Day 12 - Mariano Puerta Interview
Day 12 - Mariano Puerta Interview
Friday, June 3, 2005
Q. How does it feel to be in the final?
MARIANO PUERTA: Is amazing. I can't believe this. This moment is just --
it's amazing. I can't believe this.
Q. Given that a year ago you were suspended, did you ever feel you would be
in this position?
MARIANO PUERTA: No, never. No, never.
Q. What is it you think you've done to make it this far?
MARIANO PUERTCA: I work really, really hard, six, seven hours a day, don't
stop, Sundays also.
Q. Do you believe you can win the whole thing?
MARIANO PUERTA: I don't know. I'm not sure. But I'm very happy with this final.
THE MODERATOR: Questions in Spanish.
Q. Can you explain the match? Can you explain each of the sets of this match
and tell us what happened?
MARIANO PUERTA: Well, it was very varied. I started very well - very, very
well, in fact. I felt the points very well. I felt that what I was doing was
giving my opponent trouble. But from the middle of the second set I started
feeling uncomfortable because there was a lot of wind. I felt bothered. I
think that, in fact, he took advantage of the wind because he plays faster
and he plays lower shots. I play with more spin, so the wind affected my game
more.
I think today was probably the worst day for me, and things started getting
very complicated for me. After, in the fourth set, well, I don't know, I
started playing a little bit better. I tried to take the initiative, to be
more in the match, especially when we changed sides because then the wind
changed and I felt that I didn't have to play so much inside when I had the
wind in my favor. When I had the wind against me, I tried to attack more. I
tried to do that and it turned out well for me.
Q. Do you feel this match is similar to the match with Canas? Did you feel
at some point you were going to lose?
MARIANO PUERTA: Well, it was similar to Canas because I was, first of all,
losing. That's a similarity. And then I always hoped that I was going to
win the set. Even when I was 4-2 in the last set, I still thought I could win.
Q. You're going to see Coria, Gaudio, then Puerta in the final of Roland
Garros. What do you think?
MARIANO PUERTA: Well, I can't believe it. I can't believe it. I can't believe
that on Sunday I'm going to play the final of Roland Garros. I don't even
know how to explain that. I just cannot believe it. It really is amazing.
Being in the final of a Grand Slam. It's even more incredible because of
what has happened to me over the past four years.
I had two years where I was almost out of the circuit. As I always say, I
have a way of playing that has made it difficult for me to regain my level,
to regain confidence. Sometimes with people who have a different serve, it
might be easier. But my serve was terrible today. It was very bad. That
means you always have to win with your second serve.
On clay, well, I don't know what I prefer, whether not to be serving at
all or to have to rely constantly on my second serve. It really gets very
difficult.
Q. What are you going to tell your friends in Buenos Aires about this match?
MARIANO PUERTA: I think I'm going to be able to say something in a few days'
time. But everything is going so fast, you know, and it's all very surprising
because I never imagined that I would be in the situation. I could see my
next opponent, my next match, but I never saw so far. I was preparing one
match at a time. Every time I kept winning. Every time it's a bigger
surprise. I prepared for each match to win the match, but to be in the
final of the biggest tournaments, I really don't understand it.
Q. This conference is being broadcast live to Argentina. What do you think
is happening now in Argentina, particularly with the Roland Garros of last
year?
MARIANO PUERTA: Well, I've been talking to my father, to my brother, to
friends, and people tell me - that's how I know about what's happening at
home - they say that back home, this is very special. People are following
what is happening here. This really makes me very happy. It gives me strength.
Today I felt as though I were playing in Buenos Aires. There were lots of
people from Argentina here supporting me. That really gave me a lot of
strength, a lot of strength.
I really felt I was being supported by Argentines here.
Q. After what you have gone through in the past four years, can you choose
one turning point that made it possible for you to be where you are today?
MARIANO PUERTA: Well, I think that the change occurred before I came back.
When I came back, I was prepared for very tough moments, prepared to be able
to play anywhere. This is what I wanted. I was ready to sacrifice a lot, to
give a lot. If it meant going to play in Iran, well, I would go play there.
