PRESS CONFERENCE
MATCH: PATRICK RAFTER vs. ANDREI PAVEL
SCORE: 6-7(3), 6-2, 3-6
 SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2001

AN INTERVIEW WITH:  PATRICK RAFTER


TOUR OFFICIAL: Okay. Questions for Patrick?

REPORTER: You were only one service break in the whole match.

PATRICK RAFTER: Yeah.

REPORTER: That game, too, you were broken, I mean, you missed by maybe half
an inch.

PATRICK RAFTER: Yeah, it was a close match. Yeah, just one service break.
That's the way it goes. You're always aware of that when you play those type
of matches. You feel like you've had more chances, but you just don't get
over the line at the right time. So you've got to always be conscious of that
and probably didn't play a smart enough game.

REPORTER: Pat, congratulations on a great run here this week. In the process,
you now manage to move up to 4th in the ATP champions race. I think one ahead
of Lleyton Hewitt right now. How does that feel? That's got to be a pretty
good feeling at least.

PATRICK RAFTER: Well, it's important to gain as many points as you can. I've
had some pretty good success in the big tournaments this year. Been pretty
solid without getting over the line. But there's a long year left yet, and
fourth won't hold up if the results aren't good. So I have to continue to
have the good results and if I do I will be able to cement myself a spot
there.

REPORTER: You said yesterday, Patrick, that everything this week has been
gravy after -- not a good great start, but moving on to be more comfortable.
But at the moment of a loss like this, does it hurt more than you would have
thought, even though you were comfortable with this week moving back into the
segment?

PATRICK RAFTER: It's just getting a little boring not finishing off the
tournaments, getting close and not finishing them off. I think it's more that
sort of let down than anything. You know, it was a good week. I think, if I
said finals at the beginning of the week, I would have been happy, so I
better leave it like that.

REPORTER: During the first set until it got to 6-all before the tiebreak, he
only had three points on your serve and then tiebreak came and he had four.
What do you think made it turn around?

PATRICK RAFTER: Just a couple of loose shots. I didn't play particularly
smart in the tiebreaker. Bit loose and he took advantage of it.

REPORTER: When you broke him twice in the second set, did you feel that
things were going your way?

PATRICK RAFTER: Yeah, I felt a bit more comfortable. Still not very
comfortable out there. Still wasn't feeling the ball very well. It was --
just wasn't timing the ball as well as I'd like to, it's just different from
night to day. So I knew, you know, I was getting back into the match but
without still feeling like it was coming off the centre of the racquet.

REPORTER: Your thoughts on him, crafty little bugger, huh?

PATRICK RAFTER: He played well. No, he did the right shots at the right time.
Played pretty smart in the third set, picked his game up. To his credit he
did that. So he was able to pick it up again where he sort of dropped off a
little bit, gave me an opportunity.

REPORTER: Lendl and Vilander changed the men's tennis playing and winning
from the back of the court. You are more or less the only one to some extent
Sampras, to go to net at every opportunity. Where will men's tennis go in the
future, at the net or in the back?

PATRICK RAFTER: I think predominantly you're always going to see a back court
game. Maybe back in the '50's and '60's, you saw a lot of people come to the
net. That's probably because there was a lot more grass around as well. But
now it just doesn't lend itself. The tour doesn't, a lot of times, doesn't
allow you to come to the net. But you can see out there that if you do come
to the net and you have the right style of game you can be very effective.
But it is a hard game. And it's a tough game to master. And you have to do it
at a young age. It's a tough game to pick up. Tough style of game to pick up
when you get a little bit older.

REPORTER: Patrick, what are the differences that you felt today having played
the three nights and then having a little bit of adjustment.

PATRICK RAFTER: I just felt the ball flying around, picking the ball up off
my serve, through the crowd, for a volley, just not picking it up very well.
But the ball was sort of reacting very differently off the court. And I think
it was more that. Just wasn't comfortable, never getting in position and felt
like my feet were sort of jumping around on all my baseline shots. Never felt
comfortable on them.

REPORTER: Just wondering if concentration was a bit of an issue for you
today. I noticed in the third set you tapped your racquet against your head
kind of saying -- maybe I'm guessing this is what you were saying -- focus.

PATRICK RAFTER: Yeah, right. There was a few times I wag struggling with
focus, but I pretty well had the same throughout the whole tournament. I
would have a little bit of a bad spell, and try to get myself focusing,
again. I did that a little bit too often, put too much pressure on my game at
the end. Let him get to 30-all too many times on my serve and eventually that
sort of pressure will back up.

