	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

PILOT PEN TENNIS PRESENTED BY SCHICK

August 23, 2008

Mardy Fish

NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT

M. CILIC/M. Fish
6-4, 4-6, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Talk about Marin, what impressed you most about him tonight.
MARDY FISH: Well, he pretty much does everything real well. Doesn't have too many weaknesses. You know, you try to pick on the forehand a little bit. I think that's probably his weakest shot.
But, you know, he hit that well at times tonight. He hit it well, you know, in the third set. So it's tough to kind of pick out -- you know, if he serves big and serves good in big situations, tried to get as many returns back as I could, tried to hold serve as many times as I could to put pressure on him.

Q. Can you talk about the service game. He broke you five times.
MARDY FISH: Yeah, that's quite a lot. I think I lost serve, you know, only a couple times the whole tournament. You know, that was tough. It's, you know, tough to go down a break early in the third, and then break him right back, play a good game, then just lose serve again. I think I was up in both those games.

Q. You must have been frustrated to get back into it in the second set, get broken back.
MARDY FISH: Yeah, I would have liked to have played better. You know, this is my 11th final. I've only won twice. You know, it's starting to really sting. You know, nine times losing. I've got a lot of runner-up trophies in my office in my house. You know, these are the ones I need to get.
Certainly Djokovic is tough in the finals of Indian Wells. I mean, the guy's playing really well. You know, to get someone who's certainly got a lot of talent, a lot of upside, will be out here for a long time. But, you know, his first final, I certainly would have liked to have put a little bit more pressure on him, shown him that I was a little more well-adapted to the situation.

Q. Is it tougher because the second straight year here, two straight at the same tournament?
MARDY FISH: I don't think it helps. You know, I love this tournament. I'd love to win this tournament. You know, if I can make it to the finals twice, you know, come this close both times, I certainly feel like I can do it again.
You know, but this was a great opportunity for me tonight, you know, to get my third title. There are a lot of "what if's" to look back on. Been in a lot of finals of tournaments that I played.

Q. Do you think the first break in the initial set relaxed him a little bit, being his first finals?
MARDY FISH: Again, I would have liked to have come out, you know, with someone -- like I said, with someone who has been in the situation a lot more than he has. I didn't make one serve in that first game. That would have been nice to, you know, jump on him early like I had in all the previous matches here.
For whatever reason, I wasn't too tight. I mean, I played here last year in the final against James. I've played in plenty of big finals. I mean, I wasn't extra nervous or anything like that. I would have liked to have gotten off to a better start, for sure.

Q. What do you take from this week moving forward to New York?
MARDY FISH: Well, any time you win four matches in a row on tour, you know, you got to be doing something right. Our match yesterday with Verdasco, I mean, he's had a great year. Someone who is top 15 in the world is certainly a good win. I played some lefties this week that I usually don't normally play particularly tough against. I have some trouble with their serves. I beat all three of them.
You know, so I take that away. I play a lefty in the first round of the US Open. You know, I'll take the confidence away from that. I'll take confidence, like I said, of beating a top 15 player, making the finals of a tournament. I'll try to forget about, you know, the sting of losing again in the finals - again here, and again for my ninth time.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297