U.S. OPEN

September 3, 1995

Michael Stich

MICHAEL STICH: No. No, I think he played pretty poorly today, and I played consistent. I think there's not much to say about a match like this.

MICHAEL STICH: Yeah, it's difficult. I've had strange matches so far. I mean I had a very easy set first round, very strange second round and very easy third round, so I haven't been tested yet to the limit of my game to play, you know, that I really had to play well to win my matches and that is a little bit difficult to get that rhythm. Like today, I just had put the ball in play to win points. So that means you don't go for your shots so much, you don't risk so much, you don't find your rhythm to play that aggressive, so that's something I'm missing, but I'll step on the practice court and try to get it there when I can't get it in the match. But I'm in the second week, that's very good so far. I'm in the round of 16, and I'm happy with that.

MICHAEL STICH: The first time I played well here was in '91 when I left to Ivan in the center court and after that I hadn't done too much good here, but it took me five years to get used to the way people deal with tennis at the U.S. Open. And now it doesn't bother me any more. Now I feel comfortable. It's not an excuse for me if I lose to say it's circumstances at the tournament as it was five years ago. Now it would be my game or the other guy's game, but it wouldn't be sun, people, humidity, crowd, whatever, it would be just myself.

MICHAEL STICH: As I said, after my first match for sure it's not just between Pete and Andre. I think Boris is playing really well; he looks real sharp out there. I count myself and I think Todd Martin is very dangerous if Pete has to play him in the round of 16 it's going to be a very difficult match. And there's still a guy like Jonas Bjorkman who did really well here last year, played great, and I think those guy all, you know, know what they can do now. I mean, they did it once or twice in the Slam and now they believe in themselves, so that's really dangerous for the top players to underestimate them,. But I think it's Pete, Andre, Boris, Todd Martin, myself; who else is in there? Michael Chang, obviously. So all the seeds, I mean, even Thomas Muster, even he's playing well, and no one expects him to do well at all. So, it's good for all of us that everyone is concentrating on Pete and Andre so we can go quietly and just do our job.

MICHAEL STICH: I think Germany and America is a little bit different regarding that. In Germany people take their seat, wait for the changeover, then they go, they come back, it's a little bit more organized and here it's -- you know, you come when you want to and you go when you want to; what is actually not bad, it's just a different way. If you're not used to it, you have to adjust to it. I think here it is more like a happening. I mean, I've been at a baseball game and a basketball game, it's not just a sport, it's an adventure. I mean, you go out there to have a great day and spend a day with your kids and your family and friends, you know, just having fun, not just watching matches but all around. I think it's good, it really is enjoyable.

MICHAEL STICH: I think last year playing the summer season helped me when they tried those strange things with the music and everything, what I thought it was too much, and I still do believe it's too much. I think they found a way to, you know, a middle way to do it in the right way, and that was so extreme that I probably -- it was much easier for me to go with the middle way because I thought gee, thank you very much, it's not that bad after all. And I think that's what helped me last year a little bit. It's just when you're playing well nothing distracts you, when you're playing badly, you always find some reasons.

MICHAEL STICH: Yeah. You know, I think last year I had my chance, I didn't take it and probably in my career looking at all the -- let's say young guys coming up, I'm not going to get too many more chances to do that really well. And, you know, I have to take every chance I can get and that's why I'm really, you know, working very hard on every match I play because if I get the chance again I want to take it and not let it slip like I did last year.

MICHAEL STICH: Yeah, it was just like I played one good set, I played second terrible set, I played a regular third set I played second fourth set, it was just, you know, no rhythm, no -- it wasn't just great tennis from my side, and I wasn't happy with the way I played, but I was happy that I pulled it out and I was still in there. It seems like those guys I'm playing they -- I don't know, if they're a afraid of me or scared. But the good thing is they make more mistakes than I do and if it stays like that I'm happy.

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