US OPEN

September 8, 1998

Goran Ivanisevic

Q. What made the difference?

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Serve.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Yeah. I had maybe 40 percent first serve in. I cannot play on the junior girls with that kind of percentage.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I don't know. Last night I served badly. So I thought, okay, now maybe I have one day, and I going to change something. But nothing changed. I continued to serve badly. With that, it's tough, you know. It's tough to keep up. He gets everything back. Have to hit great shots from the back, you know. He doesn't miss. He doesn't do anything from the back, but he doesn't miss. He gets everything back. If I could not put my first serves in, then I'm always under pressure with the second, he can chip and charge. Then again, I start important fourth set, 15-All, I play a shot between the legs without any reason, only idiot like me can do that. It's 15-30, you know. Game is over, you know, break. Very bad backhand volley. I had whole open side, I had cross. He was running five minutes before I hit the volley there. It's break. The way he was serving today was too good. I had a good return, he hit a good volley.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: He's playing very good tennis. He won three tournaments this summer. He doesn't give you anything for free, you know. You have to work for every point.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I didn't play him long time. Last time was Wimbledon. But, I mean, if he continue to play, serve like this, he's going to be tough to beat.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: No, was not effect. I started good, that game at 5-4, that was the best service game I play all the match, and I lost that game. I hit three first serves in the court. He hit three unbelievable returns, which you cannot do anything. It was too good. But other break was just, I mean, from that, the next two sets, I was maybe putting one first serve in whole game. It's tough, you know. He's there, he's waiting, you know. I have to play good, you know. I have to always play, play, play. And on his serve, I don't have any chance, you know. I have to work. I have to wait. I have to try. Stay here. Stay there. Hit great returns. He hits great volleys back. Three breakpoints, and again three terrible returns. Was not one -- one miss-hit I hit like home run, one I just miss all the balls with the forehand, and one because he hit these not-so-fast serves, he hits very deep, 100 miles, and he comes very quick to the net, stays very close, tough to pass him.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: It was everything, you know. I was just -- it was a chance to get me into the match back. He start to get a little nervous, not too many first serves. I hit a couple good returns, and that was the chance, you know. And then I come up with three bad returns, you know, two miss-hits completely, one backhand. Then it's tough. 4-1, he's pumped. Then I got penalty point.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Yeah, I lost. But is not because of that I lost the match. I lose cool so many times. I hope that I can just put some first serves in, and it was not the question today. I couldn't put the first serves in.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: It's going to be interesting match. I mean, Rafter is playing very good tennis at the moment. He's confident, he's hot. He's going to be tough, you know. Has to win first the quarterfinals. But it's going to be even match.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Both. He's very fast and he anticipate very good. He doesn't hurt you from the back so much, you know. But he just gets everything back. You come in and then he comes with some great passing shots, especially from the backhand. You know, chips in, then if you don't hit a great volley, you're history, he pass you like you're not at the net.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Oh, he's somewhere up there, you know. Because he moves at the net great. He's there all the time, you know. He picks the side. Even when I broke him in the third set, you know, I had an easy forehand, and he was already there, you know. I had to hit another passing shot, but he's there. I mean, I thought today I hit so many good returns, so many passing shots, but always ball comes back. I don't know how. I hit a winner and ball is back, then again. I mean, he's moving great. He's very great, good athlete.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Doesn't hit big serves, but he's very -- I mean, a lot of percentage in, and he's mixing a lot, one kick, one slice, one in the body, and very deep serves. Every time today when he was 30-All, 15-All, he hits the first serve, he's on the line. These lines are so fast. I mean, not once I had the chance, like play. 30-All, I see the chance, and then two big serves, that's it.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I mean, I have to accept that he was better player today. I played all the summer good tennis. I can be happy the way I play all this one month. I lost to some good players. Is just a day, you know, a day that he played better, and he deserved to win.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I don't know what did I try. I mean, I tried, but I didn't try, you know. I just -- today I was maybe (inaudible). I was a little stupid today. I was hitting the same stupid serves all the time, and same stupid mistakes all the time.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: No. When I go to the hotel, I heard on TV, you know. But I don't follow baseball so much.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: In Europe, nobody cares about baseball. Is just here in the States big. I mean, okay, I following only because the guy is hitting the home runs. Now he has one more and going to break the record, so it's interesting. Otherwise, no way I going to watch that.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Probably for American people, it's a great sport. For them soccer is boring. For us, baseball is boring. It's normal.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: I mean, anybody can give him trouble now. I don't know who is he playing. Bjorkman?

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Bjorkman can give him trouble. Bjorkman is for sure best returner in the game. I know anybody can give him. From now on, you have so many guys up there, Agassi, Kucera, Pete.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: This surface fits him the best because it's fast, you can play from the back, you can come in. I think that should be his best surface to play, in my opinion.

GORAN IVANISEVIC: Yes. For me, yes.