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WIMBLEDON

June 25, 2007

Justin Gimelstob

LONDON, ENGLAND

Q. Well, what did you think of the first match?
JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: Well, first match and my last match. That's the more disappointing thing. I mean, I just -- you know, obviously I got off to a slow start. It's kind of a weird situation where I didn't really expect to be playing as quickly as I did, and the conditions on the court were a little different, a little slippery. No excuses, I got off to a bad start.
There's a lot of margin are for error when you're playing someone like that because he's holding serve so easily. So that's a little disappointing. Great player. I have a ton of respect for Andy, personally and professionally, so I hope he goes on and wins the tournament.

Q. What about those swings of emotion in that game that went I think 10 deuces? I could be wrong about the count, but your feelings throughout and ultimate feelings?
JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: My feelings throughout were great, oh, no, great, oh, no. I mean, I think I did a good job hanging in and make him keep holding serve, and he did it, and that's why he's one of the best servers in the world. I did a good job hanging in that game and holding serve.
So I'm proud of that. But the overall sentiment is just -- you know, it's such an incredible feeling playing here. I mean, it's a cliché, but it's so amazing out there, and I couldn't help but think a little bit towards the end of the match that this most likely is my last time I'll ever be on the court playing singles here, and it's just -- that part is touch. I spoke to my coach, and I don't know how many times I've played here, maybe nine, ten, 11 times. It's like when you're -- how many people get to do that?
So it's a great experience, but you know, it's like human nature to always want a little bit more. You want to play better, you want to do better, you want to get more opportunity. It is what it is. I do the best I can, and you have to find peace in that.

Q. Does it seem incredible to you that a guy can hit that big and get 74 percent of his first serves in?
JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: We just had a bet. I was talking to him, and we bet on his first serve percentage.

Q. It was 74.
JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: He's got such great margin, uses his legs so well. Yeah, I mean, it's incredible, but he's got such great margin and such a consistently repeatable thing, the technique is flawless, and so if anyone can do it, he can do it.

Q. Who won the bet?
JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: The bet? I think -- we had a few bets. First of all, the reason we were smiling at the beginning is we had set up that my second volley he was going to try and pass me a shot and I was going to drive in the warmup as a joke. But as far as we were laughing because when you try to do it -- we couldn't get it. Then the dive was -- like an over-under on how many dives there would be, and I think it was eight, and I think I went under. So that's why at one point I kind of had a quasi-bluff dive and I turned up -- because I know his brother went over, so I was trying to help him out on that one (laughter).
But they're good guys. I've known John since I was young. We used to play doubles together and do juniors. I've been able to hang out with Connors, which is an incredible experience after looking up to him when I was younger.
Obviously there were a lot of other guys I would have preferred to play, but you take what you're given. I would have liked to have done a few things a little bit better, but I hope Andy wins the tournament, Andy or James.

Q. Where do you think his game is at this point?
JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: Well, he puts a lot of pressure on you by the fact that he serves so great. When he got his hand on the returns he returned it pretty well. He's got room for improvement, but I think -- first day matches are tough, tough conditions out there. I'm not going to spend a lot of time worrying about his future in tennis. I think he'll be able to pay his bills.

Q. Many consider you the foremost diver in today's game.
JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: I agree.

Q. Can you first of all talk whether you're more from the Boris Becker school of diving or the Pat Rafter, and of course what is the key --
JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: Rafter would never dive. His balance was too good to dive. Show me a highlight of Patrick Rafter leaving his feet diving, and -- it didn't happen, very rarely, maybe a handful of times in his career, I'll bet, if any. I dive most of the time because I'm slow and I have poor balance (laughter), and that's one of the best timing I have is on my dive. Half joking, but serious, as well.

Q. So when we see you diving, that's kind of a bad sign?
JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: No. I mean, that's shows -- look, I'm going to do everything I can to win the point and get there, and I had an unbelievable dive to save the match at 4-All, whatever it was, 5-All, 4-All.

Q. 4-All.
JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: So I saved a lot of points like that, but -- it is what it is. It's kind of a symbol of how hard I try and want to work and win the points, but you know, there are other ways -- there's more than one way to skin a cat, I guess.

Q. He hit a pretty good running backhand shot cross court near the end of the match. You haven't played him in quite some time, since Washington. What improvements have you seen in his backhand over the years?
JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: I think his backhand has improved, it's more solid, just his understanding of his game. And he didn't do it as much today, but I know that he's more capable of serving and volleying. He's become a little bit more capable at the net and that kind of stuff.

Q. Did that running backhand pass surprise you?
JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: Yeah, I think his backhand pass is better.

