GREAT AMERICAN INSURANCE ATP CHAMPIONSHIP

August 11, 1999

Alex Corretja

Q. When you play someone like him, do you look at him as a guy ranked where he is now or a guy who is ranked where you are?

ALEX CORRETJA: That's a good question. I look at him as an great player. I'm not changing anything because he's a better ranking or not. I mean, I'm not playing against Chang thinking if he's 50 or if he used to be No. 5. Just go on the court, try to do my game and try to see if I can do my best. But of course when you're playing against a guy like him, that you know he's a good experience guy, you know it's going to be difficult because if he has a chance, he will take it. So today I think he was better than me, and I didn't move that well, I guess. I didn't found my place on the court easily. I think it was my first match after a while on hard court, and I play a little bit discredit.

ALEX CORRETJA: I always do the same. I always come here first tournament in Cincinnati. Because after Wimbledon, we have some good clay court tournaments in Gstaad, Kitzbuhel, so I prefer to stay there and come here. I was feeling okay, but physically I'm not at a hundred percent. I was a little sick for the last two months or something. In this moment, I don't feel a hundred percent. It's good that I play a long match, and now I'm going to work hard to see if I can find my highest level.

ALEX CORRETJA: I wasn't ill on the court. Of course, if you don't have good rhythm, then it's tough to get through in three sets, especially when you made an effort in the second set, I made the breaker. Today I was starting to feel a little tired, which is not normal for me, but that's because I was a little sick and I didn't play so much, you know. He was taking advantage of that. He was putting more pressure to me. As I said, I think he was a little better, no?

ALEX CORRETJA: Well, after the French Open, I got an allergy. After that I rest almost for a month. I came back in Gstaad. I pull my muscles. I took some antiinflammatories. That gave me again the allergy, so I had to stop for ten days again. I came back in Stuttgart, which was my first tournament after clay. So I was off almost for six weeks, so it's a lot. I didn't expect to do well. I get there just to practice a little bit. Suddenly I start to feel better on the court. I reach the semifinals. Then after that I was not able to play better because I was really tired, you know. You don't have the rhythm; difficult to find it. Right now, as I said, I came here just to try to see if I can keep my level, try to see if I can find my game. I'm not disappointed with the loss because I think I lost against a good player. But as well, I'm a little disappointed because I see that I'm not still at my hundred percent. So I have something to improve, but I still have to work a little more.

ALEX CORRETJA: Yes, since Barcelona tournament that I start to find something in my body, in my liver. So I didn't play anything after Barcelona. My first tournament was Rome, then quarters at the French Open, I got sick again. I start to play in Stuttgart. So I play Rome, French, Stuttgart, then I play Kitzbuhel in bad conditions, and here. So I play five tournaments in the last maybe three months and a half or something.

ALEX CORRETJA: Well, I know kind of. It's difficult to control the allergy, especially when you are traveling around the world the whole day. For the moment, I think it's under control.

ALEX CORRETJA: I will go to Washington next week.

ALEX CORRETJA: Well, I think I have to try to spend a little bit more of time on clay because I like to play there. If I got good rhythm on clay, then I come here, I'm a better player. As you said, if I came here every year, and I would lost every year first round in the tournaments, I would say to myself that maybe I need some more rhythm or need to play some more tournaments. Since I've been coming here first tournament Cincinnati, I was not really successful here, but last year I won Indianapolis, three years ago I played the semifinals, or two years ago, then I reach the quarters at The Open, fourth round. I feel okay coming here. Instead of that, I could come to Toronto or Montreal as well, but I would be the same question maybe there. They would tell me, "Why do you come to the Super 9 event instead of coming earlier to Los Angeles?" We never will find the time to come. As I said, I prefer to stay. Last year I stay in Europe and I won Gstaad. This year I play semis in Stuttgart. It's a time of the year which I have good results always in Europe, so it's no matter to come here and just play on hard court, you know. I find myself playing there, doing well in the clay court tournaments, giving some confidence, rhythm. Then I come here, I feel much better. If I come here and stay here maybe for six or seven weeks, maybe it will be too much as well to play The Open. If I would be in America, maybe I could go home. But the same as a European guy, when we play from Estoril or Barcelona through to the French Open, for us it's easier to play there. For an American guy, none of them are staying the whole Tour, you know. They just maybe play Monte-Carlo and came back, play Hamburg, Rome. Some of them came back, as well. I think it's better, once you come, you just stay for a while, but don't go back and forth. I don't like it. Then I feel so tired from traveling.