TELECOM MASTERS ITALIA

May 5, 2005

Fernando Verdasco

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: I don't know, but when I serve the second serve, I know that the ball was not in the line, no? I go, I see Andy, and he watch me, and he say, "Okay, good." Because the ball was half out, half in the line.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Yeah, is normal that nobody in this moment thinking about like I can turn back in the match and then finally win, no? Is so strange, these matches.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: After this serve, I say to me, "Now I will win the match."

FERNANDO VERDASCO: No, no, no, no. In this serve?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: No, no, no. Because when I serve, I know that the ball was good. I never think about like I lost the match.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: I think is a normal attitude in one tennis player with fair play, no, if the ball is in and is clear. If the ball is only touching maybe one millimeter, okay, but the ball was half and half. It was so clear. Then if the situation was the other way around, I do it the same like Andy do it today for sure. Because with Love-40, I think Andy doesn't think about like he can lost the match finally.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: I don't know. I don't speak with nobody. I only know like I was inside the court in the match and I know like I save Love-40 and then I break his serve. And it was so good for me because after these two games I start to play so much better. And then in the tiebreak I play so, so good, my best tennis, I think. And then after, in the third set, I start serve hard and I make the break. After, the second break. When I have 5-2 on serve then, I think I don't play so good the points, and then I have another chance, no, with 5-4. Then I know that this game was the big game. And if I win this game, then I go. But if I lose, maybe the match is another time even. And I do everything I can in this game, and finally I win and I am very happy.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: In this point, with the second serve?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: I don't know. I hope so (laughing). I don't know. Because maybe another player don't think the same like Andy, or the other player think can maybe finally lost the match for this point. I don't know, no. But I know like if I was in his situation, I would have done the same. I don't know the other players.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: No, because when I serve, then the ball was in the line exactly, no. And then I see the ball exactly, the line was clean a little bit. And then I go to the net because that was the last point, no, and I need to go to see the mark. I don't be stay in the baseline to -- because if the ball was out and I was confused, then is I lost, and then I need to go. I need to go to the net to see the ball. And if it's good, like I was thinking, okay. But if it's bad, then I take my bags and I go to the locker room.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: No.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: If they say like the ball was...

FERNANDO VERDASCO: You think so (smiling)?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: I think like my forehand was my -- is my best shot. But maybe in some points I have better backhand because I say to me like I need to go to the ball and then hit the ball and, I don't know, maybe it's in, maybe it's out, but there was important points and then I have confidence, too, in my backhand. But in the important points, the first things I want to do is hit all I can do with my forehand because I have more confidence, and then I missed a few balls only. And with the backhand, sometimes I miss so much balls with that than the forehand.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Peppo Clavet (phonetic spelling). Is the brother of Francisco Clavet.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Yeah, I change two weeks ago in Barcelona, after Barcelona.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Why? Because he is from Madrid, I am from Madrid. I was all my life in Madrid. My family is from there. And the last four months I was in Barcelona practicing in one group with Albert Costa, Feliciano Lopez, and their coaches Francisco Roig and Jordi Vilaro. There, you know, I don't know the people. It was so new for me. I was so time alone, you know? I don't like it so much. And then after four months, I see like I need to come back to Madrid. I start like knowing one group, like only with one coach for me only.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: I don't think so. I don't think so, because the ball was good. If Andy say like the ball is bad, then I say to umpire to come back, to come down and check it. And the ball was good. The same like Andy is good or not. Because after, finally, the ball was good for sure.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Yeah, I think everybody knows Coria. He is very tough player in the baseline. He runs so much. He's very quickly. You need to make the points one or two times more like with another players, no? He's similar like Rafael Nadal in these moments. Maybe Nadal is now hitting the ball with a little more power like Coria, but everybody knows like Coria is very, very tough player and then you need to play your best tennis to win in clay court, no. I don't know, I don't know exactly how to explain about Coria, but I think like everybody knows.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: No, I only say the normal things, like it was a normal game. No, I don't say nothing different because this ball or something. I say the same, "good play," or he tell me like "good luck" and everything, like all the matches, the same.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Oh, okay, now I think -- because the last year I was 32, my best ranking. In this last month I lost a few points because I won the last year Valencia and this year I lost in quarterfinals. The last year I do a final in Acapulco, too, and then is 175 points, too. And then I lost like 300 points in this month, or this month and a half. And then first I want to come back to this ranking, like 30, and after I want to finish the year like in the 20, no - now. But maybe, I don't know, maybe the year is going better or no, and then I will see after tournaments and after weeks. But now I want to finish the year Top 20.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: I expect like play my best tennis. And then if I play my best tennis, I think I can go to the final rounds of Roland Garros. I don't know - maybe - you know, but maybe quarters, maybe the semis, I don't know. But I know like if I play good and I stay physically and mentally and everything good, I want to go to the finals rounds because Roland Garros is a very special tournament for me.