TMS - ROME

March 8, 2001

Alex Calatrava

ALEX CALATRAVA: It's a very good feeling. It's a really good feeling. No, I've been working very hard since I was very small, and it's always very satisfying when you get a win like this, especially when somebody's like No. 1 in the Race like he is, and he's such a big name. It was -- I played very good. I didn't do too many mistakes. And I guess he's still looking his form on clay court. It's not very easy to play the first tournament, so... Because I have the same problem the first tournaments, it's always really tough. And I knew it, and I gave 100 percent since the beginning. And I thought that I could beat him, and so I went since the beginning very strong.

ALEX CALATRAVA: I think he was a little bit too anxious to finish the points quickly, and he was taking risk inside the court. And clay, I mean, you have to -- you got to have very good timing. He has it, but you first have to get used to it and you have to be a little bit more patient. And I took advantage of that.

ALEX CALATRAVA: Yeah, actually today I didn't serve that good, but actually worked well because every time I was putting like a hard first serve in, the ball was coming very quick back. So I got lucky a little bit with that. And I guess my kick, he didn't like my second serve kick because he was stepping in and he was sometimes hitting it with the frame and it was getting soft. So I could dominate the point.

ALEX CALATRAVA: Yeah, well, last year was probably -- I mean was the best year of my career, and I start very well the beginning of the year. But I've been losing after that a lot of matches, very close matches. And I think it was maybe a -- I lost a little confidence because of that. I was playing good, but I wasn't doing any semifinal, finals, and that's it. But I've always been working and being positive.

ALEX CALATRAVA: Yes, I was coached by him six years ago.

ALEX CALATRAVA: Yes, I see him a lot, a lot of tournaments, especially in the States. Now he's having a good job with Roddick, I guess.

ALEX CALATRAVA: Well, I guess that gave me also a little bit of confidence. I knew he wasn't gonna be with too much confidence, and I went since the first point, tried to beat him.

ALEX CALATRAVA: You know, I like to go step by step because all the matches are really tough, and that I won today doesn't mean that now I'm gonna get to the finals for sure. So I just gonna give 100 percent my next match, and hopefully it's gonna go fine.

ALEX CALATRAVA: I think -- no, I mean when I -- I guess today I was probably mentally 100 percent in the game. I mean, you always do mistakes and you can never be 100 percent. But just being positive and keep on going, that's what I mean, just give my best mentally.

ALEX CALATRAVA: I guess mentally he was okay because he wasn't, like, getting mad or anything. But he was just impatient. He wanted to take the ball too early and take a lot of risks, so I think he was impatient.