DAVIS CUP - CZECH REPUBLIC vs USA

April 8, 2000

Jan Kukal

Jiri Novak

David Rikl

USTA: Questions in English?

DAVID RIKL: Well, we did some changes for this match. Our captain, he saw the match also at Key Biscayne and he told us, you know, that that was very good match last time but we have to do, you know, more intense, especially from my side on the line. Which is, you know, I was doing well, especially at the end of first set and then the second and third. And it helps very much.

CAPTAIN JAN KUKAL: We are in the moment very happy what happened now, and we wanted to have Sunday to be very good tennis. We are not thinking too much in the moment for tomorrow, because as we said, we approach this match to play ball after ball, so... And we are going to do the same thing tomorrow. Nobody in team got very overexcited or thinks that something should happen, but the last step is most difficult.

JIRI NOVAK: This is not a dream, this is the reality. (Laughter.) We are leading 2-1 and for sure we are very happy because we play against them two times, we lost, we didn't win the set. So we are very surprised that we won 3-love. So this is not a dream, this is the reality. We are leading 2-1 and we will do everything what we can do for the victory in this match.

JIRI NOVAK: I think it will be very tough match for me, but there is one thing very important for me, that I don't have to win, you know. I just can win because we are leading 2-1 and there is still another match coming. So I can play pretty easily.

DAVID RIKL: I don't think so. We played, you know, a lot of matches during the tournaments. We beat also Woodies, Woodbridge-Woodforde, they've been first in the world, last year in Indian Wells. You know, we beat, you know, a lot of teams who are the top five or top ten. So we just said, Well, we have to be positive and keep going whole match and hopefully we win, and we did it.

DAVID RIKL: Because we knew what we have to play, you know, against these guys, and you can say we lost twice against them, but we know what is the best to play. We spoke with Martin Damm, he beat them last time in Key Biscayne. He told us what to do, and it was working, you know. Also captain told us you have to do this, that, that and it works.

CAPTAIN JAN KUKAL: You mean they did not play well or something like that?

CAPTAIN JAN KUKAL: It's very difficult, you know, you don't realize. I said yesterday I felt very sorry for Pete because Pete, I consider Pete to be the best player ever, and he just did not have his best day only. It should not be the way like one day is a big hero and the next day he's a loser. I think it's the same with American doubles. We were all seeing O'Brien and Palmer are playing because they played -- I think really one set goes to Martin Damm, because he won against them last week, you know. See, he knew exactly what he should do. I was watching also both matches every point and we did exactly what they don't like. You know, so if it could be even easier when David would not lose one set.

CAPTAIN JAN KUKAL: Against them you have to return 90 percent of balls along line. You cannot go for cross because they are -- they are crossing net very well, and the next one is our double is very technical double. They like to play softer-placed volleys and you cannot do that against them, and also you have to stay both players returning in the fence, they have to stay on the baseline, in one line. They cannot have one at the net because they are playing many volleys against that guy.

JIRI NOVAK: I'm not tired. I'm just happy for the victory, and I think and I hope that I'll be ready for another match tomorrow. So I feel pretty comfortable.

CAPTAIN JAN KUKAL: No, I don't think so. We did not have any fight with McEnroe here during the week because of practice, because they are coming for every practice session and they've been practicing very hard in Key Biscayne. This is just Davis Cup, you know. I think John McEnroe is going to be probably the best captain ever for U.S., but he still doesn't have enough experience. It's only his second match, and I think a concern, he's behaving very well, and I am supposed to -- I have to say that everybody organization is very good. Jeanie Buss is doing her best to do everything for us, and we are feeling here very well, and maybe that's why our players are playing so well. (Laughter.)

JIRI NOVAK: We were very fine because the same atmosphere we had in Czech Republic as well, you know. So... That's nothing new for us. But, you know, it was pretty difficult moment for us. Everyone leading all the time, we were 2-love up, then we had the break, we had the 3-1, but we made maybe one or two mistakes and we lost the serve. But still we were 2-love up, you know, and it must happen sometimes, you know, because this is such a strong team, Palmer and O'Brien. There is no way that you cannot lose the serve game, you know, during the whole match, best-of-five sets. We would just keep going and we were trying to make another break and we did it.

CAPTAIN JAN KUKAL: Because this is a guy, I don't remember anybody who loved Davis Cup really, because most players don't like Davis Cup because it's a lot of pressure. And many countries are not playing even the best players. This is the guy who really play, he's having great Davis Cup record, he loves this competition, and he's having -- he's having charisma, he's having influence on the young players. But this is not easy job because at the beginning, you know, when I was doing coaching job, I was also playing every point with them, you know, you cannot do that like captain. You have to relax also in between points. This is what he cannot do now, I think.

CAPTAIN JAN KUKAL: We are -- I am very happy because we have been asked many times why Czech Republic produce so many champions in the past and we don't have anyone now, so I think our new champion is sitting beside me, you know. I think this is new. And I think also they are one of the best double teams in the world. Even if it would be 2-love down after first day, we knew that we have a chance in doubles, you know. This was always open point. And the problem, who makes the serve point, it's we take it just easy. You know, we will see. It's -- anything can happen on the last day.

CAPTAIN JAN KUKAL: No, he lead only two matches. I am having lot of respect for him, and understand very well how it is when I was starting to do it. I was mostly with Women Federation Cup, which is more difficult job, I would say. (Laughter.) I was playing also every point at the beginning. I did this job for a long time ago, I was even with Romanians against United States in 1972. So I'm in this job for very long time and I am having a lot of respect for McEnroe and we have nothing -- I think he's going to do this well. It's only -- he's having only very tough matches at the beginning. This is very good. Because Zimbabwe was, I think, similar match to this one.

JIRI NOVAK: No, I don't think so. (Laughter.)

JIRI NOVAK: I think it can be possible. How I said, I can still play without pressure. I don't have nothing to lose. I play against the player who is No. 1 in the world, I'll just try to play my best tennis and I will see tomorrow.

DAVID RIKL: He's physically very strong, so he's just fine. (Laughter.)

JIRI NOVAK: I think I must be very strong physically for tomorrow, you know, because from the baseline, we have played a lot of points from the baseline. I think it will be very nice match for the people which will be coming for the match.

CAPTAIN JAN KUKAL: No, no. Not at all. Just, you know, we would be in the same situation when we would have No. 1 double team in the world and then would come a team unknown for California, because I don't think they ever played here. Did you ever play here, California?

JIRI NOVAK: No.

CAPTAIN JAN KUKAL: They never played here. They're unknown and they were playing very well. It's surprise not to McEnroe, it's surprise to everybody, to all spectators, you know. But be careful of Jiri tomorrow. I do not know if I say it in English well, Iron is his best friend.

JIRI NOVAK: It means that I will have spent another three hours in the fitness, you know. (Laughter.)

CAPTAIN JAN KUKAL: He would like it.

JIRI NOVAK: It was question for me?

JIRI NOVAK: Captain. (Laughter.)

CAPTAIN JAN KUKAL: Sorry, I did not understand very well. I thought was for Jiri.

CAPTAIN JAN KUKAL: No, we don't blame anybody because we understand this. This is -- we have been, even -- we were very grateful to John McEnroe because we had lot of stories about picking Roddick and talking to Sampras over TV, and they did not write even in Czech papers about us. So we were very happy that there was so much publicity about the American team that we were feeling really, really well. But players knew about this chance and this is -- this is chance of their life, you know. And so that's why they knew it already for a long time and this is still the same thing. It's still very far to make the serve point, but we -- it doesn't bother us.