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U.S. OPEN


September 4, 1993


Thomas Muster


NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

Q. Thomas, a few hours from now when you are back at the hotel relaxing, what will your knee feel like? Will there be any pain?

THOMAS MUSTER: When?

Q. After the two, three hours after the match is over, you are back at the hotel relaxed now, will there be pain in the knee or what is it like?

THOMAS MUSTER: It is sore. Just ice it, do my treatment and everything, stretching, just have easy practice tomorrow. That is it.

Q. Is there daily pain to deal with that knee?

THOMAS MUSTER: Yeah, I have -- I have no other choice.

Q. Seemed like you're taking off a little pace off your first serve especially on that ad court, trying to serve to his backhand.

THOMAS MUSTER: Yeah, especially now when I have new balls and tried to play wide, wide serve and come in and down the line shot because he was returning most of the time crosscourt and come in with the forehand and worked quite well. I wasn't serving well first two sets at the end. Now I start to pick up the pace and speed of my serve and help me a lot now at the end.

Q. You seemed to play it a lot more like a claycourt match than the two you played up to now where you were more aggressive. Was that a conscious tactic or just how you felt?

THOMAS MUSTER: Well, I mean, I played from the baseline most of the time too. I suppose -- I expected him to come in more. He didn't. And it is very, very slow because the balls are very fluffy, so there is not much of a chance for me to come in. He was hitting the balls quite deep. The only chance I had was to serve and volley, but I didn't feel like doing that, so I mean, I don't mind to run the backcourt and just play the balls. I mean, the speed of the surface is not much faster than a claycourt probably. It is just different to run because you can't slide. But basically it is the same kind of game here. It depends who you play. Pete Sampras, he is going to come in on clay the same way he does here.

Q. Thomas, you are always emotional; it is like you can't stand still on the court for one second; you are always jumping and moving or doing something. Is this your personality? Do you ever relax? Do you ever slow down?

THOMAS MUSTER: Yeah, I am a very, usually, quiet person. I mean, I am never -- I am not too excited actually outside the court. It is just for me I don't feel like sitting down. It is not necessary; for me it is nonsense to have -- I mean, the chairs there. I could have played many years ago when there was no chair in the changeover.

Q. Is it nervous energy, or what keeps you moving all the time?

THOMAS MUSTER: I just need a high level of emotion to play. It is like maybe like Connors or somebody who always was emotional when he played. It is just -- the other guys they never show emotions. Look at Pete Sampras, I mean --

Q. Thomas, you say that you are a quiet guy. But on the court, you are rather - let us say the grunt level is getting up there pretty much. How long have you done that, and what is that an expression of?

THOMAS MUSTER: Well, I have had always done that when I was a kid, and it is kind of tactic when you breathe. It is just, I try to play also quiet, but every time I go out on the court and I have to play aggressive, it comes automatically. It is not that I am doing it on purpose or I just -- it is just the way-- the power I put in and so-- but outside of the court I am never really emotion -- too emotional. I am quiet, more quiet, actually.

Q. Like Monica, has any of the guys come up to you and said--

THOMAS MUSTER: I am not number one. I don't think they have to be. There is nobody --

Q. Thomas, with Michael Stich and Stefan Edberg losing in your quarter, how much does that open it up for you; do you look ahead?

THOMAS MUSTER: I am the only seed left, maybe the most unexpected left, so well, I just take it match by match, I think the guys coming up, I mean, they are all beatable for me, but I always be able to lose to them, I mean, it will depend just a lot on my courage; how I am going to workout there, and be able to keep up my level the way I am playing.

Q. Seemed like the Krickstein match, seemed like you were playing better than today. You looked like you were a little off. Does that bother you? Does that concern you?

THOMAS MUSTER: No, I mean, if I always play like against Aaron, then I would maybe be the favorite here. It is a different kind of game. I mean, Patrick is playing, I mean, he is playing the balls more flat. I mean, they don't come up to much and Aaron was playing the balls quite high and I had more chances just to go for it. Patrick, I mean, he missed a couple of shots too, but basically he was taking the balls very low. He was controlling the court and I was playing very deep, so there wasn't so much of a chance for me to -- just at the beginning of the second set, he started when we came out the second time, played high because he was immediately-- he had to defend himself somewhere on the baseline. So then he start going back to the way he started; it was more difficult for me because the balls were very flat.

Q. Looking forward, can you say something about Holm and Gilbert on the basis that you will be playing one of them?

THOMAS MUSTER: I think Brad has a very good chance. He always used to play well here at the Open. Holm is very aggressive serve and volley player. I think he has confidence by beating Michael Stich, so I think it is a very even game and Brad is going to push his balls and Paul is going to go for it. It is a very interesting match to watch. I mean, I think I would prefer to play Brad Gilbert.

Q. Are you bitter about what happened to you in the year 1989 or have you resigned yourself to the fact that it shortened your tennis career, probably?

THOMAS MUSTER: Well, definitely because it did already in 89 when I had that, was a couple of months out, plus I mean, if I have to play more on this surface, if I want to be top 10, I probably have to, it is not going to be better. It is definitely, I mean, I could play longer. I don't know how long I am going to play, but definitely I could play probably without pain today. All the following injuries I had pulled muscles, shin splints, I mean, whatever, everyday two hours more in the trainers room is no fun to do that. I mean, I like to do it because I like to play, but, I mean it is no fun to do that everyday.

Q. Thank you.

End of FastScripts....

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