	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

ROGERS MASTERS

August 7, 2006

Greg Rusedski

TORONTO, ONTARIO

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Greg Rusedski.

Q. How is the hip? How have you been since Wimbledon? You pulled out of the Davis Cup.
GREG RUSEDSKI: I'm just trying to get back at the moment because when I fell down against Johansson in Queen's, they said I had a muscle tear. You know, the diagnosis, it was wrong. I played Safin. Two days later I felt terrible. I had another MRI. I tore the cartilage in my hip. So then you have to sit out at least six weeks. I sat out another month from the two weeks previous, then just started up slowly.
It's just a building process right now, just seeing if I can manage the pain and try to play through it at the moment.
You know, today I thought I played okay in the first set. Second set was very average. You know, it's better me coming out here and trying it rather than me sitting at home because it's not going to get better by doing that unless I have an operation. That's something I don't want to do at the moment.

Q. What is the long-term prognosis for it? Do you know?
GREG RUSEDSKI: You just got to manage it basically, see if you can deal with it. If you can't deal with it, then you have surgery. That's probably six months before you get back at least.
You know, at the moment I'm just trying to build towards the US Open and get better with every match. I mean, the start of the match today I felt I played reasonably well until about 5-4 in the first set. Then the second set, you know, it was a little bit average. Could have been better. It's a building process.
So, you know, just got to see what happens and try to improve over the next few weeks.

Q. Is there some kind of a timeline when you decide this is more trouble than it's worth?
GREG RUSEDSKI: It's just something you have to deal with. You basically have to figure that out. That's what I'm doing at the moment. I had a week practice in London before I came. After that, I went to Bollettieri's, because I could play with Stepanek, Malisse, Haas, all those guys. Then I decided on Friday I'd give it a go. I spoke to my physio in London. Had a physiotherapist down there. They said, You just got to try it out and see how it goes. Today was the first day. Tomorrow morning I'm know more when I wake up and see how I feel and go from there.

Q. It's still a query, a whole question?
GREG RUSEDSKI: It is a question. But it's not going to get better if I just sit and do nothing. I have to go out there and try to do something with it.

Q. Are you still feeling as keen as ever to battle through this sort of stuff?
GREG RUSEDSKI: Well, that's a good question (smiling). If I wasn't keen enough, I wouldn't be sitting here, would I? I'd be sitting at home, enjoying the summer holidays at the moment.
You know, I just want to see what I still have left in my tennis and whether I can get through this one. It's always a challenge. It's interesting. You know, it doesn't help me the way the courts and the balls play now. It's very slow out there, it's very heavy. So my game has to be at its peak to play very, very well against that sort of style nowadays.
For about nine games it was good enough, and the rest of the match it wasn't. I have to be realistic. This is my first match in a long, long while. You know, let's see how it goes next week. This week I'll have full training, get to hit with the guys here, then try to build up for the Open.

Q. If it did come to surgery, that's a whole different ballgame.
GREG RUSEDSKI: If I have to have surgery on it, I would probably assume that would be it because Norman had surgery, never came back on it. Kuerten has had two surgeries and never come back yet. It's something you just have to learn to deal with because there's a chance you can have it and it can make it worse actually.
There's no specific hundred-percent guarantee it's going to be better by having a surgery. The best thing is to try to manage it right now. If I can do that, great. If I can't, that will answer my questions (smiling).

Q. How much worse? Debilitatingly worse to the point where you can't pick something off the floor?
GREG RUSEDSKI: As a sportsman, it's like the day job. Magnus, I don't know what Magnus is doing now. I think he's working as an investment banker or something like that at the moment. Playing tennis at the high level of being No. 2 in the world I don't think he'll get back to. Kuerten hasn't gotten back to the area and high level he was before.
I'll give it a go.

Q. Were there other bright spots today? Were you hitting the ball well off the ground?
GREG RUSEDSKI: I thought I had a lot of breakpoints early on in the first two return games. If I broke him the second game of the match, had I taken a chance to break in the middle of the first set, you know, it would have been interesting to see.
But that's the hardest thing. I mean, I haven't had enough matches or enough time. I have to look at it from a different perspective, just enjoying my tennis and try to build up. It's very unrealistic for me to sit here and say I'm coming back from this injury, I'm going to win, I'm going to do this, I'm going to do that.
I can't get ahead of myself. Step one is done today. Got through the match. Tomorrow hopefully I will feel good and then build up for the next few weeks and look forward to getting ready for the US Open hopefully.

Q. I'm sure most of us do want you to go on as long as possible. Will the ranking be a factor because you'll have lost more than 200 points?
GREG RUSEDSKI: I think I'm in Beijing after the Open. I'll probably be able to get somewhere in Asia, either in Bangkok or India, then probably into Tokyo still. I'll still be able to get a few events, hopefully try to get some wildcards, which has not been too, too, too helpful in the last few years. You have to be Mark Philippoussis.

Q. They used up all those on him.
GREG RUSEDSKI: He got 23. If I can get 23 in a year, I'll be pretty happy (smiling).

Q. Will you try any of the European tournaments?
GREG RUSEDSKI: I'll see where it is. I think for me the real testing point for me is once I get to the US Open, to see how I feel. Then I'll be able to tell, can I manage five-set matches? Am I good enough? Am I happy playing the way I'm playing? I think all those questions will easily be answered for myself by the time I get to the US Open. I'll be able to reassess everything again.

Q. If this is the last we see of you at a Canadian tournament, looking back, how do you view your career as it's gone? Canadians have a complicated relationship with you obviously.
GREG RUSEDSKI: Well, I hope it's not done yet. Don't write me off yet. I'm still hoping to get to the US Open. This is most likely the last time I'll play tennis obviously in Toronto for sure. If I were to come back next year, it would probably be Montréal, and that would be probably the last one. So definitely in Toronto I'd say this is probably my last time playing here.
I think last year was a great experience for me in Montréal. I think it's been something like 11 years now. I think time kind of heals things. You mature, you change.
I just think, you know, last year was very special for me, getting to the semifinals, getting such nice support from the Canadian fans in Montréal. And even today they were very polite, very nice. I have nothing to complain about.

End of FastScripts...

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297