U.S. OPEN

September 8, 1992

Boris Becker

Q. Any match like that must leave some regrets. What particular regrets does that match leave regarding your performance throughout the five sets?

BORIS BECKER: Well, I had my chance in the fifth, I mean, he was better the second. He was better in the fourth, but at the beginning of the fifth, I had my chances. I had a breakpoint once at 2-1, I had 15-40 and twice didn't put the serve in. I had the chance to do something, and I didn't. That was probably the key, match -- the key point and the key game for the match.

Q. Would you say stamina was a key factor also in that match?

BORIS BECKER: Not really. I was -- sure, I mean, this morning I felt a little bit better than I feel now, but you know, it was 6-4 in the fifth and I had in the fifth set, it was almost that everyone will have their chances on the other guy's service games, so it was a hard struggle for both players, and is-- I guess I came out so many times on top against him in a close match, and you know, sometimes the dice are not falling for you. I have to take it like that.

Q. He said you were bunting the ball pretty well?

BORIS BECKER: What?

Q. You were bunting the ball pretty well.

BORIS BECKER: Well, whatever.

Q. Boris, after the third set in the tiebreaker you went up two sets to one. Did you think you were in control of the match? Did you think it was going to go five hours?

BORIS BECKER: No. I thought the third set tiebreaker was point, and big, and at the beginning of the fourth, you know, on his first two service games, I had my chances and somehow he came out, and then was a long service game, at 1-2, when I was down 15-40; then I had a couple of strange calls and a couple of talks with the umpire, and then it was ad, deuce; ad, deuce, and then somehow he broke me there, and that was the turning point for him, you know, from then on he had some air again and I was then all of a sudden a break down in the fourth.

Q. What do you think made the difference in the end?

BORIS BECKER: Everybody saw it. It was a question of one ball, basically. The difference is sometimes, you cannot really explain it in words. On some days it is-- you are meant to win and some days meant to lose and I think it was a question of that today.

Q. What does this match tell you for the following month and the end of the year?

BORIS BECKER: Well, I had pretty tough loss in Wimbledon against the champion, and also in five and I had a pretty tough loss now against Ivan, and -- you know, in one sense it is better almost or it doesn't hurt as much if you lose quite easily. But on the other hand, you know, if you play the way I did now comparing to two, three month ago it is definitely on the way up, and I just have to go on to try hard and fight, and there is going to come a time again when those breakpoints are going to fall for me. It doesn't come -- it didn't come today and it is not going to come tomorrow. But if I continue the way I have been practicing and trying and playing, I am going to be back in the top of the tennis world.

Q. Boris, how disappointed are you right now?

BORIS BECKER: Well, I am actually more tired than disappointed; probably when I wake up tomorrow, or the days after, then the pain is going to start, but right now, I gave it everything I had. It was not a question of me not trying or not playing good. It was just a question of the two man battled there for five hours and one had to loss and it happened to be me today. But I can -- I can keep my head up, and as I just said before, if I continue like that, I am going to play again Ivan, I am going to play again Agassi and all those players, and then maybe I am going to win 6-3 in the fifth, so I just have to go on and train and fight and do the same thing I have been doing the last couple of weeks and month. But on this very moment, it is pretty tough to lose like that. It is probably --

Q. Boris, there seem to be a lot of things that were bothering you during the match. Was it just a matter of calls that you disagree with or anything in particular that was bothering you about the way the match was?

BORIS BECKER: I have rarely seen a tight match where one player agreed so much with the umpire and vice versa. Usually you have bad calls on both sides, both players are talking to the umpire, but in those five hours, I seemed to be the only one was trying and talking to the umpire. That doesn't really happen often.

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