[訪問]Gustavo Kuerten 2004/05/31
Day 8 - Gustavo Kuerten interview
Monday, May 31, 2004
Q. Another three-sets victory. Can you compare the feeling with the win over
Federer? Today, how did you feel?
GUSTAVO KUERTEN: Yeah, I think was a different atmosphere in the court. First
match. It's also not as warm, the feelings there, as you play a match during
the day already later on.
But I think the match got much more excited after I lost the serve there on
5-4 in the second set. It creates more adrenaline in the game.
And I think at the end I was probably the same happiness and feelings when I
closed out the match. It was a tough game there. I served pretty well. And
after, you know, becoming reality to be again on the quarterfinal again for
me was special.
So in that way, was maybe more special than beating Roger in the early rounds.
Q. So you are in the quarters now. You didn't have any expectations, specific
expectations, when you came here. But now that you are in the quarters, do
you feel you have a good chance? Did you start to think about it?
GUSTAVO KUERTEN: Oh, I think right now at least my motivation, my
enthusiastic are much higher, you know, than the beginning of the tournament.
I don't see, you know, myself already thinking too far away on the semis or
in the final because maybe this not for sure. I think it's not gonna help me.
So I think now it's gonna be much tougher than was today. I gonna play even
Safin or Nalbandian. I was watching the match, they playing pretty well. So I
think that that's gonna be great, great challenge for me, as well as when I
played Roger.
If I pass on and go far into the semis, it's gonna be what I will deserve, you
know. Nothing's gonna be easy for me, but the same way, I think everything
that I facing now, it can become kind of motivation and rise my game even
higher.
Q. The last tournament I think was Monte-Carlo before the French Open, or did
you play the week after that?
GUSTAVO KUERTEN: I played in Barcelona, when I pull out there.
Q. Right. After Barcelona until the start of the French Open, which was the
bottom, the worst moment for you, the most unhappy moment? Did you think you
would not be able to play Roland Garros?
GUSTAVO KUERTEN: I think the toughest part for me was even in Monte-Carlo
there when I lost earlier on and I had good expectations and I had to
practice there for many days.
As far as I played Barcelona, I felt I was playing well. I was hitting the
ball nicely. Of course, was kind of disappointment, you know, playing that
well and had to retire in the quarterfinal match. And then I realize maybe it
was in a good way for me to realize that I had to stop on that time and try
to see what I could get to this tournament.
So I think after Barcelona was the same -- in the same way was not easy for
me but was very conscious in my mind, you know, was clear what I had to do.
I think in this way I change the way I was facing the things I was living,
and then I change the ideas in my mind, the expectations. I start to realize
the things a little bit different. I think this maybe help me.
That's why I didn't felt much worst, you know, even after Barcelona than
before. I think the week in Monte-Carlo when I still had to try hard and
practice a lot, I think that's was the toughest part for me.
Q. When we look at the draw now, we see the quarterfinals, Guga Kuerten,
three times champion, and Tim Henman, who's never been beyond the third round
here before. How surprised are you to find Henman going so far in the
tournament here?
GUSTAVO KUERTEN: You know, in one way, a little bit surprised, as he never
had reached that far. But after I reach the quarterfinal in Wimbledon, I know
everything is possible because I think was much more tougher for me to get
that far than for him here.
He had a couple results already on clay, not very significant, but he managed
to win the good matches. And he had, I think, a good way for him to get to
the quarters, a draw that for him it works well, too. He managed to fight
back twice from two-sets-to-love. So this is already enough for him to have
this achievement.
Q. Now you are looking like absolutely concentrated and relaxed. I mean, at
the same time how it was in your champions years here at Roland Garros. Is it
correct to compare you some years ago and now, and how do you feel to be
going back from, let's say, some nowhere now?
GUSTAVO KUERTEN: Yeah, for me, I think I don't compare too much, you know,
the other years I was playing when I won here because especially physically,
I was feeling completely different. But I can take advantage of the
experience I had before; that's for sure. I think it's been help me since I
start the tournament here, and it's increasing match by match.
So I think this can help me a little bit. But at the same way, I mean, I'm in
different conditions right now, you know. I know what I have and what I can
use very clear, and that's the way I have to keep my mind in work, you know,
in these things and try to keep sharp as I'm playing right now.
Q. So it sounds like you are looking more confident than you are saying.
Visually, you are looking absolutely the same like you was -- I mean, at the
same confidence, level of confidence, but you are saying that that's not like
that?
GUSTAVO KUERTEN: Yes, I think the way I'm playing, I'm pretty much satisfied
and happy, you know.
But I have to manage to deal with all the circumstances physically that I
didn't have in the past. So that's becomes different. I think at the same
way, can be difficult for me sometimes and sometime maybe can help me to get
as concentrated as I am in the court right now.