REPORTER: Patrick, how can you explain the first set, 80 per cent of the
points won on your second serve, second 50 per cent, third set 25 per cent.
Was it the effectiveness of your serve, legs, returns?

PATRICK RAFTER: Oh.

REPORTER: Because 80, 50, and 25.

PATRICK RAFTER: Yeah, I don't know. I don't know the reason. I guess I was
probably going for it a bit more in the first set, that's for sure. And,
second set, I probably had a very hard time putting the first serves in.
That's why I held. Looks like that was the key. I didn't really notice it
when I was playing how low it was. But probably took a little bit off my
second serve. I think I did a little bit and got a little predicable on my
second serve in the third set.

REPORTER: Last year, in Toronto, there were talking of retirement, but you
did mention at the time --

PATRICK RAFTER: I didn't mention retirement in Toronto last year.

REPORTER: But because the Olympics were coming to Australia, and then the
Davis Cup.

PATRICK RAFTER: Right.

REPORTER: People were saying that this was going to be like a last-go for
you. Where do you stand on that now?

PATRICK RAFTER: Yeah, maybe. Maybe. (Laughter).

REPORTER: That this might be the last time Canadians might see you compete
here?

PATRICK RAFTER: That's a possibility, yeah. But then, again, if I miss a
game, and if I'm -- I'd like to prepare for the U.S. Open next year, then
Toronto would definitely be a stop for me.

REPORTER: What would make you retire?

PATRICK RAFTER: It's just been a lot of travel. Been my 12th year this year
travelling. And it's very tiring, very boring and -- but, you're going to
miss the competition more than anything. But sometimes you don't want to
compete. You wake up some days are pretty ordinary now as well. I feel I've
gone out on the court a few times, this is slowly getting older just put in
some ordinary performances and I've come out a little bit sluggish and
sometimes you don't want to deal with people expecting you to win all the
time and sort of getting down on you. And I just don't really need that right
now.

REPORTER: Patrick, what are some of the things that you would like to do that
you can't do because you're playing tennis.

PATRICK RAFTER: I don't know. I think it's more just a change of life, a
change of style. Just seeing -- I want to live normal. I don't want to do
this all the time. I don't know. What is normal? (Laughter). I don't want to
do a 9 to 5 job, but just not wake up with the constant pressures all the
time or maybe have a family.

REPORTER: Go back to the farm.

PATRICK RAFTER: I don't know if I want to go to the farm. But just sort of,
yeah, just I don't know, just be based, I guess, in one spot, more than
anything.

REPORTER: Do you see a possible future in broadcasting?

PATRICK RAFTER: No.

REPORTER: Had to think. If you did retire would you be based in Bermuda?

PATRICK RAFTER: That's another thing that I'd like to sort out. I'd like to
spend a bit of time there. I have a very good friend, a couple of friends
there. And I would like to spend at least a couple of months a year there.
And then I'll know what I want to do as well. But I would like to put my bags
out in Australia and spend a bit of time with the family for a little bit and
see where it leads me from there.

REPORTER: Do you still have the place in Whistler?

PATRICK RAFTER: No, I sold the place in Whistler. But again, I might want to
look at something around there again.

REPORTER: No matter where you end up moving, Patrick, you'll have a few
collections of plates.

PATRICK RAFTER: A lot of runner-ups.

REPORTER: You mentioned on Friday night you never watched the matches you
lose, but you have all these plates. How hungry are you for another big
trophy in New York?

PATRICK RAFTER: I've got a big family and they need a lot of plates to eat
off. They can use them. Might as well use them. No good sitting on a
mantlepiece, is it?

REPORTER: Even though you've obviously put a lot of time into taking stock of
your life, do you think you have unfinished business?

PATRICK RAFTER: I think Wimbledon is the one that hurts more than anything.
But it would have been a nice one to have. One that you dreamed of as a kid
all the time. And you don't get too many opportunities. Last couple of years,
two finals, and it was pretty important to take one of them. But I think
definitely the most rewarding part of my life is winning the -- a Grand Slam,
which happened to the U.S. Open which was very satisfying.

TOUR OFFICIAL: Anything else for Patrick? Okay. Thank you.

PATRICK RAFTER: Thank you.

