PILOT PEN INTERNATIONAL

August 14, 1996

Andrei Cherkasov

ANDREI CHESNOKOV: I'm leading 6-Love, 6-Love, I'm going to take melatonin because I knew I need, you know, two hours minimum.

ANDREI CHESNOKOV: With Medvedev?

ANDREI CHESNOKOV: He's a nice guy. There are a lot of jokes about life. I don't know, some Russian jokes. I don't know, but I just want to say he's a nice guy. I always like to talk to him.

ANDREI CHESNOKOV: Once at Stockholm, I won 6-2, 2-6, 7-5. This is second meeting. I think the first time when I played against Medvedev, I saved one match point, but it was on my serve at 5-4 in the third.

ANDREI CHESNOKOV: Who, Medvedev?

ANDREI CHESNOKOV: He was to hit the ball hard, but I think for himself, need to do something else, something else. You know, he hit the ball quite hard, he hit the ball very hard. It's enough, I think. Maybe, I don't know, his leg's not good enough. I don't know. Maybe his head is not good enough also, but I don't know. I'm not the coach. I cannot say exactly what happens. But I want to say he wants to come back very much, and that's why he thinks making him a little bit nervous.

ANDREI CHESNOKOV: I said if I'm going to lose tomorrow 6-1, 6-Love or 6-1, 6-1, right after the court I'm going to take a melatonin because I need to give energy more than I'm going to do, let's say, yesterday, half hour on the court, not enough. I think if you take a look my age, 30s, my body is not the 30s -- not the 30 years old like, you know, other player. If you take a look some other players, you know, at the age, I don't know, 20 or 25, you can say okay, but he's age 25, but he looks like 35.

ANDREI CHESNOKOV: Body style. Muscles dry, body is dry. I am not fat, most important thing, and still quite fast.

ANDREI CHESNOKOV: Melatonin. When I get here, about 20 days ago, I start run every day in the morning, something, half an hour. During the day maybe 10, 15 minutes. I think it gives me a lot of physical condition.

ANDREI CHESNOKOV: You know, his body is a little bit heavy, but he hit the ball hard, you know. He can hit the ball only once and you cannot get it. But if you quick and if you have a good legs, of course you can get every ball, you try to get everything back. For himself, I think he needs to not only hit the ball hard, but, I don't know, maybe to do something else. Because today he has not enough patience. Of course, he hit the ball hard. You know sometimes, I play the ball deep, what reason to hit the ball hard? Sometimes he have to be more patient, to wait a little bit. I think today he played not bad, not bad. I think I played good tennis today.

ANDREI CHESNOKOV: 1992, in 1992 he won Stuttgart, or '91, at the age of 18. He played so well.

ANDREI CHESNOKOV: Never miss, yeah. I can compare something. At the age 18, he didn't think about the results, he just played, he just played the game. You know, when you going to be on the top like Medvedev, he become the No. 4 player one year in the world, of course he wants to keep himself, you know, on the top. But you have to choose: I have to keep something in the top ten or I have to play. I think he had to think about, you know, not to be in the top, but to just to play ball. That's the most important things. I think everything is coming from here, you know.

ANDREI CHESNOKOV: Because today is the level of all the players, compare with the level of these players something years ago. Today if the top player were going to lose the first round to the player something ranking 100, 110, I don't see big surprise, you know. If you take a look behind something, 20 years ago, player like, top player, like Newcombe, they're going to lose first round, I don't know. Today is different story than 20 years ago. Everybody practice a lot like, try to practice four, five hours every day. They go walking out not only on the court, but in the gym, I don't know, do everything. I have to follow this, too. I don't want to practice five hours a day, but I have to (laughter).

ANDREI CHESNOKOV: Coach, you better ask. She want me practice like the others something, four, five hours, but it's quite a lot for me. Myself, I would like to do, you know. I would like to practice four or five or six hours, but I don't want it.

ANDREI CHESNOKOV: When I get here 20 days ago, I especially concentrate myself on my serve. Every day I working, working, working. Take a look today, I didn't do -- my serve was okay, let's say okay, but not great. I will continue to work on my serve, even the age of 30 or 35.

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