WIMBLEDON

July 1, 2000

Alexander Popp

MODERATOR: Good afternoon. Alexander Popp. First question, please.

ALEXANDER POPP: Yes, I am. This is probably the nicest day of my life up to now.

ALEXANDER POPP: The secret was I think I stayed relaxed most of the time. I didn't tighten up really. I just tried to play my match, didn't try to do something special because I played one of the best players of the world. I think that's very important. If you start trying to play better, you think you have to do something special, then usually you play worse.

ALEXANDER POPP: After the second set, I thought I had a good chance because he seemed to be a little bit injured, whatever. I don't know. I can't tell. I knew I had a good chance after that because it would be difficult for him to come back and win three straight sets.

ALEXANDER POPP: I hope so.

ALEXANDER POPP: Well, you know, it's a very difficult thing for me. Maybe some of the people think I'm trying to get into British tennis or anything. I'm not really doing that. I mean, I've had my British passport - well, I can't really remember - before I started playing tennis. This is a whole new situation for me. Born in Germany, I live there, but I've got two passports. Well, that's about it up to now.

ALEXANDER POPP: Well, I've been talking about that with my coach. He said actually we didn't really think about playing Davis Cup at all - doesn't matter for which country - the next 12 months. I've had a couple of good matches now. I haven't really played against any of the great players yet. I want to prove that I'm good enough to play and beat the great guys before I really go into playing for a country. That's, well, something special.

ALEXANDER POPP: Well, I'm not doing that now, no.

ALEXANDER POPP: Obviously, because I've been playing well. If I would have lost first round, probably nobody would talk about it now.

ALEXANDER POPP: In this match?

ALEXANDER POPP: I was concentrating so much on the way I had to play, I can't really tell what he did wrong. I think he had some kind of problem with his leg because he took the injury time-out in the second set. Probably was very important to win the first set. I don't really know what to say, sorry.

ALEXANDER POPP: Probably the coach I've got now. I started working with him six years ago. I really wanted to stop playing tennis when I was 17 because I didn't play well; I had nobody to help me really. To come to the top hundred is such a long way, hard work, too. He told me, "You've got the talent, you can try. You have to work hard for a long time. It's not going to happen in a couple months." That's what he told me. We started working, and now I'm here.

ALEXANDER POPP: Helmut Leuthy, L-u-e-t-h-y.

ALEXANDER POPP: I started playing tennis the year Boris Becker won Wimbledon for the first time. That inspired me probably to go on the court and hit. Well, in the last couple of years, I think Pete Sampras was great to watch because he's just, well, a great player.

ALEXANDER POPP: My uncle lives here. I've got, yeah, three cousins, a couple of friends, of course. That's about it.

ALEXANDER POPP: In London.

ALEXANDER POPP: No. I'm actually the only one in my family playing tennis.

ALEXANDER POPP: My father. They were both studying in Leeds.