END

PRESS CONFERENCE

MATCH: PATRICK RAFTER vs. FABRICE SANTORO SCORE: 6-2, 6-2

 SATURDAY, AUGUST 4, 2001

AN INTERVIEW WITH: PATRICK RAFTER

TOUR OFFICIAL: Tomorrow Patrick becomes the fourth player to win both in Toronto and Montreal. Three other plays were Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe and Andre Agassi. And he has a 2-1 lifetime record against Pavel. Questions, please.

REPORTER: Patrick, congratulations on the victory and making it to the finals. How happy are you about it?

PATRICK RAFTER: It's good. The first few matches where I was a little bit indifferent, I wasn't really there. But as the tournament progresses, I'm enjoying it more and more. And, you know, this is the finals of, you know, the big tournament, so I think it means a lot to myself and Andrei, tomorrow.

REPORTER: Santoro had played very strongly all week. Was it a question of you playing better, or him having an off night?

PATRICK RAFTER: I think it was a bit of a combination of both. You know, he was probably a little bit flat. Not hitting the ball with as much purpose as he has been and allowed me to play my game and be aggressive. I think it worked both ways.

REPORTER: Did it feel as easy as it looked?

PATRICK RAFTER: No, the first set could have been a lot closer. I think he had quite a few breakpoints. He got up an early break and becomes more of a psychological game from then on. The score line was 6-2, 3-love, but all he needed to do was get one break and he was back in the second set. I was aware of that and I didn't want him to get on top of my serve. But in the end it was pretty comfortable in the end.

REPORTER: Patrick, the last time you were here you were having quite a bit of problems with your shoulder. How is it now?

PATRICK RAFTER: Shoulder's good. It's settled down a lot. I've worked out a pretty good schedule for it. If I play about six or seven weeks on, I need to take about three or four weeks off. That's something I've been able to do for the whole year. I've had to sacrifice a few big tournaments, but it's more important that my body stays in shape.

REPORTER: Greg mentioned you're 2-1 against Andrei. What do you fear most about Andrei and tomorrow?

PATRICK RAFTER: I think he's got one of the best backhands in the game, beautiful. He's a great mover, he's a great athlete. He's a good competitor. And he's been serving well and he's been playing the big points well. So, yeah.

REPORTER: Well, a lot of people, I guess here don't know very much about him, he sort of came out of nowhere I think in this one.
But, obviously, you know him pretty good, then?

PATRICK RAFTER: Yeah. I'm not quite sure what you're after. (Laughter).

REPORTER: I just want to know if you know more about him.

PATRICK RAFTER: He's married, got a child. (Laughter). Yeah, no, about his game, he's very talented. He can have his off days. And let's hope he has one tomorrow. But I'm not expecting that at all.

REPORTER: Patrick, did you watch the semifinal at all?

PATRICK RAFTER: Today? I watched the first set. I thought both guys were pretty tight in the first set. I think Tommy was the better player in the first few games. Didn't take his chances. And both of them were pretty tight to start off with. So yeah, didn't really allow them to play their free flowing game and showing what they really had.

REPORTER: It looks like this week that he hasn't been afraid to go to the net and he seems to handle himself pretty well when he serves and volleys.

PATRICK RAFTER: Yeah, he has been doing that very well, especially on the big points. He's biting the bullet and coming to the net and being aggressive and it's paying off for him.

REPORTER: Is that a change for him?

PATRICK RAFTER: He's always been someone who can play an all-court game. He's very effective on clay, he's very effective on a grass court, even. And that's a good quality about his game, he's an all-rounder.

REPORTER: Patrick, you've been so impressive this week. Is this the peak of your game or is the best yet to come?

PATRICK RAFTER: I don't know. I've got no idea, mate. It's one of those things, you wake up, you wake up on the wrong side of bed, you can be just useless. I don't know, I just hope to keep it going. Just stay in a really relaxed frame of mind, which I am. Just don't change anything up and hopefully tomorrow goes well.

REPORTER: Patrick, arriving here after three weeks off and being a little flat at Wimbledon, did you expect doing so well?

PATRICK RAFTER: Not at all. I'm generally not a great starter coming back into like a segment of tournaments. When I've got five or six tournaments on, I usually start off a little slow and get better as I play more matches. This week's been a real bonus, it really has been. Just carried on the form from Wimbledon. Although mentally I wasn't in the first few matches, I was still hitting the ball very well.

