US OPEN

September 1, 1997

Richard Krajicek

Q. What were your thoughts when Sampras lost? How did that change your outlook or did it?

RICHARD KRAJICEK: I think it was the reason why I was probably a little bit tight the first couple of games. I started to think about the rest of the draw instead of just concentrating in match. Thinking too much about what a great chance with the draw opening up. I have to first beat this guy. Then I have to play somebody who beat me four out of five times before I can worry that I'm not going to play Sampras eventually, maybe, in the semifinals. That was very strange. I think I just answered the question. I think I should just worry about my next match first. If I win that, try to take advantage of that player, his game, his experience not in the draw anymore.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: I think it was a good serving night. I was especially happy with my serve and volley game. I've not been happy with that the last couple weeks, it's been on and off. I think I missed two or three unnecessary volleys. The rest, I made everything. That was very good. So very solid performance. If I didn't serve well, I backed it up with a good volley. That's important. I mean, you cannot only depend on your serve. You have to back it up with something else.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Not too much. I think what happened the other time in New Haven, I came back from one set all, first set tiebreaker, I was 3-Love up. I should have won the first set. Second set I win with a break. Third set, I win easy volley on the net to level 1-All in the third. I don't know what I do. I just didn't concentrate so well. Then he breaks me. He serves it out. So I think I just have to be sharp, even if I'm 40-Love up, have an easy volley, concentrate on my service games because it's important. Once one of us is up a break, then I think we both serve better when we're ahead and it goes quicker and quicker. Before you know it, you serve the set out. I think it's important to focus on your serve, on your won service games, my service games, know that eventually I'll get my chances to break him.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: I saw the first set and a half, actually, set and 3-Love up. I thought it was no problem. Then there was a bad call at 15-30. Then I still thought that he was going to win. Then I saw in the end when he was a break up again in the fifth. I saw last couple of games. Korda was winning his games easier and easier. In the tiebreaker, he came up with some big shots. A big ace. Actually, until Sampras hit the double-fault, I still thought he had a good chance of winning the tiebreaker. You think the guy is so good, somehow he wins those matches like last year against Corretja when he couldn't move. When he hit the double-fault, I saw that it was over.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Like I said, I was thinking too much about what an opportunity. Then I got a little bit nervous about that in the beginning of this match. Two more matches to go before I eventually might maybe face the guy, Pete Sampras. That was very stupid and unprofessional of me. I don't think it will happen next match.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: I hope so. I'm going to have that in my mind. He's going to have in his mind that he's beaten me four to five times. I'll have that he's never passed the quarterfinals. We both will probably fool ourselves a little bit by saying we have an advantage over each other (laughter). We'll just see who is going to make it Wednesday or Thursday, whenever we play.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Yeah. Especially first sets, we got a lot of times to the tiebreaker because we both serve big, and also it's beginning of a match, so you don't know where somebody is going to serve. As the match goes on, you start to pick the serve a little bit, the ball toss, the favorite serves. As the match goes on, then you have more chances to break him. First set, yeah, we have a tough time getting any points on each other's serve.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Yeah. It was very disappointing, especially the last two sets against him, maybe even more the last set that I played. The next day was like an anticlimax. Then I was down for about two days, really down, and disappointed. I think the fact that I lost not to somebody who really was -- who really didn't give me a chance. He could have won the second set. Could have been two sets to Love up and beat me in straight. Then I probably wouldn't have had such a bad feeling. Then I would have lost to a better player that day. Because I won that set, was a break up in the third, I let the match slip myself. I really felt that I lost the title myself. I didn't lose to a much better player. I lost a little bit because I didn't take my chances. That I think was the most frustrating part. You can lose, that's part of sport and of tennis. But that I didn't lose it -- that it was my own fault, that really bothered me the most. Then I was down for two days. I went on holiday and I just started -- I didn't touch a racquet for two weeks, but I was working out a lot, hour and a half, two hours a day, running, swimming, just sweating all the negative energy and all the disappointment out. You know, I decided to make a fresh start in the States. I was fresh. Mentally I was unbelievable fresh (laughter). Couldn't hit a ball in the court. I don't know if it was aftereffect from Wimbledon, but it took me a couple of weeks. Cincinnati was a bit better. I thought New Haven was my first real good tournament. It was a shame that I lost. That was my first tournament after Wimbledon that I felt, "Yeah. It's going well now." It took me three tournaments actually.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: I think so. It will be a little bit more of a fair crowd in the sense that I think they'll yell about the same loudness for him as they do for me. It will be okay. I would have liked to -- I would like to do it again, play him and beat him. I remember when I was a break up in the third, people were nice and quiet. It was such a beautiful moment. Maybe I enjoyed that too much instead of focusing on winning the second. Like when I played Becker last year in the Masters, I was a set up, had him. People got quieter, quieter. Perfect. 12,000, 13,000 people, get them under control.