THE LIPTON CHAMPIONSHIPS

March 18, 1995

Michael Joyce

Q. Your biggest win?

MICHAEL JOYCE: By far, yes.

Q. How do you feel?

MICHAEL JOYCE: I am actually surprised that it was -- I mean, it was pretty easy. I mean, he didn't play so well and I played really well. You kind of think about wins like that. You think of them being like 6 in the third, something, so I kind of felt towards the end of the second that I kind of prepared myself thinking that I might win and so right now it is just -- it is kind of shocking because last week I lost in qualifying and, you know, you start sometimes getting down on yourself; then you have a win like this; it brings you real up.

Q. Not to take anything away from a good win, but, I mean, he obviously was not mentally into this match at all. Could you sense that?

MICHAEL JOYCE: I could sense it at the beginning. I couldn't -- I have never played him before, so, you know, it is kind of hard to tell when you have never played somebody. Obviously, at the beginning, I was a little bit nervous and I wasn't playing so well the first few games myself, and I was still up like 3-2 and so that was a good confidence builder that I knew I could play a lot better and that I was still winning the match. So I didn't really -- I didn't really think about him. I never really looked at him. I was just focused in on what I was doing. Because if you start worrying about the way the other guy thinks and feels, sometimes it takes itself out of your own game. I wasn't really concerned with the fact that he couldn't play. I was just concerned with myself.

Q. Were you aware that he has a reputation of doing that sometimes?

MICHAEL JOYCE: Before the match a lot of people told me that if I got on top of him and if I played good, of all the top players, that, you know, he could, I mean, sometimes that he doesn't play so well. I have seen him play a lot of matches where he hasn't played so well himself, and just like all big players, big names, if you are ever going to upset them, best time to do it is the first couple of rounds because I played -- I beat a good player yesterday, Arnaud Boetsch; that gave me a little bit of confidence and going into today, I felt pretty confident.

Q. Have you ever played on stadium court before?

MICHAEL JOYCE: Not this one, no.

Q. How many times in your career have you?

MICHAEL JOYCE: I played Courier at the U.S. Open a couple of years ago on stadium. And I was a nervous wreck. I couldn't hit a ball and then I played last year, I played Richard Krajicek in L.A. Volvo which is where I live and I played a lot better then. So now I even played a lot better today, so maybe I am getting used to it. Three times, it is not too much. In the juniors I played on big stadiums, Wimbledon and stuff. In the pros, I haven't played on too many.

Q. You have obviously been highly touted as an American up-and-coming through your junior and collegiate and whatever. How do you feel your career is progressing?

MICHAEL JOYCE: I am happy with the way things are going now. A lot of people don't know that when I was -- I won the Nationals when I was 18; then I turned pro. I went through two really bad shoulder surgeries, so I was out about for about a year and a half where I couldn't play, so a lot of people, they don't know things like that and then all of a sudden it is like "what happened to him." But I have been healthy now for about 15 months and last year at this time I was ranked like 250 and now I am ranked 120, so I am steadily moving up. That is all I can ask from myself is to keep improving and keep moving forward.

Q. Stich said told us candidly Miami was not his favorite place. What is your opinion of the city?

MICHAEL JOYCE: I have played this tournament before and I really like it a lot. I am from Los Angeles so I am pretty used to beaches and the weather and stuff, and the Lipton is always a good tournament because it gives you a chance to see a lot people you don't see a lot all year, like companies, like Fila and I see people I work with here and sometimes at the U.S. Open. Sometimes -- I play a lot of Challenger events. Some of the smaller events you have to go to kind of crummy places when you have to play. So if you are in a place like this, the atmosphere is real nice; the hotel is real nice and being in the U.S. watching basketball is pretty good. Last two tournaments I played -- last year one was in Brazil and I played like one in Toulouse, Seoul, Korea, so now, to play a tournament basically like in your backyard is pretty good.

Q. They are kind of touting Miami as being the next Hollywood, making movies as L.A....

MICHAEL JOYCE: I have a friend from Boca Raton; he keeps throwing that at me. I keep saying "you are getting out of hand." I don't think anything is like L.A.. I think there is a lot of models here. I kind of run into a few last -- seen a few around.

Q. Really?

MICHAEL JOYCE: Unfortunately -- I wish. I have seen a couple walking around malls and stuff, and so I think it is a good model place; for the actors and actress, I think they need to go to the west coast. I think after they make it, then they move here.

Q. What is with the wrist; just precaution?

MICHAEL JOYCE: I was practicing my backhand a lot last week because I hit it really bad last week so I was home for a week before I went here and I was working on my backhand a lot and I think I kind of strained a few muscles, but once I start playing, I don't really think about it. It loosens up.

End of FastScripts.