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U.S. OPEN

September 4, 2007

Ernests Gulbis

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Tell us all about yourself and Latvian tennis.
ERNESTS GULBIS: Latvian tennis, there's not that much to say about. Yeah, now it's getting a little bit more popular because now they were showing this match.
I'm the first guy who is top hundred from Latvia. The previous ones were like 300, nothing better.
Now, yeah, it's getting more popular so it's nice.

Q. Are you from Riga?
ERNESTS GULBIS: Yeah.

Q. Where do you train?
ERNESTS GULBIS: In Munich. Niki Pilic Tennis Academy. I went there when I was 12 first time. Since then, since I was 16 I'm travelling with Niki together, Niki Pilic, to tournaments.

Q. Very difficult to deal with Carlos' serve today?
ERNESTS GULBIS: Yeah, well, it was the first time I played on center court. It was actually I think really windy so I couldn't get no timing at all. First two sets I was struggling with every shot, except my serve. I was serving good.
Forehand, backhand, I didn't feel confident at all. I played against Robredo and like I played today, it was completely different things.
But I'm still satisfied. I mean, I made it to last 16. I hope I'll play better next year.

Q. You come to New York not having won very many matches this year. How do you explain this?
ERNESTS GULBIS: Yeah, well, I was playing good indoors in some challengers. I won some challengers this year, the beginning of this year. Then I went on clay.
It was tough for me to go from indoors to outdoors on clay. There I was struggling a little bit. I was losing many first rounds.
But here I came to America. At first I played Montréal, Cincinnati, New Haven. Like every tournament I played better and better. I was feeling better. I was practicing good. Preparation was good. Physical especially, conditioning trainings.
Yeah, so now it shows that I play. Every tournament was better.

Q. What are the most positive things that you can take out of your stretch here?
ERNESTS GULBIS: For sure I got much more confidence now after this tournament. Before I never beat a guy who's top 10 before. I mean, I beat Robredo, he's 8.
Okay, Moya is a little bit lower than him, but he's former first in the world. You know, I had no pressure here. I was going out and trying to play my best tennis.
And, of course, now I got a lot of points. I hope I'll be in main draw in most ATP tournaments, so I'm going to play them.

Q. New York City is a place where you can meet just about anybody of any nationality, get any kind of cuisine. Have you had Latvians come up to you on the tournament grounds and introduce themselves?
ERNESTS GULBIS: Yeah, yeah. We had some fans here. Well, I met -- actually, I met just two of them. I remember one guy, he was really active, and one lady. She came to me after my Robredo match.
I mean, I haven't seen so many Latvians here. I know in Latvia, it's really like -- I don't know if it's a tennis boom or something, but they are really excited.

Q. It's a good feeling?
ERNESTS GULBIS: Yes.

Q. After beating Robredo you said that your forehand was your confidence shot, that determines how you play. Today...
ERNESTS GULBIS: Today was opposite (smiling). Today it was my worst shot.
Yeah, but like I said, I couldn't adjust the wind so much. He did it much better. He was putting first two sets much more balls over. I made -- most of the mistakes I made. But it's okay.

Q. How did you get started?
ERNESTS GULBIS: I got started playing tennis?

Q. Yes.
ERNESTS GULBIS: Well, I was four or five years old. I started playing tennis with my grandmother. I mean, I was really active, small guy. I was with a ball all the time, football or basketball.
And my grandfather was a really good basketball player. He was in starting five in Soviet Union team. My father was also playing basketball, but he stopped because of injuries.
Yeah, but I was more like an individual guy. You know, I wasn't a team player I think. So I went to my first coach in Latvia. I was I think six, something like that. Since then I had three coaches in Latvia.
I went couple times in Spain to the academy to practice there a little bit, but mostly from 12 years old I was in Munich.

Q. How many languages do you speak?
ERNESTS GULBIS: Three: Latvian, Russian, English. A little bit German. I understand a little bit.

Q. Did you make any predictions before this match the way you did before the last one to Niki?
ERNESTS GULBIS: No. I mean, after the Robredo match I was feeling really good. I was hitting the ball good. Also yesterday in practice I was playing really good. But today was, yeah, a little bit more windy and I just couldn't adjust so fast.
So that was my biggest mistake. I was trying to hit ball like it's no wind, the same like two days ago. So that was pretty stupid.

Q. How many players are there in Latvia?
ERNESTS GULBIS: We just have one more guy. He's two years older than me playing quallies here, Andis Juska. We have a few more guys in the top thousand. I think two guys we have only in top thousand.
Professional tennis, that's it.

Q. I mean in the country itself. Do you have any idea?
ERNESTS GULBIS: I have no idea.

Q. Or how many courts there are?
ERNESTS GULBIS: I really have no idea. We have -- I mean, I don't know how many clubs. I have practiced in like five different clubs in Latvia, in Riga. But now they're building more and more. It's getting more popular, tennis, especially like not professional tennis players, but more the amateur tennis players, really a lot.

Q. How closely watched are your achievements back home?
ERNESTS GULBIS: Yeah, like they watched both of my matches against Robredo and against Moya. They showed on Eurosport in Latvia, and one Russian channel. I don't know how many people much watching. I just know that my friends watch, my family watched. That's it.
Yeah, I saw on Internet some news. There were a lot of commentaries. Yeah, I hope tennis will get more popular so younger kids can play tennis in Latvia.

Q. Is there a Latvian Davis Cup team?
ERNESTS GULBIS: Yeah, we play -- actually, I go now. Probably go back to Latvia now to practice a little bit. We have on 20 September against Monaco we play. We are now in second division. We're going to play to go up. This match is a deciding one.
We won already Hungary and Finland, now against Monaco.

Q. If you play a Davis Cup match in Latvia, is there a big enough stadium to play the matches?
ERNESTS GULBIS: Tennis stadium, no. They were thinking actually to play maybe in match in some like bigger arena.

Q. Basketball arena?
ERNESTS GULBIS: Yeah. They would put a court there so it would be a bigger one. But now we have just indoor tennis hall. I think there are maybe a couple thousand people. Still okay for Latvia. I think it's a lot.

Q. Are the courts hard courts?
ERNESTS GULBIS: No, carpet, fast carpet.

Q. How about outdoors?
ERNESTS GULBIS: Outdoors mostly clay.

Q. You grew up on clay?
ERNESTS GULBIS: I grew up on clay and indoor carpet.

Q. You committed 48 winners, but also 64 unforced errors. Do you always play so aggressively? It's your style?
ERNESTS GULBIS: Yeah, that's my style of the game. But like, okay, 66 unforced errors, it's --

Q. 64.
ERNESTS GULBIS: It's too much anyway. Too much. Normally I have -- if I play a normal game, I'm trying that my winners are more than unforced errors. Still, of course, I would have more unforced errors than some Spanish guys who are hitting the ball more in court, especially on clay.
But that's my style of game. Today was a little bit too much.

End of FastScripts

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