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TENNIS MASTERS CUP


November 14, 2006


Jonathan Erlich

Andy Ram


SHANGHAI, CHINA

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Every loss is a disappointment. This one is, too?
ANDY RAM: What is the question?

Q. Are you very disappointed from your loss?
ANDY RAM: Every time we lose, we're disappointing. I mean, this level we can beat any team in the world and we can lose to any team in the world.
And the first match when we start the Masters, we beat the world's No. 1 like we knew we could beat them. Today we lost to another great team, No. 3 or 4 in the world.
All the matches in the Masters are very open. It's not a disappointment. I think it's just a loss, you know. Next match we can still win, still qualify to the semifinal. I think everything is still open, so no disappointment.

Q. What went wrong?
ANDY RAM: Well, we start the first set, we got broken at the very beginning of the first set at 1-All. Then second set we tried to fix it. They hang in there with the serve. We got broken in the first game of the second set.
When you get broken at the very beginning of the sets against the good teams, it's very tough to come back. We tried. We hang in there. We had only a few breakpoints to try to come back. But it's very tough when you got broken in the beginning.
I think they took advantage of the break and they start to run with the set.

Q. Any strategy for your next match?
JONATHAN ERLICH: We probably going to sit tonight or tomorrow, talk about it. We actually never played against them together as a pair, Damm/Paes. We played against them individually. We know our strengths, we know their weaknesses. Obviously we need to go and play hard to win.

Q. What makes you move your residence to Israel?
ANDY RAM: I was born in Uruguay. When I was five, my parents decided to go and live in Israel. Ever since I live in Israel, the last 21 years. That's my story. Let's hear yours.
JONATHAN ERLICH: Mine pretty much the same. I was one years old so I didn't really decide.
ANDY RAM: I think it's our parents' decision, very patriotic about the country.

Q. Are you football fans, soccer fans?
ANDY RAM: Very much. I'm crazy, fanatic about soccer.

Q. You are the right person to answer this question. Are you going to watch Croatia?
ANDY RAM: Yes. What's the question?

Q. Are you going to watch the match?
ANDY RAM: I will do my best to watch it. The time difference, it will be a little bit tough. I think it's going to be the middle of the morning and the next day I will have to play my last match, very important match. I don't know if I'm going to watch it. I'm going to try to follow up as soon as I wake up in the morning. Hopefully is really will win.

Q. Could you name any of Croatia's players?
ANDY RAM: Now Croatian players, I'm not really familiar with the Croatian team. I know that Giovanni Rosso is a very good one. He's taking care of the Croatian team now in Israel. Hopefully he's taking good care of them. I know they're a tough team, Croatia. That's the only thing I know.

Q. You said Israel is going to win 2-Love, right?
JONATHAN ERLICH: We hope so.
ANDY RAM: I hope. I'm not really believing it, but I hope.

Q. Do you think that maybe you came with overconfidence after the good win against the Bryan brothers?
JONATHAN ERLICH: Definitely I can say no. I mean, we know Hanley and Ullyett. We beat them a few times, we lost them a few times. We knew it was not going to be a walk in the park. We knew we need to win it if we want to really qualify to move on to the semifinals.
It will be very stupid if we go like that. I think they really played great. We played not that great. We start a little bit slow, that make the difference.

Q. Any comment for the gap between singles and doubles of this Masters Cup? The doubles have very few audience in the afternoon.
JONATHAN ERLICH: Well, I think it's pretty much pretty normal. We play 2:00 in the afternoon. I think the majority of the people are working. It's tough to come here.
ANDY RAM: People need to earn money.
JONATHAN ERLICH: I mean, obviously the doubles is a sideshow for the singles. This is not a surprise about that.
But I think there was quite nice audience today, crowd. I'm sure for the weekend. We played on Sunday, it was very nice, almost full. I'm sure during the weekend will be better. If we play in the afternoon, we cannot expect will be 15,000 people in the crowd. I can hope, but I'm pretty sure is not going to happen.

Q. You think you'll be there on Sunday?
ANDY RAM: I think I'll be there on Sunday? Again, I will answer, otherwise I wouldn't fly 20 hours from Israel not to be there. I wouldn't fly to lose. We really believe in ourselves. We prove it in the first match. We're very, very --
JONATHAN ERLICH: Motivated.
ANDY RAM: -- motivated for this.

Q. Do you prefer to have a Masters Cup together or separate as it was before?
JONATHAN ERLICH: I think play together, it's a great event. I think make it bigger event, for the doubles especially. We already tried to make it separate. I think for that, for me, I never played separately.
But it's a big, big event. It's like a party for every players. I think also for singles, I don't know what their react. I pretty sure for them to be a little bit more people.
ANDY RAM: I think it's one game. Tennis is one game. It's not doubles is one game, singles is another game. Tennis is singles, doubles, sometimes mixed doubles. You make a tennis event, not a singles event or a doubles event. I think it should be together.

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