DAVIS CUP - ITALY vs USA

September 25, 1998

Todd Martin

TODD MARTIN: Well, I was surprised that he was able to play that well for three straight sets, yes. I wasn't surprised that he was able to play well like that at times. But he has got very loose strokes and for somebody that plays that loose, you expect some highs and lows. And maybe he played a few bad points in the third set. But not many.

TODD MARTIN: Geez, no. Not at all. You almost feel less because you feel like Italy had the lead and you feel like, all right, now I just go out and swing away and now I -- it is not much to lose. We don't have the lead. I went out there and I don't think nerves got the best of me at all. I didn't execute as well as Davide did.

TODD MARTIN: No, I really enjoyed it. (Laughs). Yeah, well, first of all, he is lightning quick. He moves beautifully and then secondly I was wrong yesterday when I said that conditions might speed up because of the extra people and the match situations. I think Jan-Michael had both -- like we had the trouble getting the ball to penetrate that. The big deal about putting guys out there who can dictate points, we both lost to a couple of, more or less, counterpunchers and that shows that, one, they executed better than we did and, two, the conditions were a little slower than we would have liked them.

TODD MARTIN: But I think I was two for two on breakpoints even, Bud.

TODD MARTIN: I might have been batting 100% on --

TODD MARTIN: I did.

TODD MARTIN: I was patient though.

TODD MARTIN: Well, you know, the second point -- the first point I hit a good serve. Missed a backhand volley on the tape and second point I hit a great serve and I charged on it, on a high shank and rather than waiting for it to bounce because I didn't know how it was going to bounce, I got up to it and then it looked like it wasn't -- looked like it might not clear the net, then I knew it was going to clear the net, but I thought it was going to be pretty close to the net. I didn't want to take too big of a swing at it because I didn't want to hit the net. Then I tried to do something softer and just took my eye off the ball and missed it. From Love-30, especially on a point that you feel like you should win, it is -- that is a strange position to be in. It is not one that hasn't been experienced before, but it took a little wind out of the sails and I was more disappointed with the game at 4-All where I got broken.

CAPTAIN GULLIKSON: I think we have lost a match up 2-Love and now we are down Love-2. Our backs are really against the wall. We just have to go out there and play a good doubles match tomorrow and get one point, get on the board and then hopefully, you know, come back Sunday and kind of have a reversal of today's fortunes and maybe win a few tiebreakers and it could be a big difference.

CAPTAIN GULLIKSON: Todd and Justin.

CAPTAIN GULLIKSON: I think certainly any time you lose four tiebreakers, obviously the Italians played some good tennis and we maybe didn't play our best tennis in the tiebreakers. I think we got down -- I don't think we ever got a lead in any of the tiebreakers actually.

TODD MARTIN: Lost two of them 7-0.

CAPTAIN GULLIKSON: Yeah, lost two, 7-0. Obviously it is hard to win a tiebreaker when you don't win a point. At least I don't think I have ever seen a tiebreaker won without winning a point. You know, it is very deflating, especially, I mean, Jan-Michael I thought did a good job in his match. He was down 5-2, two breaks in the set and he played four unbelievable games to go up 6-5 and then he had some chances that game and then all of a sudden he bageled in the tiebreaker. It is like, wow, where did that come from?

CAPTAIN GULLIKSON: Right.

CAPTAIN GULLIKSON: We are worried about the doubles match tomorrow. I mean, Sunday is two days away. So we will try to live one day at a time so to speak.

CAPTAIN GULLIKSON: Thank you.

CAPTAIN GULLIKSON: No.

CAPTAIN GULLIKSON: No. I don't like to second guess myself. You can do that.

CAPTAIN GULLIKSON: I thought we had very good chance in both matches.

CAPTAIN GULLIKSON: Todd obviously has been a great Davis Cup player. He is a great Davis Cup player and on paper, his matchup with Sanguinetti looked pretty good for us. Obviously any time you a play a rookie like Jan-Michael, the unknown factor is how is he going to handle the pressure of his first Davis Cup match. So that is a little bit more of an unknown factor. But Todd is a known quantity and a very, very good Davis Cup player and so that matchup on paper looked like a good matchup for us.

CAPTAIN GULLIKSON: Well, I thought both matches had some good tennis. I think today's match with Sanguinetti, in terms of holding serve, had some more rhythm it to. Because they both held serve fairly well. Then Jan-Michael's match had some real highs and lows in it, as I guess would be typical for a longer player, but --

CAPTAIN GULLIKSON: Well, he tends to get a little down on himself out there. It is pretty noticeable. I said: Stay positive and keep moving your feet, keep playing aggressive and, you know, good things will happen for you. He tends to get a bit down on himself when things aren't going his way. It is fairly noticeable.

CAPTAIN GULLIKSON: No.

CAPTAIN GULLIKSON: I made the commitment and I am going to stick with it.

CAPTAIN GULLIKSON: First of all, favorite, I don't really put any stock in that. You just have to go out and win the matches. You prove it on the court, so, favorite or underdog, I mean, it is -- you just go out there and you play tennis. Unfortunately today the Italians played a little better than we did, but it is just one match at a time. Just have to go out there and really work hard in the doubles and try to get ahead. Try to win that first set and then see what happens after that. Just we have got to go at it one point at a time, one game at a time, one set at a time, one match at a time and just you have to keep plugging away at it.

CAPTAIN GULLIKSON: Maybe speed it up a little bit. Maybe I would say put some water on it and then somehow freeze it, turn the building into --

CAPTAIN GULLIKSON: Yeah, Wisconsin is known for its cold weather. Could be a little quicker, but, you know, that is -- you know something the court is the court. It is not going to change, so....

CAPTAIN GULLIKSON: No.

CAPTAIN GULLIKSON: No.

CAPTAIN GULLIKSON: No.

TODD MARTIN: Richey called me.

CAPTAIN GULLIKSON: Richey Reneberg.

CAPTAIN GULLIKSON: No.

CAPTAIN GULLIKSON: I am not upset about those big players like Sampras, no. I mean, I can't control who he calls on the telephone, so.....