REPORTER: Is that the biggest problem after Wimbledon, after losing a five-setter like that, just getting back into the mental frame of mind?

PATRICK RAFTER: I think after you come off a pretty big tournament, like Wimbledon, the U.S. Open or whichever one it might be, it does take some adjustment. And coming off a loss doesn't make it any easier. It will be interesting to see how Goran goes next week. I'm sure he hasn't picked up a racquet in four weeks, so we'll wait and see.

REPORTER: Patrick, if you do manage to win the match tomorrow, do you think the fact that you're playing Andrei Pavel and not Andre Agassi will in a way cheapen the championship, that the competition was not Agassi or Kuerten, but some guy named Andrei Pavel?

PATRICK RAFTER: No, that's a pretty ordinary question, I think.

REPORTER: In what sense?

PATRICK RAFTER: Well, you're just taking it right away from Andrei Pavel. He's done what he has to do to get here and he deserves a lot more respect than that question.

REPORTER: Patrick, I notice you've been wearing that lucky -- that yellow jersey all week. Is it kind of a lucky charm for you?

PATRICK RAFTER: I won't be wearing it tomorrow. It's going to be too hot, I think. It's been a night match, I've been able to wear it at night and have a bit of fun with it. During the day, I'll stick to the old whites, mate, and get the Wimbledon colours back. (Laughter).

REPORTER: How do you think it will be playing during the day after these night matches?

PATRICK RAFTER: That's going to be interesting to see how it goes. The conditions are definitely different. I have been practicing during the day, though. I have come out early and had a hit. The ball moves around a little bit. And it does make it tough. So it will be interesting to see if my timing is there or not.

REPORTER: You did something with the racquet, the ball came back and you tried to pick it up. Is that just something you do to try to keep the hands soft? Because hockey players do it all the time.

PATRICK RAFTER: Oh, we don't. No, just messing around, yeah.

REPORTER: Pat, you've had a very good record since you started wearing those head bands, should Kalderry ask for a cut of your prize money?

PATRICK RAFTER: He asked for a cut of my prize money and right now he needs it. (Laugher).

REPORTER: Is this just a good luck charm, or have they been --

PATRICK RAFTER: Well, I won't be wearing it tomorrow. When it's in the middle of the day and that, I will be wearing a hat. I do try to look after my skin, as well. (Laughter). What?

REPORTER: That might be it when you're talking about your skin, maybe we're done. (Laughter).

PATRICK RAFTER: What skin are you talking about? (Laughter).

REPORTER: I'm just saying maybe that's enough questions.

PATRICK RAFTER: Oh, okay. I got you. (Laughter).

TOUR OFFICIAL: Anything else? Thank you.

 PRESS CONFERENCE

MATCH: PATRICK RAFTER vs. JUAN CARLOS FERRERO

SCORE: 7-5, 4-6, 6-2

FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2001

AN INTERVIEW WITH:

PATRICK RAFTER

TOUR OFFICIAL: Okay. Questions, please.

REPORTER: Pat, ten months from now when you're sitting on the beach knocking back a few cool ones, are you going to miss playing tennis matches like that?

PATRICK RAFTER: Ten months, I could be here again. I don't know what I'm doing in ten months.

REPORTER: Your math isn't good.

PATRICK RAFTER: Yeah, well, ten months from now, is it? Yeah, I guess I will be on the beach, won't I, at that time. But I really don't know, yeah.

REPORTER: Do you think you might a little bit?

PATRICK RAFTER: Miss the game?

REPORTER: Miss playing a match like that.

PATRICK RAFTER: It was fun, yeah. But then when you get the bad days, you don't miss it at all, that's for sure. After the first few games out there, two games and nearly three games, I wasn't going to be missing it. I thought it could have been over very quickly. It was looking very ugly. Everyone's going "Come on pat," and you're going, "Oh, no." Not enjoying that. I'll try and come back, but don't say that. That's the hard part about it, when people are expecting you and wanting you to win so badly that they get upset at you.

REPORTER: How do you feel about your game tonight?

PATRICK RAFTER: Pretty good, thanks for asking. Yeah, I feel good. I can't complain too much about it, tonight. Served well and volleyed well. Played a couple of loose games. Other than that, I was pretty solid. And got his serve back and chip charged pretty well. Got to the net and put him under a bit of pressure when he came in. I went in on his serve, so that was my game plan and it worked well.