Q. Did it surprise you?
JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: It didn't surprise me because I practice with him all the time. I think he's more than capable of improving -- of improving a lot of shots and getting better, so I wasn't surprised. I think he's more than capable of most shots.

Q. What shots do you think he could work on the most?
JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: Him?

Q. Yes.
JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: Well, we could all get better. Like I said, I think he's going to keep -- if you guys read my column, sportsillustrated.com, which you should be reading religiously, I always say that the more pressure he puts on opponents moving forward, taking the ball early and bridging the gap between the baseline and the net, is the more pressure he'll put on guys. I think that will be a big factor.

Q. Do you think he can go all the way here?
JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: Do I think he can? Sure. Like I said, I hope him and James are on opposite sides of the draw. I hope either one of them wins the tournament.

Q. You made sort of a passing reference to who knows if I'll be out there again. Can you expand on that a little? Are you thinking about quitting?
JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: Quitting is a tough word. I don't like to use that word.

Q. Retiring?
JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: Yeah, I mean, my back is an everyday process. I kind of made a deal with the devil hoping to get through one more year. After the US Open last year it was very possible that my career was over. I had back surgery; the doctors were more hopeful that I would be able to live a productive, physical life. That was the priority because if I can't work out and be active, it's going to be rough on me and the people around me. You know, that was the goal.
I kind of hoped and did everything I could to try to get a few more experiences and memories out of my tennis career, but I have to be realistic and I have to be cautious of what is important in life, not just my tennis career.

Q. Given that those are some thoughts in your mind, when you were out there today, is that --
JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: I didn't think about it until maybe midway through the third set, and yeah -- maybe cognizant of just trying to enjoy the experience a little bit more. But it's tough because like you said, the margin is so slim. You have to really be on in order to be able to compete with someone like that. I know there are a lot of players on grass I could beat, so it's just a little -- I'm cognizant of it.

Q. What will be your greatest memory here?
JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: My greatest memory?

Q. Perhaps beating on your chest?
JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: Yeah, that was exciting. Just you know, I've had some nice memories. I beat Kuerten here after he won the French. That was exciting because that was my first real experience as a pro, you know, playing on Centre Court; playing Sampras in the third round, I won the first set; playing Hewitt on Centre Court. I mean, all these experiences, they're all that same level of like high, you know, like that thing that you just can't put a price tag on, and you just make -- when I can't walk for weeks after my surgery, that makes you want to just give yourself a chance to find that feeling again.

Q. When did you have the surgery, and when did you pick up a racquet and was there a question in hitting a shot the first time?
JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: I had my surgery -- my back has always been bad. It really went out badly at the US Open. I had surgery a couple days, immediately. It was an emergency that I had to have it because I was losing the use of my right leg because I had severe nerve damage in my leg. You know, it wasn't so much -- I was able to hit balls, it was more just my leg and the nerve damage and seeing how long --

Q. Was it sciatic where it ran down --
JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: Actually my disk herniated and broke off and was cutting the nerve that controls my right leg, and I don't have a ton of margin to lose strength in my legs. So it was a big loss.

Q. Were you at all conscious of Connors' presence today as a coach, or did that enter into --
JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: I was playing so badly in the beginning, I was thinking, geez, this is -- I may end up just playing horrible in front of someone I just used to idolize. But that went away quickly. You really engross yourself in the match, and that's what I tried to do, and settled down. You're cognizant of it, but like I said, it's just having Jimmy around is just a great experience, whether it's in the locker room or whatever, and he's been very respectful and cordial and nice and had nice words to say to me during the week, and after the match I just have a lot of regard for the people in that camp.

Q. The last couple of years you were in San Jose and you talked about struggling and playing on sideways courts in Asia and things like that. When you were in college you were predicted as one of the coming greats. Are you disappointed in your career? You had so many injuries, I know, but do you look back and say what I could have been or can you look back and say I enjoyed my career?
JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: Well, it's tough to enjoy it while you're in it. It wasn't the most relaxing, enjoyable thing. But I enjoyed the work, I enjoyed trying to get better. I don't look at my career as a failure by any means. I thought that my expectations by other people were too high when I first turned pro. They were really kind of reaching there. You always have regrets, wish you did things differently. You have the benefit of hindsight.
I know that I did the best I could with what I had at the time. I wish I could have done things somewhat differently, with you definitely not going to blame it on injuries. It's just part of the deal. You have regrets, but I did -- like I said, I found peace in the fact that I did the best I could.

Q. If you could change one thing in your career, what would that be?
JUSTIN GIMELSTOB: If I could change one thing? I think maybe I would have really benefitted if I found somebody understanding a little bit more of the calming effects and a little bit more of an intellect over emotion a little earlier in my career, I think that would have really benefitted me.

End of FastScripts

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