk that much, but he know what my younger brother's thinking.
Q. Obviously you had a wonderful relationship with your father. When he retired, can you ever consider going with anybody else? Were there offers?
PARADORN SRICHAPHAN: Yeah, I try his name TJ Middleton for six months last year on January to June, until Wimbledon. We've been working so well. But I feel like I want someone in my family. My brother was ready for it, so he give me a shot, so we trying to travel together. You know, it was fun to traveling with bigger brother, older brother.
Q. We've seen the photo of you, Buddhist, religious passages, can you talk about what that means to you personally?
PARADORN SRICHAPHAN: I think it's really helping me. I spent one week in a temple, in a Thai temple. It's Thai culture that one in a lifetime, that Thai men have to do it at least one week, to respect their parents and continue the Thai culture.
Like this tournament, every time before I go to bed, I do meditation for 15 minutes, just sitting on the bed and keep quiet, meditation, just thinking about nothing. That is tough, thinking about nothing (laughter).
That is really the key that really helping me relax in this tournaments. Whatever happen is just let it happen. If you try your best already, you have to deal with the result.
Q. Officials are saying in your country that some facilities are still not back. Because of the tsunami, how do you feel?
PARADORN SRICHAPHAN: The tsunami thing that happened last year, nobody expecting that. Since that happen, I never go down there yet. I've been traveling a lot in tournaments, but I've been following the news, donating some money to the Red Cross. That's what they call it in Thailand, just like UNICEF, but it's a group in Thailand, people giving money, trying to building, creating things in Phuket. It's getting better now. That's what I heard. One day I going to go down there and see what I can do.
I think they try to bring the tournaments down there, like the WTA tournaments and some challengers, future tournaments down there, just to have some activity going on in that city.
Q. How do you train your mind to think about nothing?
PARADORN SRICHAPHAN: That is tough. I think, if you can try right now, close your eyes and thinking about nothing. It's kind of tough. The key is, you have to thinking -- you have to control your breathing, like in and out. You know at that moment what you doing. That is the meditation.
Let's say if you're thinking about in and out, then your mind was thinking other thing, then you have to really catch it real quick, "No, I'm not going to think about that. I'm going to come back to my nose, just in and out, in and out." Then you will have the concentration.
Q. We should try it.
PARADORN SRICHAPHAN: Yeah, try it tonight (laughter).
Q. Might write better.
PARADORN SRICHAPHAN: I don't know. Seriously, it's really helping my game. It's not like helping my game. It's helping my tennis between the point. Not when I'm running and hitting the ball, it's between the point that I have 20 second, I control my breathing, like in and out. A lot of time if you don't play well, is because you're getting nervous and you can't control. Your heart is pumping sometimes really quick. Meditation is helping me that I can control my breaths, I can just relax and ready for next point.
Q. Although you're one of the rare men players who plays with one ball, then takes a second ball when you serve, you've always had a quick service action. Are you slowing down a little bit?
PARADORN SRICHAPHAN: I slowing down a little bit. I use my time because I have like 20 seconds between the points. That's the key that the meditation is really helping me right there. I can control myself. I'm not rushing. I taking my time. Take a deep breath, then I can control. I don't get nervous.
Q. What made you decide on that? Was that after the week you spent in the temple or was there something else?
PARADORN SRICHAPHAN: Actually before I spent the time in temple, the monk, I know one monk, he teach me, "Paradorn, you should do the meditation. Is really going to help in your game." I said, I'm sure is different, meditation. You can't just be too relaxed on court. That's what I thought. That's what I thought in the beginning. If I'm too calm, it's not really my game because my game was aggressive on the court, just attacking.
Then once when I go into the temple, then I really learn. I really figured out that what that monk told me is really true. If you can control, if you know what you're doing at the moment, then you can control yourself, you're not out of control. I think that's the word, you're not out of control.
Q. Where did you learn that dance from?
PARADORN SRICHAPHAN: I don't know what to do on that point. I have to do something. It was a little funny there. It was good for the crowd.
Q. Only time you did that in a match?
PARADORN SRICHAPHAN: That's the only first time. I think I do the moon walk one time with Andy Roddick in Paris Masters 2002, if I remember. I play him in the quarters. I was sweating a lot. We both sweating a lot. It's like indoor. We try to just slip it away. Then I try to move like moon walk. He saw it, and he start to do it. The people is go crazy.
Q. How would you describe this dance today?
PARADORN SRICHAPHAN: I would say robot dance. I want to see that on TV actually (smiling).
Q. You didn't learn that at the temple, did you?
PARADORN SRICHAPHAN: No, actually not.

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