TELECOM ITALIA MASTERS

May 6, 2004

Sergio Palmieri

Q. Can you just summarize in English what you've just said in reply to Hewitt's remarks.

SERGIO PALMIERI: If you want to make some questions, I can answer. I will try with my best English.

SERGIO PALMIERI: I understand Hewitt, too, I believe.

SERGIO PALMIERI: I think I understand how he feel. I understand they may have told him something not correct. That's why I believe - that's what I said to the other people here - I think is much better when we have to complain, to have a direct dialogue. Then, is not misunderstanding, is not, "He said," "I said to him." I know what I said to the coach. The coach, he knows what he said to me. But I have no idea then what the coach said to Lleyton - no idea.

SERGIO PALMIERI: We have different opinion on that. I think he insult me, but I don't care if he insult me; a lot of people insult me. I don't think I be upset because of that. But like many time happen, the coach, he want to do something different than what he's supposed to do. He's supposed to be a coach and not the tournament director. I am the tournament director. I'm supposed to be a tournament director, not the coach. I am not going to the coach to say to him how he have to tell to Lleyton to play. He doesn't have to tell me...

SERGIO PALMIERI: I basically - maybe not with that accent - but I tell him, "Do your business, I do my business."

SERGIO PALMIERI: What I just tried to explain, in my conversation with Lleyton's coach and his father afterwards, was I told him that four times - at least four times - the schedule, like in every other tournament, is made by a small committee composed of a tournament director, the ATP supervisor, the player representative, and the representative of the television. We have a daily -- every day we have this meeting, and during this meeting everybody has to say their opinion. At the end, the schedule comes out. But nobody from this small group can say, "I was in favor, not in favor," or whatever. The schedule is done; and when it's done, it's done. I mean, I don't have to tell to anyone which is my opinion, because whatever is my opinion, it may hurt the opinion of the other people in this committee. And I think we cannot be more democratic than that. He have his own representative sitting there, and the supervisor is there, too, to be vigilant. And I think, no, the schedule come out was what that group feel was the best schedule for the tournament. That's it.

SERGIO PALMIERI: Yes, Lleyton's father, he came to me.

SERGIO PALMIERI: No, the mother I think... I don't know. I have to tell you something. The father, when the father, he came to me, he was probably even in a way more aggressive, but I feel like he was more understandable because, first of all, he doesn't insult anyone. He just said his opinion. And, you know, it doesn't matter if somebody have a different opinion. I think, no, everybody can have an opinion. But I think I have a better time to speak with him also if we have two different opinion, because I understand him and I hope he understand me; I don't know. But I think I have a chance to really see what he have in mind without really being -- I mean, insult anyone.

SERGIO PALMIERI: The coach, in a way, I believe he insult -- I don't even know if "insult" is the right word. But he just said to me...

SERGIO PALMIERI: ...I don't know how to do my job. And when he said that to me, I told him, "Look, take care of your job, and I'll take care of mine. Don't worry. I'm not going on court and tell to Lleyton how he has to play."

SERGIO PALMIERI: I don't know anything about that. Nobody told me anything about that.

SERGIO PALMIERI: I have no idea who said that.

SERGIO PALMIERI: I don't know. I don't know if they said that. You told me. Whenever they come to me and they said that to me, I have an answer for them.

SERGIO PALMIERI: No? I mean...

SERGIO PALMIERI: I cannot read all the newspaper.

SERGIO PALMIERI: I have no answer. I mean, I think we have this tournament for many, many years, and I believe many of you travel around our tournament. I am not here to be in competition with other tournament, tell "Our tournament is better than other or worse than other." I think we played this tournament for , I think, since '93, and we know we have this kind of problem. But many other tournaments have the same problem - even tournaments more important than our tournament. When I said "more important," I mean the Grand Slam tournament. But nobody really complain. If you see Roland Garros, for example - I suppose you are French - I think in Roland Garros, some court are very close. I'm wrong?

SERGIO PALMIERI: Okay.

SERGIO PALMIERI: That's the good of the sport. I think, you know, as a tournament director, I like to see let's say the "stars" going through. But as a sport person, I think, no, we have to give a lot of respect to whoever won, you know; it doesn't matter if the name is not the same. But I think if Costa beat Federer, I think, and he deserve to win that match because he try his best and he played better than Federer that day, you have to accept that. That's the sport. If all the time the result is the better player win, you know, then is no more sports.