REPORTER: Any adjustments you made in the third set?

PATRICK RAFTER: I was serving a lot to the forehand and the backhand -- forehand in the first court, backhand in the ad court. And I decided to change that up. He was starting to get on top of my serve a little bit, again, like he was in the first few games. So I just started changing that up to a different angle. At the same time, I made every serve. I hit the lines every time. So even if he was waiting for it, he would have had a tough time getting it back. I think my serves just picked up and put his service games under a bit more pressure.

REPORTER: We all really enjoyed your court side interview after with Hélène Pelletier. We appreciated the humour, but it seems that Fabrice Santoro's going to win the match. Your feeling heading into tomorrow?

PATRICK RAFTER: I'll wait and see who wins. It's a bit premature to say who's going to win out there. There's still a lot of the match left. Santoro looks like he won the first, but he might get carried away with it. Just have to take it as I've done every other match. If I play well, if I serve well, there's no reason why I can't be successful again. If I don't, I'll be on my way to back to Cincinnati.

REPORTER: Pat, you come from a rather large family. I was just wondering how important that they have been in terms of your development as a tennis player.

PATRICK RAFTER: This week they haven't been influential at all.

REPORTER: Patrick, your sense of humour seems to be improving day after day. Is there a career in show business?

PATRICK RAFTER: Yeah, I'm a funny bastard, I am. I don't know, I'm just an idiot, that's all.

REPORTER: Juan Carlos was saying at 3-1 down in the third, he thought that had things gone his way on that particular game that he would have had a shot at maybe carrying the match. Did you have the same feeling?

PATRICK RAFTER: The 15-40 game? Yeah. He was getting his way back in. He could have got back into the match, definitely. Yeah, I knew that. You know, I put in a couple of ordinary volleys and he hit a couple of good returns and he got himself in a good position to win that game. Yeah, they're dangerous times and I was aware of that, but I put in a couple of second serves that he didn't get on to very well and got me out of trouble.

REPORTER: The way the schedule's set up, it will be three night matches in a row. Are you enjoying this nocturnal existence?

PATRICK RAFTER: No, not really, I guess. It sort of makes the day very long. You sort of wake up late, you come out here, have a hit and then go home and sleep again. Just sort of trying to kill hours without losing too much energy and running around town and doing things. So I have my whole day structured around sort of lying down, putting my feet up. Makes a very boring day. But I did know that a few days ago if I did keep winning, this was going to be the situation. So that means I put in the request at Cincinnati that I only play day matches, thank you very much.

REPORTER: But, physically, the fact that you aren't playing in the extreme heat of the daytime, is that better for you, do you think?

PATRICK RAFTER: I don't really find it that hot here at all. I think the conditions during the day are quite mild. I've just come from Bermuda where it's been extremely hot. And when I came here, I just found it, nice temperature. It's just what, you know, you've been used to. Conditions during the day actually makes it a bit quicker. It's a bit faster and the balls move around a bit. At night it just sort of slows it down a little bit and takes the edge off the court. And I think the court plays very nicely at night.

REPORTER: We all want to get an update with Louis, what's up with Louis tonight? Did you have a conversation, or did he find a line judge to speak to?

PATRICK RAFTER: He told me the limousine was ready half-way through the match. He said, "It's time to go." Louis just makes me laugh. He's a good fellow and he's been around tennis his whole life. And, you know, he doesn't get a lot of positive feedback, I guess. And it's funny giving him a bit of a spotlight. He's a very amusing man when you get to know Louis.

REPORTER: How satisfying is it tonight because you're playing a guy who's capable of playing as good tennis as Juan Carlos is?

PATRICK RAFTER: It's satisfying to know that I can actually beat him. I didn't want to go through my career without beating him. And I said, "Thanks very much." You know, he let me off a little, threw me a bone. But he's a good player. And as I said on the on-court interview, he's now starting to believe that he can play on every surface which makes him very dangerous and it's good for him. And I think all the Spaniards realize that they can play on it as well.

REPORTER: As you were lying back on the couch this afternoon, did you have a chance to watch the Roddick-Pavel match and your impressions of that?

PATRICK RAFTER: That was sleep time for me. But I saw a little bit in the first set and a half, and it was really good tennis. I really thought Andrei played really well. He handled Andy's serve really well. That's what I thought. And got himself in position to break. And he made Andy play one or two more balls than he's used to, and what he likes. He played very well, very smart and deserves to win.

