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TMS - MONTE-CARLO

April 17, 2006

Greg Rusedski

MONTE-CARLO, MONACO

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Greg, please.
Q. Did you think for a minute there you were going to break the golden duck as it were?
GREG RUSEDSKI: Well, I was hoping to. But once they watered that court in between, it got really slow out there.
So, you know, the first two sets we're playing on a little slippery court and I'm managing to at least stick in the rallies and being able to play a few balls behind him.
But then once they watered that court for the third set, it kind of made life a little bit tough because it just gave him that fraction longer and it got a little cooler out there. He's a seasoned professional out there. On slow courts he's very, very difficult to beat, as you saw from the last few results from Hamburg to Paris to different places like that.
I thought for the first two sets I played pretty well. In the third set, the conditions just got too slow and I just wasn't good enough to stay with him for that third set.
Q. Did you feel you did better in the first two sets than you had in Miami against him?
GREG RUSEDSKI: I played a little bit better, a little bit differently. I thought I mixed it up a little bit better out there so that was quite pleasing.
But you have to be realistic about this surface. We're playing with the same heavy balls that we played with in Miami and in Indian Wells, so it's pretty tough to play any sort of attacking tennis. You just have to play his game really on the clay and just try to out-run him and attack the backhand and try to play angles and mix it up.
But, you know, I still can't do that thing where I can mix it enough to get to the net. I need it to be hot like it was this afternoon and dry to have any chance. Because once they watered the court in the third set, it stayed wet for the next seven games. I mean, it didn't even look like it was even going to get close to drying out. Against a guy like him, that's pure heaven for him. It's like if you watered the grass for me playing, that would be really nice if you could do that after two sets because then nobody would return my serve (smiling).
Q. Did you ask them not to water the court?
GREG RUSEDSKI: Well, that's what I said to him, I said to the chair umpire, you know, about watering the court. I mean, if you're going to water it, why not water it after every set so at least it's consistent rather than wait for two sets to go through. But that's just the way it is. You can't complain about it. The better player won on the clay today and that's life.
Q. I mean, you can't have a great amount of "fun" out there. I suppose fun is one of the elements that keeps you going.
GREG RUSEDSKI: Yeah, I mean...
Q. Keeps you motivated. You're stuck out by the road there and, you know, you're playing someone who's a clay courter on a wet court. You must think, "I should be somewhere else"?
GREG RUSEDSKI: Well, the good thing about playing on that, you're playing in a smaller court so that's an advantage for an attacking sort of player so that's not too bad a thing.
And, you know, with the way the tour makes you have to play all these events, you know, you have no choice but to come and give it a go. Being an hour and a half flight, it's not a big deal. I mean, this is a great event, don't get me wrong, but I'm not a clay courter, let's be honest, okay. I can play good once in a while for a Davis Cup match here or there when I have to, but, you know, it's not ideal for me or my game.
Q. How much have you been practicing on clay before then?
GREG RUSEDSKI: Not too much. I had quite a big break after Davis Cup and I hit two times at Wimbledon to get used to the clay and then got down here on Sunday. Tried something new, a little shorter preparation.
So, you know, it didn't go too bad for two sets, but you've got to say to yourself, these guys come out here, this is where they make their living, and this is Chela's surface and this is what those sort of players look forward to all year.
It's a great tournament. I mean, this year at least we had pretty reasonably good weather for the first day.
Q. As you've grown closer in Davis Cup situations, has Andy asked you at all anything about his current situation and asked your advice as to what you think he might do now, which is clearly at a very important stage for him?
GREG RUSEDSKI: Well, I've had a little chat with him about it but, you know, I don't think he's made a decision on what he wants to do. You know, I think the best thing is to ask him really. If he wants to ask me advice about certain things or certain people he'd like to work with, I'm more than open to it. But we really haven't had that full discussion yet, if he wants it.
You know, coaching situation is not always easy because you're spending 24/7 with the person, you're traveling with them on the road. You can create a great friendship, but then you also have to look at it as sort of a business thing as well. So there's that combination where you want someone to get you to certain levels and there needs to be mutual respect and a friendship. It's a difficult situation, finding good coaches and qualified people out there to help you.
So, you know, I'm sure he'll find the right person for him and he'll have a good future.
Q. Were you surprised?
GREG RUSEDSKI: Well, I think that, you know, these things happen. And, you know, he's probably looked back at his game and certain areas he'd like to work on, certain things. I think Mark did a good job with him, and I think also Jean-Pierre has done quite a bit for him because, I mean, he had a knee where he nearly had something that was -- could have been an operation, which could have been career-ending, which he fixed. He fixed his foot as well.
So it was a combination of Mark and Jean-Pierre and a few people helping out. It's a whole team effort around him, it's not just one person. I'm sure he'll add to that dimension of his career with the next person to get him through to the next level hopefully.
Q. And you're scheduled still to play -- to go through it all again in Rome?
GREG RUSEDSKI: I don't know. I'm going to have a few days off and figure it out. I don't know. It's - how would I describe it? - it's enjoyable, but it's not enjoyable at the same time because it's kind of a contradiction. Because if you look at it, if Rome is warm and it's quick and it's slippery, you can win a few matches. But if it's slow and it's heavy, then it's quite difficult.
So I think, for me, I'm looking forward to when the grass comes and I can kind of play like I did at Davis Cup and serve and volley and play tennis I'd like to play. Now week in, week out, it's almost impossible to play that game even on the hard courts and indoor courts which is, for me, quite a thing where I have to kind of thinking about the future and other things because I'm just so surprised how it just keeps on getting slower year after year after year. I guess I'm not the only one who's feeling that with these balls we're playing with. A lot of guys are having shoulder problems or wrist problems, and it's very hard to generate anything and it's more of a baseline style. I mean, even I would imagine with Tim's match against Gaudio, you'd think he'd give him some trouble because he'd dink and he'd slice and he comes in, and it was still pretty comprehensive there. Tim played very well here in Monte-Carlo before.
So I think they're making it tougher. You kind of have to contemplate what you're going to do.

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