I didn't just go on the airplane and go in Iran. I went. I kept quiet. I
never complained about anything. I was prepared. I went in a very humble
way and ready to overcome any obstacle, any barrier. I think the turning
point occurred at that time, a few days before I actually came back.
It's not that things started changing afterwards, because then I think that
I wouldn't be where I am today if I hadn't prepared beforehand.
Q. I can imagine that tennis in Iran, Santa Cruz, Samarkand is very different
to tennis in Paris. What were you hoping for? How did that tough experience
help you in difficult times?
MARIANO PUERTA: Well, when I went to those tournaments, the only thing I
wanted was to finish the year as close as possible in the Top 100 in the
ranking, 120, you know, to get as close as possible to the Top 100. That's
what I was dreaming of at the time.
After, when I ended 130 with my tournament in Guadalajara, I changed my aim,
and my dream was to be in the Top 50. That would have made me happy, to be
in the Top 50 in the world. I didn't have a deadline to accomplish that. In
my mind, I thought that I wanted to be in the Top 50 before I retired. I
don't know. Now I can see 11, in 10 months. I came back on the 1st of July
last year, and I can't believe it.
Q. Do you think the fifth set, you won because of a physical thing? Because
of your game? How did you see Davydenko in the fifth set?
MARIANO PUERTA: Well, I saw him better in the fifth set than at the end of
the fourth set. I saw that he was maybe complaining a little bit about his
legs at the end of the fourth set. After, in the fifth set, he didn't say
anything. He still ran around and hit the ball. I think that I won the match
for the same reason I won the match against Canas. In the fourth set, I
thought that I was going to give my all, that I was going to go forward,
and that's what I did.
I had to break when we were 4-All, I needed to break because the wind was
in my favor at that moment. I was afraid I would then lose the serve on the
other side with the wind against me. After that, I also took risks at 5-4.
I had good shots. I went forward and didn't doubt at the end of the match.
Q. Can I ask you to assess how you're going to play against Federer and/or
Nadal. Tell us how you see that.
MARIANO PUERTA: Well, against Federer, there aren't many secrets here. He's
a guy who's got two very good shots: his serve and his forehand. He's very
good at moving around the court. You've got to play his backhand. That's how
you've got to play Federer. That's not a secret.
It makes things easier, of course, for me because I'm left-handed. It makes
it easier. I'm going to be able to find his backhand. After that, it's going
to be a very tough match. I don't think I'll be favorite. He hasn't lost the
last 20 finals. If I play against Federer in the final, it's not going to be
easy.
With Nadal it would be a battle, a battle, because we're both left-handers;
we both have the same sort of strokes. We would both arrive at that match
with huge self-confidence. I think that, well, in any case it's going to be
a good match to play.
Q. What went through your mind when he broke and you were 4-2 in the fifth set?
MARIANO PUERTA: It was a difficult moment because he was 30-Love, then I
lost four shots. In two seconds I thought I was losing. I was looking for
an explanation and I couldn't find one. Things were looking ugly for me. I
was able to break. 5-2 wouldn't have been a final result, but it would have
been very difficult. Really, it was key to be able to break quickly after that.
Q. Your physical form, did you have a problem during the match?
MARIANO PUERTA: Well, 5-3 in the first set I was a little bothered. I
suddenly felt a very sharp pain. I thought that I'd torn a ligament maybe.
But after that, after a few games, at the end of the first set, in fact, I
didn't feel any more pain. I don't know, maybe it was just sort of a
contraction. After that I didn't feel anything, anything at all.
Q. Where was it?
MARIANO PUERTA: Here at the top on the left side.
Q. Now?
MARIANO PUERTA: Now I'm feeling fine. It doesn't hurt any more.
--
京極夏彥的妖怪繪卷 http://blog.yam.com/esnique
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc)
◆ From: 218.165.193.70
討論串 (同標題文章)
Latin_AM 近期熱門文章
PTT體育區 即時熱門文章