REPORTER: Is there any relief on your behalf, the fact that Roddick's out of the tournament?

PATRICK RAFTER: Not at all. I've got to get through my next match. And if I play in the finals, it's great; it's good for tennis. If I don't, it's good for tennis, too.

REPORTER: Patrick, are you happy that you didn't really make it to the top until you were 24, 25? Would it have made any difference if you had been a Sampras or an Agassi and been a superstar at 19 or 20?

PATRICK RAFTER: No idea. It's very difficult to answer a question when you haven't been in the situation.

REPORTER: But would it have been hard for you to handle maybe at 19 or 20 and easier at 24, 25?

PATRICK RAFTER: I don't know. That's what I'm trying to say, because I haven't been through it. If you look at someone like Andre, he's had his ups and his downs, but he's a class act. And, you know, I would like to think that I would be -- at least handle myself as well as Andre has.

REPORTER: Patrick, you talk about your A-game so often. You came so close at Wimbledon. If you can play your A-game for two weeks in New York, how far do you think you can make in the U.S. Open?

PATRICK RAFTER: I guess depends on the draw and depends who you're playing, if they brought their A-game, as well. I don't consider myself the best player running around at the moment. But I can play nearly equally as good as anyone else. But if someone like Sampras brings his A-game, he's proven time and again that he's been the best player in the world. So, too, Andre Agassi. You know, you can name 20 guys out there that if they bring their game and they're matched up well against you, they've got as good a chance of beating you as you have of beating them.

REPORTER: Did you watch a tape of the Wimbledon final?

PATRICK RAFTER: No way.

REPORTER: Do you ever watch any of them?

PATRICK RAFTER: No.

REPORTER: None of your matches?

PATRICK RAFTER: If I win, maybe, but not if I lose. I don't want to relive those situations.

TOUR OFFICIAL: Okay. Any more questions? Thank you.

AN INTERVIEW WITH: PATRICK RAFTER

TOUR OFFICIAL: Okay. Questions, please?

REPORTER: Patrick, Todd said that tonight was the best you've ever played against him; do you agree?

PATRICK RAFTER: Yeah, I think after we had the rain delay, especially. The first few games was sort of sorting out each other, sorting out the wind. Then after that, everything came off the middle of the racquet. Moved very well, volleyed well, did everything well. But we actually, in the past, have played some really good tennis against each other. Todd didn't play as well as he can against me, that's for sure. He didn't play that well, actually. I generally match up pretty well with Todd, whether I win or lose, I always come off feeling I've had a good match.

REPORTER: Is this some sort of evolution we've seen in your game after the layoff, the first match, obviously, the last one, a little bit less so and this one it's actually starting to make it look a little easier, is it feeling any easier?

PATRICK RAFTER: Not really. I sort of approach each match with the same attitude. Even the first match I got a little bit lucky at the end, but I still felt like I hit the ball pretty well. The first match is always a little bit rusty, but after that I played pretty well against -- even in the match against Levy, I played well, but, after that, tonight was probably my best performance.

REPORTER: You both love to come to the net a lot. Is it more easier or more difficult to play against somebody who has the same type of game you have?

PATRICK RAFTER: I've had mixed results against both styles. With Todd, my record's probably a little better than his, probably win-loss record. We both play a little bit differently, but he likes to come to the net. With Sampras, obviously, he's got a lot better record than I have, and he likes to come to the net. Henman's very close. So just the different styles of players match up differently, I guess. Did you get all that? Guess so.

REPORTER: Is there anything that you think you need to sharpen up or improve on heading into the weekend?

PATRICK RAFTER: Yeah, I would just like to find a little bit more of my serve. It's just -- I served a lot better when I came out, that's for sure, tonight. But I would like to get a little bit more work on it, a little bit more action off the court would be nice.

REPORTER: Can you talk about your next opponent?

PATRICK RAFTER: I haven't got a great record against Juan Carlos. He's obviously playing pretty well here. He's had a couple of good wins, I think. And I'm just going to try to play the same style. He knows what I'm going to give him, and I know what he's going to give me. It will be just the better man, the better player on the day.

REPORTER: How was the party last night?

PATRICK RAFTER: Who asked that? Who asked that question. Oh, you did. I just went along and had a bit of dinner, a couple of beers, and that was it. I didn't stick around very long. But it looked like it was brewing into a pretty good night.