Q. Can you tell us a little bit about your hip problem and how much does it
hurt? How much do you have to compensate for that when you're playing? What
sort of treatment are you getting for it?
GUSTAVO KUERTEN: Yes, I have the same problem for three years already in my
hip. After my surgery, still not able to really get going as before.
Well, for me, in the court, it's very painful and frustrated sometimes, you
know, deal with that because I know many times like in the practice, I want
to expect more from myself and sometimes I cannot get that much. I think
that's probably right now the toughest thing for me to have the right
balance, you know, to see until how long I can practice more would be good
for me or less.
But these last three weeks at least, I know for sure I have to take care a
lot of my hip, you know. So by everything around, what it come first is this.
So I have to prevent as much as I can as be free playing on the court. That's
not easy. So as far as I'm out there and trying hard for one hour, I would
say I start to get some pain on my leg.
But when you play a tournament like this now, you know, in the quarterfinals,
with your adrenaline going, going high and motivation is all over, so I think
you can support much more than practice or playing the early rounds.
So for me, it's the really toughest thing right now is when I have to, like
out of the tournaments, you know, think forward and trying to start all over
again because I was going too much up and down.
I'm trying right now go little bit slower with this knowledge that I have
about my body and see if I can increase even slower, but little by little.
Q. What kind of treatment do they give you?
GUSTAVO KUERTEN: Yeah, I'm working a lot in my physio, a personal physio that
I have, the Brazilian girl. And then here, I am having a lot of massage, try
to release my muscles around, you know, the area, to get them free.
Then in the court, I'm doing just this warm cream to make myself warm during
all the time, you know. As far as my muscle reacts a little wrong and it gets
tight, I think that's create a lot of pain for me.
Q. Could you explain what qualities are most important to have success on
clay, and then also maybe discuss why you think American men have such
trouble on this surface.
GUSTAVO KUERTEN: Well, I think, first, to play well on this surface, you have
to be, first, very all-around technically perfect. I'd say you cannot have a
gap on your game or a hole that your opponent would take advantage, because
it's little bit slower so you have the time to place the balls a little bit
more close to the lines, and then you can make the target as you have one on
the match, you know.
Then I think is the toughest thing maybe for the American guys, as far as
they have so many tournaments down there, and all of them probably on hard
courts, the main tournaments. I think at the same way, they not play well
here. They can be maybe No. 1 of the world still playing only in other
surface and not on clay. Like, you know, happen to Sampras in five or six
years - one year or other he could manage to play well on clay, but he still
been by far the No. 1 just playing in other surface.
So that's maybe the idea of them, you know, just being ready for the season
they have there, trying to make it work when they need that, and then just
trying the luck when the clay time comes and they wish. I think it finish
very quick - like me on grass (smiling).
Q. If I could, a religious question. What would be a greater miracle from the
Lord for Tim Henman to win Roland Garros on clay or for Gustavo Kuerten to
win Wimbledon on grass (laughter)?
GUSTAVO KUERTEN: I think is maybe better to ask them to -- the people stop to
make the war, no? Remain quiet. I think is gonna be easy, is gonna be nice
and easy. Because for us, I think we have an even tougher time to figure out
the way to do it.
But as far as, you know, there is these challenges, I think it bring us some
expectations, too, and some goals. At the same way, I see myself, you know,
going there and trying to have some fun and win. I think it's the same way
probably Tim comes around here and believe in himself sometimes and go out
and. Like yesterday, I saw him even losing, you know, and coming back and
trying to enjoy a little bit more.
So I think right now he has more chance than me because I don't think I can
do the quarterfinal there and he's already in the quarterfinal here.
Q. So are you saying the Lord has more interest in matters of politic and war
than Roland Garros and Wimbledon?
GUSTAVO KUERTEN: No, I'm saying I don't like to mess with the Lord too much
(laughter). He knows what to do and He's gonna do the right thing is have to
happen (smiling).
Q. Do you have any doubts, any question, that you could last for three more
matches, that you would be able to play three more matches?
GUSTAVO KUERTEN: Well, I think about this yesterday when they ask me in
Brazilian press. I said the same way I still having, you know, little bit of
doubts or not knowing what can happen if I go to four or five sets, maybe one
or two match let's say.
I have at least the experience from my first round, no, that I played for
long time and I managed to even in probably the worst feelings I was feeling
so far in the court, I managed to step up a little bit and play well the last
set. So by this experience, I think it give me a little bit of extra
confidence that I'm going to need for sure in the next rounds.
But I'm sure the guys knowing that I still have in this kind of problem
around and they try to make me run more and more around as today happened.
In the same way, I know what they gonna do, what they are expecting from me
and I try to go a little bit over my limits.
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