U.S. OPEN

August 29, 1994

MaliVai Washington

MaliVAI MASHINGTON: Yeah, I have had quite a few this year. I had a couple of in Australia, and this one. And I don't know, I feel pretty comfortable when I get -- today I was down two sets to one and I don't know, I just figure if I could get through that third set -- there were times in the match where it was kind of lulling through, both holding at love and just couldn't get any rhythm on my return when he was serving, and I was hoping if I could just get through that fourth set, you know -- I felt real good about about the fifth because, you know, lately the last few months or last couple of years, I have been playing some great five-set matches and I felt good. I'm glad I was able to pull it out today.

MaliVAI MASHINGTON: Well, when I was down two sets to one I had a pretty good idea. I thought I could -- I thought I could have won it in four. I was feeling pretty good after winning the second set and I played one loose game. I was holding real comfortably, you know, early in the third, I was holding at Love, holding Love and then just played a real loose game and let him break me. That was the set-- he just held onto the serve throughout the fourth -- throughout the third, I guess. If I could have played the kind of tennis on my serve like I did in the fifth, if I could have done that in the third set, I could have won it in four sets.

MaliVAI MASHINGTON: I don't think it will take a whole lot. Not with that match because the weather wasn't hot at all. And I don't know how long the match was, but it didn't seem extremely long. I have definitely had tougher physicallywise -- I have definitely had physically tougher matches. So I don't think it will be too tough to recoup. I will take in a lot of fluids and get some good chow, get a good dinner tonight, some good pancakes tomorrow morning, and I mean, that is about it - just the normal routine. I feel pretty good right now. I am not feeling tight or sore right now. I think I will be fine tomorrow.

MaliVAI MASHINGTON: No.

MaliVAI MASHINGTON: About four and a half sets. You know, I don't know, he was kind of serving, he had the same pattern. He was serving, you know, to the same spots a lot. But, you know, all of a sudden sometimes you think he would be going wide or something and he would just take a bullet up the middle. It is a different kind of motion and it is kind of surprising that he can come with the heat like he does. I guess it is just his real quick hand action on the serve, with a great deal of spin. You don't know where the ball is coming from. In a flick of the wrist he could be going wide or take it up the middle. You just got to go where you think it is going. I guess in the fourth I was reading it a little better. I was able to make him play a lot more returns in the fourth and the fifth.

MaliVAI MASHINGTON: I think when you get to Grand Slam tournaments the field is always wide open. I mean, you are never going to have like the top four seeds in the semifinals or something like that. I don't know if it has ever happened because so many factors go into it, injuries, long five-set matches early in the tournament, you know, the heat, I mean, whatever. I don't know what Goran's problem was today, but, you know, he might have been ailing a little bit, but you got to expect that. There are so many tough guys out there. I can't say it was a fluke Goran lost because I was watching some of the match. The guy was serving big and he was hitting some big shots. Goran might not have been on his game completely. That is the way tennis goes, and heck, it could have gone that way with me today. Few more games, I could have been out of there in four sets.

MaliVAI MASHINGTON: Yeah, I feel okay. I have had some pretty good wins this summer over some good guys, and got thumped last Friday, 0 and 3, over in Hamlet; that didn't do too much for me, but, you know, coming in I felt good. I am glad I was able to get that match under my belt tonight.

MaliVAI MASHINGTON: Heck, it's a Grand Slam and it is in New York. I mean, you couldn't -- I don't know, I mean, it is a hell of an atmosphere here. It is good and it is bad. It is great sometimes and it is terrible other times.

MaliVAI MASHINGTON: I mean, with -- it is because it is so hectic, it is great because it is almost like a ballgame, going to a ballgame, you know, I don't know, I look at this tournament and, you know, because it epitomizes New York and a ball game; you hang out; you can heckle a little bit and, you know, people all over the place running into you, and you running into people; people yelling at you and stuff. It is good and bad because you know when you get that kind of crowd on your side it is great. You know, and it can help pull you through some matches. But after a two week tournament, you know, I am ready to go home, I mean, I remember last year by the end of the tournament, I mean, heck, I was riding around in cars; I was getting car sick. I was just so tired of the stop and go traffic. After a while, if you don't live here, week, two weeks, it is time to go home.

MaliVAI MASHINGTON: Oh. I don't know. I mean, heck everyday is different. Some day my serve might be on. Today it was -- my serve was on; especially I think in the last couple of sets I don't know how many aces I had, but I think it was up there. It really pulled me through tonight. That was the difference. So we will see what is on the next day. Great.

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