US OPEN

September 5, 1999

Jiri Novak

Q. He retires two points in the end of the match, is it an insult?

JIRI NOVAK: I think this is not normal, you know, because maybe I was waiting a whole match for this moment because I knew that he was playing very difficult match two days against Gambill. And Gambill retired; the score was 4-0 in the fifth set. So I heard that he retired yesterday from the doubles, and I didn't know what happened, you know. So I was just waiting, what will happen in this match, you know? So I was just keep for that match, and I was just playing my game. He was just trying to play the serve and volley, and I return the volley, so he was just trying to kill the points very fast. But I think he was moving pretty good, you know. So I don't think he had the problem with the leg. I don't know if he was injured, but I don't know why he retired just two points away from the match.

JIRI NOVAK: You know, it's always pretty difficult to play because you see on the other side of player, just playing just the match very easy, and he is just trying to kill some points, and he is smiling all the time, you know. So it's very difficult to play against those players, but I was just concentrate for my game, and I was playing my good game.

JIRI NOVAK: I don't know answer, you know. I don't know why he did just two points away from the match.

JIRI NOVAK: I think that he could do it off the first set, you know, because I won 6-1 and it was so easy for me. Then I won 6-Love, so I was just waiting for that moment. But it's up to him, you know, maybe just trying to play and was very difficult to do. What was the score, 6-1, 6-0 with me, because it start a little bit of rain. So I was just little bit scared, you know. I said, "Oh, my God, cannot start to rain because I don't want to play tomorrow the rest of the match, you know." So I was lucky with the weather, and it was good.