U.S. OPEN

September 4, 1994

Michael Stich

MICHAEL STICH: Yes, I am, very happy, again. I played pretty good, too, except the first set, I struggled a little bit, but the conditions weren't easy. The wind was pretty strong and if there's one thing I don't like is playing in the wind. I had to get used to that. I served pretty well I was moving well, I think everything was very good.

MICHAEL STICH: For me it is more the serve, because you tend to throw the ball a little lower than you normally do because you think it might get caught by the wind up there, and that's when your service action is not as good as it should be and you miss more first serves, and from the baseline you're not going for as much as you normally do. You just try to play the ball in safe, come to the net-- but for me, the toughest part is the serve.

MICHAEL STICH: I can't do that anyway. If I toss it to the wrong spot, I still have to go for it. I never did, I never let it bounce or put it up again, most of the time I toss pretty well.

MICHAEL STICH: No, I just feel if the ball is up in the air, I feel like I have to hit it.

MICHAEL STICH: I was very happy. I mean, as I said especially today, this match for me was very important because I hate playing in the wind. I always struggle when I have those kinds of conditions and Byron is a solid player. He's very good in doubles, so it means he can play some good tennis, and I just stayed, tried to concentrate on my game. I was down, he was serving for the set and I just had my chance and got a little lucky on that breakpoint. But for me, that was probably the biggest win just by the way I played and the way the conditions were today compared to the other two matches.

MICHAEL STICH: Feels great.

MICHAEL STICH: No, I just played the tennis I'm capable of playing and again, due to the conditions, that's the way you have to play, I need to chip and charge, come in as much as you can and volley as much as you can. I did that, I found a good rhythm, good position to the ball and I was moving well and it was one of those days where you move well. I've done that the last two matches as well, so I'm hitting the ball pretty well.

MICHAEL STICH: Wimbledon last year. It is not that long ago, guys. You make it sound like it's ten years ago, please. I've been seven years on the tour, so it can't be that bad.

MICHAEL STICH: Now the real tough matches are coming up and you just have to -- I go out there and try to think every match I'm playing is like the finals here. So you really have to give it 100 percent, 110 percent, give it the best effort you can and that's how you have -- how I have to approach every match in this tournament here, and it worked very good so far and, you know, the other rounds are not getting easier. They're getting tougher and tougher.

MICHAEL STICH: I think it is little bit more exciting. You're coming to the quarters or semis or finals, whatever, and normally if everybody is playing his best tennis, you get to see great tennis matches. It happened like this over the past years and that's what's very interesting, but I would rather like to win every match in three sets and become the U.S. Open champ rather than having to fight it out. Especially when you win, it's more fun anyway. Stefan had a year where, I think, he won four five-set matches in a row. That's the best feeling you can have winning a Grand Slam. But if you lose that quarterfinals 7-6 in the fifth, that's not such a great feeling.

MICHAEL STICH: I don't think like I'm in the second week now, I just think I'm in the round of 16. There are a couple of more matches to play if I want to win this tournament and the next one is going to be the tough one and that's what I'm looking at. I don't think too much about the next matches that might come up or what the draw might look like, whatever. I can't change it anyway. I just have to play as good as I can and try to win my match.

MICHAEL STICH: You have to ask my opponents, but I think being number four or number two for six months and always being in the top five, that gives you the respect by the other players. That means you're playing pretty good tennis and I did that except for the Grand Slams, but anyway, it is a different story. He dropped to number 30, he wasn't playing well, he was injured for a long time and for him, I'm sure it's much more important than me. But I want to as well as I can and I think to do well is very important to everybody playing in this tournament.

MICHAEL STICH: Five, six times.

MICHAEL STICH: He beat me every time so -- no, he's a great player. He can play on every surface, he's very -- he's a smart player, he's good, he's moving very relaxed, the good thing with him is -- he doesn't think about it too much, he just wants to go out there and enjoy and just play tennis. There's going to come a time when he starts thinking about his game and the pressure and everything, but right now he's playing great tennis and for sure -- I think he's going to be top ten at the end of the year. He might even goes to the Masters and make the ATP finals, but he's a very good player right now.

MICHAEL STICH: To lose in the next round -- no, I'm just in the fourth round now, that's great, but as I said, there are couple more matches to come and I'm just looking forward to the next match. If I want to win, I have to do really well.

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