US OPEN

September 1, 1999

Tommy Haas

USTA: Questions in English first.

TOMMY HAAS: Yes, it's bothering me a little bit. On my hip flexor, I pulled a little muscle. I have to be careful. I'm getting a little treatment after this, as we speak. Hopefully it's nothing too bad. Hopefully I'll be okay for Friday.

TOMMY HAAS: Yeah, third set. He hit an overhead, I went for a running forehand. I kind of changed direction, pulled it a little bit. But it was still good enough to keep playing; didn't bother me too much. I don't think it's much of a serious problem.

TOMMY HAAS: Didn't think too much about it at this time. It's bothering me now a little bit. I think it's just normal. You know, I should have served it out at 5-3 maybe. I played a loose game there. He made some good returns. He kind of came back. In the tiebreak at 6-2, that's the way tennis goes sometimes, you know, back and forth.

TOMMY HAAS: Yeah, one of the calls, actually. It was pretty far out. On TV it looks a little bit closer, but live I think it was four or six inches out. Things like this happen. Actually, I recovered from that pretty good. I hit two big serves after that. It was not too bad.

TOMMY HAAS: No. Maybe a little bit if I lose the tiebreak in the third set, going into a fourth, that could have been tough. Usually the opponent gets pumped up again. He saves a couple match points, coming from 2-5 down in the third. I was happy I finished him off in three.

TOMMY HAAS: Yeah.

TOMMY HAAS: It's great. It's the first time I'm seeded here, coming to the US Open, like you said. Enqvist was one of the players close to be seeded. I'm sure everybody watched out who was going to draw him. I was the one who got him. It's nice to walk out on Arthur Ashe Stadium. A good temperature, jut a little bit windy, which for both us is tough. I think it plays faster than the previous years, which suits me maybe a little more than him. Yeah, I'm really happy. It was a good match.

TOMMY HAAS: Obviously I have a look. Everybody can play tennis. Next opponent I'm going to play later. I have to check it out. Anybody can play. Friday is a new day. See what happens, give it your best.

TOMMY HAAS: You have to give Agassi a pretty good chance at it, the way he's been playing in the summer, all year long. I practiced with him a couple days back. He looks probably as fit as he's ever done. I give him a very good look at it. Obviously, you never know. The other seeds, everybody is dangerous. If anybody can pull up two good weeks here, they have a chance to win also.

TOMMY HAAS: Yeah, a year and a half ago, also on grass court. Different story.

TOMMY HAAS: I'm not looking that far.

TOMMY HAAS: A long time ago. I was 11 years old, won the German championships. I won a trip with my sister for two weeks. I came back a year and a half later in '91, where I was, yeah, going there to make a little story at the Nick Bollettieri Academy. That's how I got there.

TOMMY HAAS: It certainly opens up the draw. There's actually three top players who did really well here last year, and haven't had the chance to play, like Philippoussis or Sampras or Rafter. Obviously, it opens up the draw. Maybe chances for the other ones. You know, it's just bad luck. I'm sure it would be nice if they would still be in the tournament. It's good for the spectators, even for the players. Players love to play against the big players. You know, that's just the way it goes. Injuries happen to everyone. Just makes the player appreciate to be healthy and can't wait to come out again to play next time.