TOUR OFFICIAL: Okay. Any more questions?

PATRICK RAFTER: Thanks.

MATCH: PATRICK RAFTER vs. MAGNUS NORMAN

RÉSULTAT / SCORE: 6-1-, 7-6(2)  WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2001

TOUR OFFICIAL: Okay. Questions, please.

REPORTER: Patrick, you had a relatively uneventful first set. You won it fairly easily. Do you have the feeling after this match that you're rounding into shape after the lay off?

PATRICK RAFTER: Again, when I got to rallies, I hit the ball pretty cleanly. My serve sort of went off a little bit and, again, the concentration wave that came -- it was coming and going, a little bit too much toward what I would have liked. And Magnus didn't play great tennis out there and it turned into a pretty ugly match. But they're always good to get through.

REPORTER: Why did you say your concentration wavered?

PATRICK RAFTER: I'm a bit of a mental midget, right now. Yeah, I am just sort of having a little bit of fun out there right now. But it seems to be picking up at the right times. But, you know, as the tournament progresses, you have to knuckle down more and more. The guys are playing. As you go further along, the guys are obviously playing well to get there. So the concentration's got to get a bit better.

REPORTER: Does the heat have anything to do with it, though?

PATRICK RAFTER: No. When I was in Bermuda recently, it was very, very hot, twice as hot as here. And I don't find the conditions here bad at all.

REPORTER: Pat, can you explain technically -- because so much has been said about the court speed here and for those who listen and read, who don't know, including myself -- break it down for us, what makes these courts faster than other courts that you've played on throughout the year?

PATRICK RAFTER: I guess it's just the way it's been laid. They put more sand in it, it grabs the ball a little bit. I guess it's just a little bit shiny and quite quick. I didn't make the courts and I'm no technician on it, so I'm not exactly sure what exactly makes it quick. But that's what I understand makes it quick and what makes it slower. The conditions are quick without being ridiculously quick. I think what would be -- what would be even better would be a -- actually no, I won't even go there. Let me think. Yeah, I don't know what makes it -- I don't know. I'm tapping out.

REPORTER: If they grew grass on it?

PATRICK RAFTER: What's that?

REPORTER: If they grew grass on it.

PATRICK RAFTER: Grew grass, yeah. That would be all right.

REPORTER: Patrick, still a couple of wins away from the final. But there's a possibility of a show down with Guga. Does that excite you and motivate you to win the next couple of matches?

PATRICK RAFTER: Guga would be the finals, wouldn't it?

REPORTER: Yeah.

PATRICK RAFTER: No, it doesn't really excite me. I mean, there's so many good guys left in the draw. As you saw, Guga nearly lost last night. As a player, you never look that far ahead. It's just stupid to. There's so many good guys in your way and there's so many good guys in his way. Everyone's close and everyone's very competitive. So I don't look at Guga as a final opponent at all. And even myself, for that matter, I'm just happy to be out there winning a few matches. I'll just take one match at a time right now.

REPORTER: Looking a bit closer into the future, it could be Todd Martin in the next round, do you think the surface might give him a bit of an advantage?

PATRICK RAFTER: Who does Todd play?

REPORTER: Vicente.

PATRICK RAFTER: Does it give an advantage to Todd over me, is that what you're asking?

REPORTER: Possibly, yeah.

PATRICK RAFTER: Oh, I don't think so. We've had a lot of good battles, Todd and I, we've played a lot on hard courts. We know each other's game very well. Generally we've played some pretty good tennis against each other.

REPORTER: Can you explain why it is why you seem to have success over Magnus? Is there something that he does that you're comfortable with?

PATRICK RAFTER: Well, right now, Magnus is not playing great tennis, not as good as he was last year. And I've played him before that, I think once in '97 and twice, maybe twice in -- maybe in all the times in '97 and maybe once in '98, when I was playing very good tennis and Magnus was sort of coming on the scene more then. So the reason of -- I've picked Magnus at his weakest moments and my best moments. And that's not much fun for Magnus. Now, if he played me last year, I would have been very sure that Magnus would have beaten me. Maybe not at Wimbledon, but everywhere else he would have beaten me.

REPORTER: You always have a pretty good relationship with the crowd here in Montreal. Do you remember when it start, exactly, this?

PATRICK RAFTER: No. I generally have, you know, wherever I go, it's generally pretty good.

