US OPEN

August 28, 2000

Tommy Haas

MODERATOR: Questions.

TOMMY HAAS: Yeah. Obviously it's a good way to start off. My first match on hard court this summer, I had been injured a little bit, so coming back against a qualifier, probably a good start because I think he would have had some confidence already playing three rounds, winning them. I don't know if he ever found his game today, but I'm trying to step up playing my game, you know, trying to do my best. Obviously that rain delay kind of helped me also because I can, you know, talk to my coach, see what I'm doing wrong, see how I want to change, how I want to play. It worked pretty well.

TOMMY HAAS: Yes.

TOMMY HAAS: I like playing here obviously. It's one of my favorite Grand Slams. I enjoy the people here that support me. I had a very good year last year playing against some good people, beating them. Just try to do the same again this year hopefully.

TOMMY HAAS: I can't really tell so much. I practice now only for ten days, you know, feel good. I don't have any pain in my back, so that's probably for me the most important thing right now. Through my first match, I got through feeling pretty good. I think a few things, a few areas I still need to improve and get back into it a little bit. The more matches I play, the better I'm going to get.

TOMMY HAAS: Not concerned. I mean, you know, I just go out there and try to win. I don't really think too much, "I'm playing well, I'm playing bad." Part of it I'm having a good time also at the same time because I haven't played in a long time. Yeah, I'm just going to enjoy it, you know, try to win.

TOMMY HAAS: Raul Ordonez from the Bollettieri Academy.

TOMMY HAAS: Yeah.

TOMMY HAAS: I think sometimes it's time to change coaches. I used to travel with Red for three years on and off. We had a good season, we had good times. It just didn't work anymore as I wanted it to.

TOMMY HAAS: Yeah, I think it's one of the toughest obviously, going back and forth with the traffic. Coming here this morning, I had the practice court at 9:30, left the hotel at 8:30, because of some, who knows, accident. You almost have to leave at 7:00, two hours before, to make sure you get there on time. Obviously it's noisy with the airplanes and stuff. For me, I don't know, it's excitement. I like coming back here to New York. It's a great city. I think the crowd is one of the best, if not the best in tennis. They like excitement. They like to go a little bit crazy. I like that. It's nice here.

TOMMY HAAS: Maybe. Obviously my highest ranking was 10 in the world. I had a very good year last year. I don't want to compare myself with anybody. Agassi and Sampras is a different category for most of us. Like I said, a good year last year. A little bit of bad luck with the hip injury this year, now this injury, lost some close matches where are I needed to get through. I haven't had a great year. I think you learn from these things and try to do the best. I think I can be, you know, one of the best in the world maybe one day. I'm certainly going to try and maybe work harder in the future and try to get back there where I think I can be. If that's going to take some time, let it be, because I think I'm going to play my best tennis with 25, 26, so maybe three or four more years to know which tournaments I've got to play, where I got to go and what I've got to do.

TOMMY HAAS: Well, you know, just much more than I used to. I mean, I'm sometimes a little bit of a lazy person, don't watch out for my body too much. So, you know, it was a little bit of a sign, I think, the back injury. So I make sure that I get stronger, fitter and more flexible.

TOMMY HAAS: Maybe just a little bit longer than that.

TOMMY HAAS: (Nodding head.)

TOMMY HAAS: It's part of the work.

TOMMY HAAS: Not at all. I think the only pressure that I have is that I give myself, wanting to do well, wanting to go where I want to go. That's it. You can't fill anybody's shoes. Boris Becker was one person. So was Michael Stich. I think Boris Becker is a tennis God in Germany, and nobody will ever get near him. It would be stupid to try to compare me to somebody like that. Obviously it would be nice for me to be as successful as he was or whatever. But, like I said, I have my own goals, my own dreams, I try to follow them.