U.S. OPEN

August 30, 1994

Richard Krajicek

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Exactly what you say, it's slipping away from me, slipping out of my hands. I was already taking a shower in my head and suddenly I find myself 7-6 down and actually two sets all and that's very tough. So, that's not a nice feeling. I really, you know, relaxed at 6-Love and played the penalty almost -- played the penalty in that set.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: 15.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Yes.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: It was unbelievable at 5-3. I couldn't really blame myself too much. I mean, he hit some great shots. I missed one volley, but hit three great shots to break me and 6-1. The second match point he hits another running backhand, but after that I tightened up. It was my fault I lost those points, but, you know, it was really a great match and I'm just glad I won it. It's never nice to lose with match point and 6-Love in the breaker and it never happened to me and it hasn't happened so far, thank God.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: I just tried to hang in because, like I said, I relaxed a little bit. You relax then, you start to feel tired because when the match is over everything is okay and I was already thinking about that a little bit and I was scared -- my body was a little bit in that state of mind, that stage, so, I need like four, five games to get my body fired up again. And luckily, I hung in there, holding my serves Love-40 down second game in the fifth and I just somehow won that game and 2-All, 3-2, I really started to feel the energy back in my body again and then I was okay. But it was really stupid of me, just like a beginners or junior mistake, however you want to call it. Relaxing already before it's over.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: I just thought it was over or whatever and I thought it should be no problem. It was really, really bad mistake. There was no -- you should finish a match.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Yes. Then I -- that was a different thing. I felt I put the first serve in the court and so I was really gone. Then I really felt the match slipping away, not only the set, the match. I was not very happy about it, but I wasted some energy for my next round. So, I hope I won't play the penalty for it in the next round.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: I don't know, it's difficult to say. I was thinking little bit, of course, of the tiebreaker. I should have finished it and, oh, in a way I just couldn't imagine myself losing first round. I already lost one first round in a Slam this year and I just didn't want to feel that again, and, yeah, I was very difficult because it really looked like I was going to lose. I don't know what was going through my mind. Then I started serving to his forehand and he missed a few forehands and I hung in there.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Friends, I don't know is a big word. We know each other very well and we have the same coach and we get along very well with each other, but a friend I call somebody that I trust everything to and, no, I don't do that with him. I don't think I do that with anybody on the tour. I have friends outside of tennis.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: They were so bad with their calls. All the other weeks if you take a little extra time you get a time right away, and I don't know what he was doing, blisters, and he was arguing for two minutes with her and she was so bad on the rules. I felt like a little policeman out there to remind her of the rules. It was so bad, really. Everybody can make bad calls, but this was just -- I don't know what she was doing out there, but this was like couple months ago and I thought that since after Wimbledon there were new rules about the time, and she didn't enforce them once.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: Yeah, I saw it out, that's why I called it out. And the linesman agreed with me. I don't know if I -- how you say, I talked her into it, but, yeah, I really saw the ball go out. It was close, but of course when it's close then you always see it in your favor and I saw it in my favor and the linesman also thought that. The thing he didn't like about it is that she changed her mind a little bit. If she would have said out straight away, I don't think he would have argued. Because she changed her mind, I think he argued.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: No, I don't think so. No, not really. I don't know what his ranking is. Even with Haarhuis who is about the same ranking as me I don't think there's a rivalry. Everyone does their own thing and we all get along okay and all the Dutch players get along okay.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: I won.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: I don't know. I mean I cannot feel what he's feeling, of course, but I remember last year at Wimbledon the shoulder was supposedly pretty bad also, and I think it was pretty bad and he won easily, Wimbledon. And last year also he had very bad shins in Key Biscayne and he won a tournament very easy this year. So, he's so talented -- he hits the ball so good and times he's like the magnet, like the ball goes to him, he doesn't have to run so much. That's how it looks because he moves so well. Every time you play against Sampras you get a little nervous. If you're like even on the whole match, then it's okay; and if you're losing, it's okay; but if you get the feeling that you can beat him, you feel a little different and you can tighten up. So, I don't know. I think after the first two matches he will be okay. Because he hasn't played so long, he'll be a little rusty in the beginning, but I know painkillers can do a lot for you and I think it's going to help him, so I think he'll be okay if he gets through the first two matches.

RICHARD KRAJICEK: I was playing well, I was serving well, and I think already he had the problem with his ankle and he wasn't moving as well, which is one of his strengths. I can't really say how well he played. He didn't play, of course, as well as he did in Wimbledon or in the first match against Eltingh, but I played well, and how he felt I cannot really -- I think he was playing 70, 80 percent. I cannot really tell.