US OPEN

September 9, 2003

Lee Childs

JAMES NELSON: Yes. It feels great. Sunk in a bit now.

LEE CHILDS: Yes.

JAMES NELSON: You can't really say. I had a good run in the singles, as well, third round. Before this, we also played two Futures in England, also made a semifinal there. My confidence was high coming into this tournament.

JAMES NELSON: Cumberland, 15,000. So it's just pushed it even more.

LEE CHILDS: We played not much really, because we're still concentrating on the juniors. We played from the start of this year, played maybe four.

LEE CHILDS: Ranking is 777.

JAMES NELSON: Mine is about 800. So about 20 points.

LEE CHILDS: About 20.

LEE CHILDS: Yes.

JAMES NELSON: Yeah, when we get back.

LEE CHILDS: Four Futures.

JAMES NELSON: A week off, then four Futures.

LEE CHILDS: One is Sunderland, Glasgow, Leeds and Edinburgh.

LEE CHILDS: Edinburgh and Leeds.

JAMES NELSON: Yeah, it definitely suits my game. Maybe it's even a little bit quicker.

LEE CHILDS: The quicker the court, the better.

JAMES NELSON: I come into the net a lot. I'm not really a baseline player. The slower the court, it's tougher for me to come in, play my game.

LEE CHILDS: Better for the doubles, as well. A quicker court for doubles, we find it better.

LEE CHILDS: Yeah, no, I won the Under-18 European title. That was on clay. We won the doubles on clay, as well, that week. We had a good week that week. We're starting to play better on the clay now because we've got a few more clay courts in England. We started practicing more on it, putting in the hours really. You can tell it's paying off really.

JAMES NELSON: Even when I play on the clay, I've got to concentrate on my own game, play on my strengths, come into the net, play my game.

LEE CHILDS: Yeah. I mean, there's going to be people that are obviously better on clay tactically than we are. If you go out there and give it all, you know, on the day really.

JAMES NELSON: Queen's Club, there's a few clay courts there. And Bournemouth, there's a few clay courts there, as well. They're starting to build a lot more clay courts in England. I think at Sutton they've just built another four or five. There aren't that many clay courts, but that's where we go.

LEE CHILDS: In London, that's where most of them are. You know, we've got them on hand if we need to practice before. If we know we're going away for, say, a month on the clay, we know, you know, the courts are there for us to use. We're fine like that.

LEE CHILDS: I don't know if it's had any direct effect on us. I mean, he's probably trying more with the younger guys, in clubs and things like that. Definitely his enthusiasm about us, the way he's trying to get us to play - not get us to play, you know, but to encourage us really.

JAMES NELSON: Yeah.

LEE CHILDS: He's great. He's on the court a bit with us. He puts in the time. I mean, it's good.

JAMES NELSON: Lee's big serve. I'd say I'm a more consistent returner, a little bit more solid. Lee is just hitting the big shots, then the next one I play a solid one.

LEE CHILDS: We gel quite well. You know, we've been together since we were quite young. We played doubles together for years. I mean, it's a good relationship on the court. We know each other's game. It's easier to communicate, things like that.

LEE CHILDS: Well, for me, the background of tennis in my family is none. I started at primary school. My headmaster used to play tennis. Just one PE lesson one day, when I was about four or five - five, I think it was - just hitting a few tennis balls. I hit it all right, you know, could see the ball pretty well. One parents' evening, he said to my parents, "You should take him along for some coaching." I went to some coaching, just went from there really. Just enjoyed playing, county level, regional level, national level, like I am now really.

JAMES NELSON: I did play football at an early age. My dad used to be a football player. He works for Newcastle, as well.

JAMES NELSON: He played for Sunderland.

JAMES NELSON: Yes.

JAMES NELSON: A while ago. When Brian Clough was playing.

JAMES NELSON: James.

JAMES NELSON: Yeah. No one in the family played tennis either with me. I started playing short (turns/tournaments?) at the local sports centre. Just went on from there.

JAMES NELSON: It would help. There are a lot more players coming through now, like three, four, five of each age group. At first, there was just me and Lee in my age, our age.

LEE CHILDS: I mean, you've got to look at yourself really.

JAMES NELSON: It's a good rivalry, as well. When Lee does well, it pushes me on, as well. When I do well, it pushes Lee on. We have a good rivalry, as well.

LEE CHILDS: Push each other.

JAMES NELSON: Yeah.

JAMES NELSON: It is. Keeps us on our toes.

LEE CHILDS: Yeah.

JAMES NELSON: Good to see some younger players coming through. A lot of good youngsters, 14- and 15-year-olds coming through.

LEE CHILDS: Definitely.

LEE CHILDS: Yeah.

JAMES NELSON: Yes.

JAMES NELSON: Colin has been very good for me, ever since I started working with him about a year and a half ago.

JAMES NELSON: Yeah. Practice all day. It's good for everyone.

LEE CHILDS: No, Danny, it's good to have new faces sometimes, new ideas, things like that. He's definitely got new ideas, different ways of looking at the game and things. It's done me a world of good, I think, with Danny coming in. I get on great with him. Off the court, we get on well. You know, we can talk better, talk about games better, things like that.

JAMES NELSON: Just got to keep working as hard as you can, keep staying positive with your game, even if you're on a down spell. You're always going to have your ups-and-downs. Got to keep staying positive, work as hard as you can. If it comes, it comes.

LEE CHILDS: Yeah.

JAMES NELSON: Just keep going at it really.