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AUSTRALIAN OPEN


January 18, 2003


Mikhail Youzhny


MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

THE MODERATOR: First question, please.

Q. No Kafelnikov, no more Safin. You are a very, very important name for Russia now.

MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: Yeah, is bad luck for Russia because Marat have injury and Yevgeny lost second round. But, no, play tournaments, for us doesn't matter. You think only about for you next opponent, because, you know, we don't thinks -- want our country, plays for our country to win. But if we lost, we don't think about this.

Q. Why do you think you won today?

MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: Today I play very good and I think he have many mistakes, not like usually I think. Usually he plays maybe great. But I play good today.

Q. You have a lot of improvements on your forehand. Do you agree? I mean your forehand was working well today. Your backhand is better.

MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: You know, I try improve everything but, you know, all times I have good forehand. It's maybe now many journalists says, everybody thinking about my backhand. But, you know, it's forehand all times it was good at. Maybe it was backhand was little bit better, but not like everybody spoke about this.

Q. This is your first tournament since the Davis Cup.

MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: No, not the first.

Q. Sorry, your first Grand Slam since the Davis Cup. Does that give you something for the big matches here, that you played in that environment and won?

MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: Of course you have four Grand Slams in every year. We try our best game. In the year, it was for this four tournaments. It was very tough match in Davis Cup, but after Davis Cup we go towards good practice. And I play two tournaments before Australia Open. Here I have good shape, you know. I like here and I want to play here.

Q. Did you gain confidence from winning that match? Did that give you something that you can take...?

MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: No, it's different matches. It's very big difference. Because now, play Mikhail Youzhny, in Davis Cup, play Russia, I play for the country. It's Davis Cup and tournament's not the same. But at Davis Cup, of course it was very important match in my career. It was very big nerves. But after this match when I play the first, second, third round, it's nerves not like on Davis Cup. Here it's easy.

Q. Are you happy with your position in this tournament? Do you feel that you're a very dangerous opponent now for anybody that meets you?

MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: No. Now I want to beat Roddick. I don't think what's happens if I beat Roddick. Okay, if I beat Roddick, maybe I come to the studio and we spoke about next player. But no, before first match, you think only first round. But if I win first round, I think only about second round. It's step by step.

Q. Marat looks like he might not be fit for the Davis Cup. Can you say how much of a blow that would be to the team?

MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: You know, we don't spoke about Marat Safin. We have three more weeks before Davis Cup. Maybe Marat ready. If not, we have good players. We have Kafelnikov, we have Davydenko, we have Stoliarov. But of course if Marat play, we have big chance. If he does play, it's very big problems for Russians, but we can play, we try play without Marat.

Q. Have you set yourself any targets, any goals for 2003?

MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: No, I want to improve my games and I don't think about tournaments, about ranking now. I want -- I think only about our game. If I am improve serve, backhand, volley, forehand, everything, I think my ranking going up. Because, you know, we have just -- we know what we must to do of going up.

Q. What do you have to do? What exactly do you have to do?

MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: I want to improve my serve. If I serve bit better, I think for me will be easier.

Q. First and second?

MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: No, I need to improve. If I improve only serve, my game going up five, ten position. But, no, it's if I want to going up not five, ten, if I need improve all my games, everything. It's backhand, forehand, volley, serve - everything.

Q. Why do you think grass before the Davis Cup final was your better surface like results? You have better results on grass. Why do you think?

MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: No, I don't think it's -- it was good results on grass. But I win tournament on clay. I have not bad results on hard because, you know, I like grass. You need players every surface. But, you know, I never think about grass, clay or hard.

Q. Which one is your favorite?

MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: For me I think doesn't matter. I like play in clay, hard, indoor, outdoor.

Q. So the match of your life, you don't know where you want to play you're saying?

MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: I'm saying.

Q. Would winning here compare with winning the Davis Cup, what happened to you?

MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: Nothing special for me. It was after -- after Davis Cup, it was very tough first week because too many televisions, journalists, Mayor of Moscow, President of Russia, Yeltsin. Everybody. We just running. But after that, we going to Thailand, practice to Thailand. We start to forget about Davis Cup and just practice and try improve our game and try.

Q. Everybody ask to you from Russian president, everybody, first question was, "How did you do it?"

MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: No, it was -- in Davis Cup of course it's many spectators who is just there, maybe they don't know who's Youzhny. Russian journalists before this match spoke only about Kafelnikov and Safin. But for captains in France, for players, for coaches, team who is near on the team, who is near on the tennis, everybody knows who is number three in Russians. I think everybody knows if I go to court I can lost, I can win. Because I stay in my ranking, it was like the same. For us, it was tough match but is not sensations.

Q. Are you confident of beating Andy Roddick?

MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: Now I play good. But if it's enough beat Roddick, it's okay. If not enough, I go to practice and maybe I beat him next time. But I want to go into court and play my best game for today, for tomorrow. That's it. If it's enough for winner, it's okay. But if I lost, no problem.

Q. Do you ever play in this tournament which you admire the most because he does what he wants, because he practice well, one or two in this tournament which you like a lot?

MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: Many -- not many last years, it's Agassi. I like how he play, everything, what he doing.

Q. And Steffi Graf, too, or no?

MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: Only Agassi (smiling).

End of FastScripts….

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