US OPEN

August 30, 2000

Mardy Fish

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Mardy.

MARDY FISH: I went four in Kalamazoo.

MARDY FISH: Kalamazoo Finals last year.

MARDY FISH: No.

MARDY FISH: Yeah, my legs were tired. My mind wasn't really tired but my legs were -- I was feeling my thighs were getting pretty weak. But I mean I was still battling, trying.

MARDY FISH: Yeah.

MARDY FISH: I think I was up -- I got up a break 2-1, then went, I guess, it was 3-2, I lost my serve, right.

MARDY FISH: I was serving 3-2. I don't know, I mean --

MARDY FISH: Okay, never mind then. I didn't really get nervous because it wasn't really close to -- I mean it was close, but it wasn't like -- I wasn't really serving it out or anything. I just played a couple bad games on my serve in the fourth and the fifth, and I guess he took advantage. He returned -- he started returning well. My first-serve percentage started dropping off. He started taking advantage of my second serves. Then he served really well. I couldn't get a rhythm on his return -- or on his serve at all.

MARDY FISH: It was at 4-all?

MARDY FISH: It was 15-30 or 15-40?

MARDY FISH: I don't remember that shot.

MARDY FISH: In the beginning I tried to get the crowd on my side because I knew that I would need them if it went like a long match. And I did and I tried to get real fired up. It also helped me, too, not just getting the crowd by my side. I stayed real positive, and played really well.

MARDY FISH: Yeah, I have my mom and my sister and my dad are here.

MARDY FISH: Yeah, I could hear my sister, yeah.

MARDY FISH: Did she get pretty excited?

MARDY FISH: Yeah, I'm sure. She's a tennis player herself, so she loves it.

MARDY FISH: 17.

MARDY FISH: She's going to go -- she doesn't know yet. But she's a senior. She's starting her senior year in high school. She's like 40th in the country, she's really good. She's got one more year.

MARDY FISH: Meredith.

MARDY FISH: Yeah.

MARDY FISH: How did we get along?

MARDY FISH: I don't know. Who says we get along? (Laughter.) No, I'm kidding. I got to know him really well when I used to live with him for like eight months. So I got to know him really well on a personal standpoint, not only seeing him at the courts and hitting with him. So we were good friends.

MARDY FISH: I think he did calm down after I started getting hyped up, because I mean he didn't really hype me up. I started from the first game, trying to stay positive and trying to pump myself up.

MARDY FISH: Sorry.

MARDY FISH: No, he probably had more of an effect on me. That's good to -- I mean the fans want that. The fans want people who are intense and on the court and really try hard and sometimes when I play, I'm -- I mean you might get the wrong picture or something 'cause I'm just, you know, laid back and... But I mean I try to do what Andy does and try to get intense. Maybe even piss Jan-Mike off a little bit because it's -- I mean he's not my friend in the match. But after the match he is.

MARDY FISH: I don't know. You said I missed a forehand or something?

MARDY FISH: I played really tentative on some of my break point chances in the first, second and third sets. A couple of them I got good forehands to rip, and I rolled them back cross court or inside-out back to his backhand, he took advantage. I played really cautious. I didn't make an error, but he had to come up with a good shot, and he did. But I didn't really make it too tough on him to come up with that shot.

MARDY FISH: Thank you.

MARDY FISH: Yeah, yeah. I mean coming out there, I thought I would be really nervous and right at the beginning I got my feet going good and I wasn't -- I just -- there were no nerves at all. I was fired up and ready to play, since I was waiting for so long I thought I would be really nervous to play. Finally getting out there, I came out there really playing well and really hitting the ball well.

MARDY FISH: No.

MARDY FISH: I mean it's only going up. I mean I've just started playing these tournaments, and I've only gotten good results. I mean I lost second round, I won a round at the Ericsson, and let's see... I got to the quarterfinals of an ATP Tour event in Newport, I lost first round in Cincinnati, but I had a lot of chances. And also here. So I mean --

MARDY FISH: Yeah. This is my first three-out-of-five on the ATP Tour.

MARDY FISH: No, the serve is what I need to work on the most. If I get my serve going -- like Andy's got an awesome serve. That's why he plays well, because his serve is awesome. I need to work on my serve. If I get my serve going, there's no stopping.

MARDY FISH: I don't think so. She's not really into Minnesota like my dad and I are. It's pretty cold up there.

MARDY FISH: When I was three and my sister was one. But we still -- my dad lived there for 30 years.

MARDY FISH: I still live in Boca, I don't go every week. I try to go.

MARDY FISH: Well, right now I just started with a new coach, Brad Stein, he lives in Fresno. I'm going to go out to Fresno a lot and practice there. In Boca, there's a bunch of guys there like Andy and Lavar and those guys.

MARDY FISH: I didn't go. I just finished my senior year. I didn't -- I mean it never -- I never really came up to that conclusion, because I signed with IMG and they were recruiting me from the French Open on, like last year. And I actually signed a year ago, last year. And I mean the school year starts on -- like right then when I signed. I knew I was going to sign but I hadn't signed until then. I knew I was going to sign so I didn't think I was going to go.

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