July 27, 1996
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
Q. Talk about the doubles field a little bit. Have you had a chance to scout the American entry as it is now constituted, Agassi/Washington. What do you think of them?
TODD WOODBRIDGE: No, not really. I don't even know if they finished last night. Did they?
Q. Yeah. They won.
TODD WOODBRIDGE: No. It is sort of an odd combination. I would think they would be difficult because Andre can return really well, and he's just going to be pretty slap-happy, I would imagine. And if they do get towards the end of the tournament, he is still in the singles, I would think you will find it won't be his priority.
Q. So you think if they manage to make it, you know, however far they make it, you think that gives you and some other teams an advantage?
TODD WOODBRIDGE: I still think for someone like Mark and I playing against a Washington and an Agassi, we would be still favored; and still feel, you know, fairly confident that our experience together under pressure would take us through. Doesn't necessarily mean that that would be the case, but, you know, I would think that we would have a lot more going our way. You know, but it is great. I think it is really good that Andre took up the challenge to play. I am really impressed that he did that.
Q. Todd, today's match, it was a pretty gutsy effort, especially with all the distractions of the weather at the beginning of the match.
TODD WOODBRIDGE: Yeah, I had played pretty well. I just felt in the first set Wayne came out with some really big shots under pressure. He served well whenever I got a slight chance in a few games early in the set, and then in the tiebreak he came up with three really good passes where I put the pressure on him, and made him have to hit them, and he did that. In the second I just hung in there. And then I got to the tiebreak, played fairly well to get back to the tiebreak, and then made a couple of unforced errors; missed an easy volley, you know. I had to look where Wayne was moving at 1-Love; hit the tape with it, and I felt -- I really felt like I was pretty close, you know, if I could have snuck through that second set. He had played pretty well, at a high level, and perhaps I could have gotten through. So it is a good match. I think it is one of the better matches I have played in the last couple of months. And mentally I hung in strong. I was sort of pleased. I played tactically the way I wanted to play. And just on the bigger points, I think Wayne came through with some really -- basically winners, you know, some forcing serves that I really didn't have a play on and some big passing shots and big forehands.
Q. You really seemed to open up from 2-5 down in that second set.
TODD WOODBRIDGE: Yeah, I had a bit of trouble with my serve today. I didn't serve as well as I would have liked. And actually, when I went down the break in the second, I switched rackets, and I went to sort of a little different guaged string, and that sort of - I started -- my percentage from down there really picked up, and I was aggressive with my serve. And that made a difference to the way I was able to construct the point from there. I was a bit more in control than him having a second serve having to go at.
Q. In that 8th game of the second, was it a thicker gauge?
TODD WOODBRIDGE: No, I went to a thinner gauge. But I was able to -- because of the humidity here, I have had trouble getting the rackets tight enough. So I got to a smaller, thinner gauge to get my tension tighter in the rackets, and that helped.
Q. What were you saying to the crowd when you orchestrated?
TODD WOODBRIDGE: All of a sudden they didn't like any call that I was getting, turned around, laughed at them. I said, don't you like me up at this end? They all thought that was great, and they were all on my side from there. It worked for me. I was planning on getting a little bit of an edge.
Q. What do you think of the American team's chance against Ellis and Wayne?
TODD WOODBRIDGE: That is who they are playing next?
Q. Yeah.
TODD WOODBRIDGE: That will be actually a big test, I think, for them. Both Ellis and Wayne are good doubles players. They have played a lot together. But Ellis and Ferreira have done well this year with different partners, and Wayne can probably play well with anybody. He is a good serve and volleyer, good returner, so that is going to be a test for them. If they get through that, then I think you can say that they are going to be a challenge to doing well.
Q. Looking forward now obviously to the doubles?
TODD WOODBRIDGE: Yeah. Well, now the singles is finished, I am a bit disappointed. But I have put up a good performance, so now I can -- I guess now all the energy can go into that. I do feel good because I feel like I have played some good matches here. I have been under a bit of pressure - that always helps. Probably easier for me than for Mark when he has been in doubles only for this tournament so I feel like now I can knuckle down and concentrate and try and do our job like we do in other tournaments.
Q. And get a little bit back at Paes?
TODD WOODBRIDGE: Yeah, he beat me the last Olympics, so at least I am not underestimating -- I am going into tomorrow's match; I know that we have got a pretty tough match.
Q. Todd, how do you see Marc Philippoussis' opportunities?
TODD WOODBRIDGE: I don't know if he has looked ahead. We have all tried not to tell him too much, he really has a chance at a medal. His draw is wide open. There is no one in his section that I don't think has him beat before. It is a matter of what Jason did at Wimbledon where he knew he had a good Wimbledon; went out; concentrated hard; played good tennis and beat who he should and Mark has got that opportunity. Probably he doesn't have the experience Jason has had, but he has definitely got a chance to go a long way in the tournament so I hope he, you know, he is enjoying himself at the Olympics. When he has played his matches he has really focused well and played well, so I hope that continues.
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