ATP Tour World Championship

November 29, 1998

Carlos Moya

Q. What do you think went wrong in the middle of the third and afterwards? What changed the match?

CARLOS MOYA: Well, two sets to zero up, maybe I relax a little bit. I thought the match was not over. It's never over when you play against Alex. But I had a really big advantage, two sets to zero. Then he broke me, I broke him back. I think all the change in the match was 5-All, I had two breakpoints, and I didn't take any of them. Then 6-5, 40-Love for me, 6-5 for him, 40-Love for me, I lost that serve, you know. After that, he start to play better and better. I mean, I was not able to play as well as I played first set, so I think that was the key of the match.

CARLOS MOYA: I was feeling tired?

CARLOS MOYA: No. Was not any problem.

CARLOS MOYA: I show the mark. It's still there, I think. If we have a look, maybe we see the ball is out. But, you know, now is nothing to do.

CARLOS MOYA: Yeah, tiebreak you never know what can happen. So for sure, I wouldn't be down. I would have a chance to play tiebreak. At that moment, I didn't think it was going to be a really, really important. But I think it was.

CARLOS MOYA: I don't know. I don't know what to say. How big? Is really big because I had it really close, many chances to beat him. I think at the beginning I played better than him, you know, he was not making any damage to my game. After that, you know, the chance went, he start to play better. So is really big disappointing.

CARLOS MOYA: I think this match was going the same way as it was as were the last three matches, 6-3, 6-3, I was playing really well, I was feeling comfortable. I don't know what happened. Maybe I relax a little bit, he played better. He saw that he has to change to try to win, because with the game he was doing, I was going to be the winner. Then he change, you know, just played better today. He was lucky or he played better at the important moments. You know, it happens.

CARLOS MOYA: For sure is good. But now what can I say? It was supposed to be one of the happiest moments, you know, being in final. And it's really sad, but it happens. I'm strong, and I'll try to come back next year here and win the title.

CARLOS MOYA: Is somebody losing the way I lost and is happy, he's really fake. So show me anyone who would be happy right now in my situation, you know, I will give him $1 million.

CARLOS MOYA: Well, I think we have always showed that we are great players, not only on clay. I always say the same: people still consider me still a clay court player, when I made the final in Australia, semifinal in US Open, final here, semifinal here last year, I won a title on hard. I still have to hear the people saying that. It's kind of annoying, you know.

CARLOS MOYA: That's why I was working last year just not to be a clay court player, but to be an all-kind-of-surface player, you know, try to go to the net, serve well. But I still have to improve. I think I'm improving, but is still early to feel comfortable in the net. Sometimes I do, but I still have to work.

CARLOS MOYA: I would love to be there, you know. It's going to be tough. Everybody's goal is to be No. 1. Many people play good tennis, you know. It's going to be tough. But now I'm No. 5. Not many points, not such a big difference to No. 1. I hope I'm going to be there. I hope I play well and try to win titles and try to become No. 1.