TMS MONTE CARLO

April 21, 2000

Alex Corretja

Q. Alex, 4-3, final set, four breakpoints. Do you think you let it slip away or did he grab it back?

ALEX CORRETJA: Well, I don't go that far. First point it was 6-3, 2-1 up a break playing pretty impressive, pretty well, making no mistakes. Then, there, mentally, I was not too strong, I was maybe not focused 100% on that moment. He came back strongly and, as I said, mentally I was not pretty good in the second set. Then 2-Love in the third set I got a break again and I just gave it away again, but then he played pretty well. From that point on I had a lot of chances, that is why I feel really disappointed because with 4-3, as you said, I had four breakpoints couldn't make it. One of it was a pretty long rally. Then at the end I missed a forehand. Then 4-All I had another advantage to go 5-4. He played backhand on the line, touched the net as you see, goes to the other side. Then I had breakpoint on the last game and just lose it again. So many chances for a guy who is playing really good tennis.

ALEX CORRETJA: No, I was perfect. I mean, the thing was that I was playing pretty good tennis for the last couple of days, I just won straight sets everyday and today in my position I seem really good way, maybe relaxed a little bit watching that I was winning quite easily 6-3, 2-1 up a break with Dominik which he was hitting so hard, the ball, and then maybe as I said, I lost my mind a little bit so it was difficult for me to come back in the second set. Then I came back strongly in the third set, but it was not tired because I played pretty well last couple of days and quite easy. Maybe it was overconfidence, I don't know.

ALEX CORRETJA: Well, there are many things to say on this point. First one, as you see, the Masters Series events and the Grand Slams, we have to play most of them on hard courts, so it doesn't affect a hard court or really hard court guy if they don't come to Monte Carlo because they can solve the problems playing in Indian Wells, Key Biscayne, they have the chance to go to Cincinnati, to Toronto, Bercy, Stuttgart, all the others. We have to go everywhere to play on hard courts because otherwise we are gone. Then I believe that many peoples go away in the first round because it is difficult to play here because everybody is strong; everybody is playing good tennis and right now the difference between a Top-50 -- 50 guy or Top-10 guy is not that high -- it is a matter of mental moments and strongness. People are getting tired and it is normal because every match is pretty hard and it is difficult to win everyday. I believe it is kind of a little bit unfair, actually because you got to play three Masters Series events in four weeks; then play the Grand Slam on clay again which is, I believe, the most difficult Grand Slams because you got to be mentally and physically 100% and better than ever because otherwise you cannot win a match. So it is kind of strange to see you have to play Masters Series events like back-to-back, Rome to Hamburg, that is impossible. It is so difficult for the guys who are going to play well to keep on going, play the next week because they won't finish on Sunday and they will have to fly on Monday and have to play on Tuesday another tough match. I believe it is -- they should think about it and these tournaments are important enough to give them a lot of credit.

ALEX CORRETJA: Of course.

ALEX CORRETJA: Of course. Of course I talk to them a lot about that because I said to the people Players Member Council members and everybody that my point of view that it was quite unfair, but they didn't do much. I mean, from my point of view it is a great idea to have these Masters Series and to see that people have to play, but at least give a chance to rest a little bit otherwise you just burn out after a couple of days and a couple of weeks. I talked to them a lot so they know already what I think.

ALEX CORRETJA: You just see the results. They are still the same. - I am not complaining a little bit, but it is nothing that we can do right now, but at least they should think about it because as I said, these tournaments are really big and it is good to see that we have some rest because if not, it is too much. It is too difficult to play well everyday and through 15 days really -- it is impossible to win 12 matches in two weeks, well, impossible, no, maybe there is a guy that can do it on clay, but it is going to be difficult to see that. If one day it rains or something, then, it is even harder as well as Cincinnati and Toronto, it is too close to each other. I don't know. I thought the same before my match. It is not because I just lost - that I am upset. I mean, my ideas were the same before. That is clear?

ALEX CORRETJA: 2000 what?

ALEX CORRETJA: Okay.

ALEX CORRETJA: We have really good things. It means that the Tour is pretty strong; everybody wants to invest money there because they want to have tournaments all around the world. That is good for the players. It is better than not having a tournament for two months. That is true. But the important tournaments, they should get some space between each other, to get ready and to prepare yourself and everybody will be there 100%. That is my point of view. I know it is difficult, but it is also -- it is too hard to finish, let's say, Hannover the end of December or the end of November, sorry, or beginning of December playing Davis Cup final and then fly to Melbourne beginning of January. That is, for me, that is too much. Or just pull out from the tournaments like the big guys do. Why is Sampras not here? Because he won Ericsson Open. He played Davis Cup; then he said, it is not worth it for me to go to Monte Carlo and play. I prefer not to play and just put zero points on my computer, it doesn't matter because when I come stronger, I will be 100%.

ALEX CORRETJA: Of course not. I mean, I believe that is one of the points what players, they don't feel really well about it or they retired maybe early than they should because when they are 28, 29 years old they just want to be home because they travel all around through the whole year and that is too much as well playing in a lot of tournaments. I don't know, that is my point of view. Maybe they believe I am crazy, but.....

ALEX CORRETJA: Thank you.

ALEX CORRETJA: I hope I won't play all of them.

ALEX CORRETJA: I hope not because it means I will play, well, the other ones, you know, so I am saying that because if I just play, I would say, especially during the summertime, if you play Gstaad; then you play Davis Cup and then they create another Championship Series on clay and they put it before Cincinnati, one that we would on clay, but it is before the mandatory hard courts on the other part of the world, maybe I prefer to go and play Kitzbuhel; then go to Toronto. Then I will see if I go to Cincinnati. I don't want to just get crazy. I just want to play my tennis, just enjoy, you know, and relax. It is not possible -- all the sport they have like offseason, you know, we don't have any offseason. So we get really tired before -- I mean, we are not that old and we get older everyday. But it is good. I love the Tour and I don't complain about the Tour, ATP, it is great because we have the opportunity to do what we always been dreaming so that is completely sure. But there are some points that -- I think they are not that difficult to solve -- they are difficult to solve but they are not impossible. So they should think about it. That is my point, my meaning.

End of FastScripts….