THE LIPTON CHAMPIONSHIPS

March 19, 1999

Jim Courier

JIM COURIER: It's Miami; it's going to be windy out there for sure. Persevering is the main thing, as you know.

JIM COURIER: No. I was just looking to the next point. Those things happen.

JIM COURIER: It was like a little tit-for-a-tat. I missed one easy one; he missed one easy one. A lot of times those things don't even out necessarily in the same sequence. This time they did.

JIM COURIER: Yes.

JIM COURIER: He doesn't live in Orlando. I have practiced with him at LGE before.

JIM COURIER: A little bit, yeah.

JIM COURIER: He's actually quite good. He's got an unorthodox style, but very effective for sure.

JIM COURIER: I definitely understand that. We're two recognizable names. Oftentimes in tournaments of this size, you don't see matchups with name players like that this early. It's an early round kind of appetizer for the fans, I guess.

JIM COURIER: Well, Pete has gotten the best of me in most of those matches. Most of them haven't been blow-outs. Most of them have been close. He just has seemed to win when he needed to. I've gotten him here or there. It's been a while since we've played. I don't think we've played since maybe Rome a couple of years ago. We've certainly practiced a bunch since then. I don't expect any surprises from him. I'm sure he feels the same way.

JIM COURIER: It's not a juice thing; it's a concentration thing. You know you have to focus and bear down when you play Pete, or any other top player, because if you give an inch, they'll take it and run with it. It's one of those matches where I tend to focus a little bit more intense maybe. I don't know if that would qualify as the juices or adrenalines flowing. But I think my brain is just a little bit that there's no leeway there that you can give.

JIM COURIER: I think Pete still knows how to play tennis. I don't think you can say just because he hasn't come out of the blocks like he normally does this year that he's down or anything like that. I think Pete is one of the players that is similar to myself, is more vulnerable in the early rounds. Once you get a groove in the tournament and kind of get some matches under your belt, then you start playing a little bit better. It might be advantageous for me to see him earlier in the tournament. But if I lose, it's not much of an advantage. We'll have to see how it works out.

JIM COURIER: It's my bicep actually. At the moment I feel like it's behind me. I guess you never say never. I don't want to jinx it certainly. It's been since late summer that I've had any problems with it. The real test for me this year I guess will be going over to Wimbledon. That's where I've always traditionally had problems with it. That's where it started. If my arm makes it through Wimbledon pain-free, then I'll be happy. If I fly over and the first day after practice my arm is sore, I'm getting right back on the plane and coming home. I'm not going to risk it.

JIM COURIER: I think the balls are heavier. They're a little flatter. Maybe the wet, damp conditions as well. But I'm hoping. I've lifted more weights. I'm a little stronger this year. My racquets are a little heavier. I'm hoping that the combination of those factors is going to allow me to play. I think that about covers it, Miki.