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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 15, 2007

Wayne Arthurs

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. For someone that wasn't feeling too good last night, that was a remarkable comeback.
WAYNE ARTHURS: Yeah, I don't know how I did it, actually. I think the crowd got me through. A bit of Red Bull before I played got me through. Yeah, because I hadn't eaten for probably a day and a half, and I was pretty ill on Saturday. I was vomiting pretty much all day Saturday.
So, yeah, to get through that, I don't know how I've done it, and I think the crowd had a big hand in it.

Q. Do you mind being called Wayne-0?
WAYNE ARTHURS: It's pretty much stuck the last five or six years, so I'll go with it.

Q. Have you formally announced this is your last year?
WAYNE ARTHURS: I haven't formally announced it.

Q. Or your last Australian Open?
WAYNE ARTHURS: This will be my last Australian Open.

Q. Did you think it was the last?
WAYNE ARTHURS: Well, two sets to Love down, I thought the first half, This is not good. And just had to dig deep and really just fighting my ass off today to try to get another game out here, and luckily that paid off.

Q. Was that in your mind sort of during the match, I don't want to go out this way?
WAYNE ARTHURS: A little bit, yeah, when you know you're going to retire, you always want to sort of perform at your best. And to probably go out in straight sets, which I looked like I was going to do, I wouldn't have been a nice way to go out.
But the crowd just -- I think they just kept on getting behind me, which is nice. They didn't sort of have any lull sessions. Anytime I was sort of down, they tried and picked me up, and I thank them for getting me over the line today.

Q. Was there a point you feel it turned?
WAYNE ARTHURS: I don't think it ever really turned. When I hit the forehand up the line probably to win the third set was a big turning point. Then he fell away in the second set. I got on him early. And then I struggled again. And I lost it. I was down a break early in the fifth set, and I thought, Here we go. It's a long way to come back and not win after all that effort. I just didn't want to lose.

Q. Did you practice before the match at all?
WAYNE ARTHURS: I practiced probably 25 minutes with a mate yesterday. Just all I could do yesterday. Leading up there was no problem. And then my wife and little kid got it probably three and a half days ago, and I thought I was clear. I was two days into it, and I had no problem. Then Saturday morning, ooh, the trouble started. Yeah, it was unfortunate, but I got through this match.

Q. When did you last have a meal?
WAYNE ARTHURS: I just had a little sandwich now, which was probably my first meal since I had breakfast yesterday morning.

Q. You've had better wins with higher-ranked opponents, but in terms of courageous wins, is this as good as you've had?
WAYNE ARTHURS: I've had a couple of those ones here. I had one when I tore my calf really badly about three years ago, I think, out on Vodafone. I came back from three sets to Love, too.
This one today, I thought I was really going to be down. I didn't know how I was going to pull up today. Luckily in the end I felt all right by the end. I'm pretty tired now, but hopefully a good meal will set me straight.

Q. And a day of just some treatment or sort of recovery tomorrow?
WAYNE ARTHURS: Yeah, go to the message bench after this, and probably again tomorrow, a little light hit, asked for a late start on Wednesday.

Q. What do you know about your next opponent?
WAYNE ARTHURS: Not a great deal. I've seen him around in the States a little bit, and as a college player. Pretty big serve, hits the ball hard from both sides. Obviously had a good win today against Calleri, very good win. And three wins in quallies is always helpful for him.
Going to be interesting to see how I pull up for the next day and a half, and hopefully the crowd can get me going again on Wednesday.

Q. You're living here now, aren't you?
WAYNE ARTHURS: I live here, in Toorak.

Q. You said it would definitely be your last Australian Open. Does that mean you'll retire at some point in the year, you just don't know when?
WAYNE ARTHURS: Yes.

Q. Does had a mean doubles, too?
WAYNE ARTHURS: Yes, completely finished.

Q. Certainly a chance to play Kooyong.
WAYNE ARTHURS: There you go. Now you're thinking. A or B team?

Q. And Davis Cup, when we spoke last you said you hadn't decided whether you'd be decided for the first round tie.
WAYNE ARTHURS: I haven't made that decision yet, no.

End of FastScripts

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