U.S. OPEN

September 10, 1992

John McEnroe

Michael Stich

Q. Was it a very disappointing loss for both of you guys, losing, especially with what you guys did at Wimbledon?

JOHN McENROE: Most fun that I have had in doubles in years. It's great for me to play with Michael, and would it have been great, I mean, he won the Olympics and we won Wimbledon. It would have been an unbelievable three tournaments. We gave it our best. It was tough to play that five setter, and then come back. They scheduled us at 11:00. I mean, they got into some scheduling problems and TV contracts, all this other stuff, and it made it more difficult. Then the rain came. We actually were playing pretty well in the beginning, but when the rain came we, I think, lost a little bit. And what-- and then the feeling that we had for me, I played four singles and that was the fifth doubles in about a ten or eleven day period. It was a tough run, and I felt a little bit-- in the middle, towards the end of the match, and we are playing the number two seeds. We are playing the guys we played in the finals, so we had a lot of chances, but it is not like we have anything to hang our heads about -- it is disappointing as far as you get to lose in three, four hour match; at the same time, I think we have a lot to be proud of.

Q. How do they rate as a team in comparison to other teams you have played? I mean, you have had some obviously great matches.

JOHN McENROE: We have played them every tournament we have played together; we have played them and we lost to them twice and beaten them once. Each time it has gone to the limit. They play extremely solid doubles. They -- they are more-- both of them are capable of playing good singles, but both of them concentrate a little bit more on the doubles and they are a fine, solid doubles team. And they mix things up. They change around. They are very involved. You got to give them credit. We had a great victory over them in Wimbledon. We could have beaten them every time we played, but then again they could have beaten us there. So maybe it is only fair that they got this win after we got the last one.

Q. Were there any special thoughts as you were leaving the court; that that could have been your last appearance in the stadium?

JOHN McENROE: You asked me that in the singles, and I really don't feel any differently in the doubles. I really don't feel any sort of special thoughts. As I said in the singles, it's just more disappointing that specific match, thinking ahead, I really don't think about it right now.

Q. Michael, would you like to play with John next year? Have you guys even thought about it considering that John may not be playing all that much next year?

MICHAEL STICH: I mean, it is up to John. As he said, he enjoyed playing with me. I enjoyed very much playing with him. I mean, we had a good record playing three tournaments together. If he wants to play, and it happens that we both are playing the same tournaments, I mean, I love to play. Like he said, we are teaming very well. We understand each other on the court and off the court. It was a lot of fun to play and we played really well all the times we played together.

Q. John, do you think Grabb is still considered to being a potential Davis Cup partner for you?

JOHN McENROE: I don't think right now because we have already picked four man teams. I think he is certainly a guy that should be taken into consideration. Extremely good doubles player and he plays a "deuce" court. I play the "ad" court. Richey Reneberg is also a great doubles player; certainly a team you ought to have in your back pocket. It is a nice option to go to, if necessary. I mean, certainly capable of beating anyone.

Q. John, last night as a commentator, and as a singles and doubles player, do you have any sense overall of the length of matches, the timeframe for a fan, spectator, does it seem longer in some ways?

JOHN McENROE: No, it doesn't seem longer at all. This is what happens in major events in best of five. Especially if you have a situation where in Becker/Lendl, for example, they were waiting two minutes on every changeover. Unless you have ushers-- it is not really -- you can't blame the ushers. I think you have to look at USTA, they have to really get some people there. I don't know if it is because they are not paid enough money or because they are not used to doing the job or whatever. This is completely outrageous at a major event to make it sound like this is part of New York, that is the way New Yorkers act. I totally disagree with that. New Yorkers would act the same way as any other spectators, if they were told that you have to get in the allotted 20 or 30 seconds; you cut it off. There is nothing they can do here in New York, I don't think that is the excuse for allowing hundreds of people to mill around on a changeover. I think that takes away from the tournament and also adds a lot to the length of the match. And then the other problem is if you have an umpire that doesn't start off in forcing, for example, the 25 second rule -- I mean Becker/Lendl were constantly taking over 25 seconds, but you don't blame the player there. If the umpire doesn't enforce it early on, you can't enforce it three, four hours into the match. That is why you of an hour match.

Q. Do you feel like you played good tennis here and I know you have some exhibitions before Davis Cup. Do you feel you are sharp for the Davis Cup?

JOHN McENROE: I feel like I played great tennis. I gave it my best. I feel proud of what I accomplished. I lost to the number one player in the world in the round of 16 and I lost to the Wimbledon finalist and the number two seeds here, so I mean, I would have loved to have it gone a little differently. It would have been great to have gone farther in the singles and would have been great to win the doubles after winning Wimbledon, but those -- that is why it is so tough to win the Majors. There is always-- I mean, suddenly-- they tell us we have to play at 11:00 because mixed doubles has to be on TV. These things unfortunately we run in all too often at these top tournaments.

Q. John, who is your doubles partner for Davis Cup?

JOHN McENROE: You probably are asking the wrong person right now. Probably might ask the coach Tom Gorman.

Q. Because you said that it has already been picked.

JOHN McENROE: I said the team has already been picked and the team is me, Pete, Andre and Jim, so that cut us out -- Jim Courier -- that cut us out, Jim Grabb, potentially being a partner. It is one of those three players. My suspicion it is going to be - barring some change - it is going to be Pete and I in the doubles and Andre and Jim in the singles. But that remains to be seen.

Q. Was there ever any thought of either of you guys late in the match, that we did it before at Wimbledon; we were able to hold on, any reflection back on that?

JOHN McENROE: I know in my mind I said when we lost-- Michael lost the serve, the first -- It is bad luck, just because we are a game in the fifth and I said that we got them right where we wanted them. We are down a break in the fifth set, but it didn't work out. I mean, the mistake was we should have gotten down the break in the fourth. We were down a break in the fourth at Wimbledon but this time we didn't get down a break; that sort of threw off that whole superstition.

Q. Talk about U.S. against Sweden.

McENROE: I say U.S. has a chance, in my opinion, 95 out of 100 chances. I see a very slim chance that we were going to lose to them. Any time you have player of Stefan Edberg's caliber on the other side, he is capable of pulling out a miraculous victory. I don't see it on clay, the way Jim and Andre are playing. I don't see beating any of those players, and the second player which hasn't been determined, I don't see either of those players beating our singles players. Edberg/Jarryd, they had a history in doubles. That is where it's a 50/50, they have a good as chance as we do. I don't see in any of the singles matches them winning, but, I mean, as everyone knows, you never know what can happen in Davis Cup.

Q. What effect will the fact that Pete and Jim who are in the semis -- do they have to peak again for Davis Cup?

JOHN McENROE: I think it is difficult, but at the same time, I think juices are flowing after a big victory sort of depends-- see what happens. I suspect that we will be in pretty good shape.

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