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NASDAQ-100 OPEN


March 20, 2002


Juan Ignacio Chela


KEY BISCAYNE, FLORIDA

THE MODERATOR: First question, please.

Q. Where did he get the service motion from? Did he have a shoulder problem, any injuries? Is that why he serves that way?

JUAN IGNACIO CHELA: He says he did it like that not because of an injury, but because he felt he was more coordinated that way. He had a problem with coordination, serving the other way around. So, he just changed it for that.

THE MODERATOR: There's another player on the tour, Zabaleta, who does it the same way. He started off because of an injury. He thought it was better to do it that way also.

Q. Talk about the match today. It seemed like he didn't quite have the killer instinct. He let Ginepri back into it. Are you unhappy about that?

JUAN IGNACIO CHELA: It was a very strange match. Started off losing his serve in the beginning, and then he managed to come back, and in the second set he doesn't know what happened. Second set, the problem was he felt a little bit tired. Every time there was a long point, he lost it. Probably the key was that he's a bit tired.

Q. Does he feel like he's not in good enough condition right now?

JUAN IGNACIO CHELA: Well, no. He says he's in good shape. The only problem is he's been playing a lot lately, playing a lot of matches. This is his seventh week in a row playing tournaments, so he's a bit tired of playing. But his physical condition is fine.

Q. I know he grew up on the clay court, but he's had good hardcourt results against Sampras and Agassi. Because the courts are slow, does he feel that's a benefit to him, that these hardcourts are playing slower?

JUAN IGNACIO CHELA: He says that he still feels good when he's playing on the hardcourts. He obviously prefers clay, but hard court is something that he feels comfortable on. He also said that obviously if it's a little bit slower, it's more convenient for him.

Q. Has he played Andy Roddick before? And, if not, how does he think he has to play to beat him?

JUAN IGNACIO CHELA: He said he's never played against him. He knows he's got a very good serve. He has to keep his concentration and take the initiative on points and try to control the point from the beginning.

Q. I noticed he plays like ten feet behind the baseline. Does he feel like that's what he's going to do against Roddick? Because that could stunt some of his power, by playing deeper.

JUAN IGNACIO CHELA: No, he's feeling comfortable back there. Roddick doesn't come in to often, so he will be playing where he feels comfortable, and that's the way he plays.

Q. He feels like it's going to be a baseline duel Friday?

JUAN IGNACIO CHELA: From his part, yeah. Regarding him, yeah. One year ago he was judged here for doping. He said it was the worst moment of his life. Now he came back here, it is the best moment of his life.

End of FastScripts….

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