REPORTER: Same as here, or ...

PATRICK RAFTER: Excuse me?

REPORTER: Same as here.

PATRICK RAFTER: I just think there's so many more people that come to this tournament. It's a very good turnout here. The stadium's nearly full and that has a lot to do with it. But if I play someone like Guga here, I'm sure the attention will be -- would be very divided. But I don't know. I guess Canada and America also have some -- have a lot of fans there for some stupid reason.

REPORTER: Pat, when you were here two years ago, you had a chance to explore some of Montreal's night spots, Buena Notte, and a few others, don't want to give any secrets, but are you still enjoying Montreal night life?

PATRICK RAFTER: I've been very quiet this year. But I know there's a players party on tonight, so I'll go there. Yeah, I've been very quiet. I don't know why, just getting a little bit older. I haven't really -- I haven't gone out, no, been pretty quiet.

REPORTER: Pat, at the end of the match, you made a gesture to the corner of the stadium, just underneath the press box area. Were you gesturing to anyone in particular, or for any particular reason?

PATRICK RAFTER: I was talking to this guy, Louis. He's a funny old fellow, Louis. And we were just talking the whole match, pretty well. And he was giving me his advice during the the match. And I was just sitting there laughing at him. It sort of -- he's fun to talk to. He makes me laugh. I don't know if that's good or bad, but it puts me in a good frame of mind.

TOUR OFFICIAL: Any more questions? Thank you.

PRESS CONFERENCE . MONDAY, JULY 30, 2001


MATCH: PATRICK RAFTER vs. HAREL LEVY
. 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3

AN INTERVIEW WITH:

PATRICK RAFTER

REPORTER: First of all, Patrick, congratulations on a very entertaining match. He gave you quite a run, didn't he?

PATRICK RAFTER: He's a good player. As I said on court, all the players are good, and there's no easy matches out there, anymore. The qualifiers have a high standard. They come off some good matches. And Harel, he proved that last year in Toronto. He knows how to play tennis. No, it was -- I thought he had a good chance of beating me today. There's no doubt about it. But I was just happy the way I hit the ball, really happy.

REPORTER: Two years ago, when you were here, there was an ice pack glued to your shoulder for most of the week. How are you feeling physically?

PATRICK RAFTER: That was in '99. That was before I had the surgery. I knew I was in trouble around about then, anyway. You know, it's important that I do take my breaks, and when I do take the break and I do the right work while I'm having those breaks, my shoulder should hold up.

REPORTER: You're feeling good?

PATRICK RAFTER: Feeling good.

REPORTER: Patrick, how was it to hear the famous "Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!" in the stands?

PATRICK RAFTER: I was actually quite impressed with the change up that they had going. I've never heard some of those chants going before. The "Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!" thing is getting pretty old. But the other ones are pretty good. It was pretty creative.

REPORTER: Pete Sampras said last week it took him -- he's having trouble getting over losing at Wimbledon. I am just wondering how long it took you to get over losing the final. Was it a tough thing, too?

PATRICK RAFTER: You know, for a few days I was pretty flat. When I went back to Bermuda I didn't really want to see anyone. I would have had a really hard time if I did go back to Australia. I really would have. I am glad I didn't go back there. The press and everything was tremendous. It was very, very positive. They were great. The support was great. I just didn't really want to see anyone. So when I went there, I stayed inside and didn't really want to go out and see my friends in Bermuda very much. But my close friends I just stuck with and that was it. But I had a great time when I was there.

REPORTER: What did you do in those three weeks?

PATRICK RAFTER: A lot of water skiing, weight boarding, played soccer and in the last week I hit some tennis balls. I didn't really want to hit tennis balls. But I knew I had to hit some before I came here, though. This is a tournament that I really want to do well in. But whether my mind wants to get up for it is a strange thing. This is a big, big tournament. But I guess I'm still feeling tired from Wimbledon, probably more mentally. Definitely mentally, not physically.

REPORTER: That is a real test. That is a pretty good test to get through tonight, to get through losing a set against a guy as good as that.

PATRICK RAFTER: It could have been all over again, especially in the third. But I played the right points and did what I had to do to win. I was really happy with the way I was hitting them. Thanks very much.

TOUR OFFICIAL: Anything else?

REPORTER: Tony Roach isn't here with you?

PATRICK RAFTER: No, I sacked Rochey, got rid of him, that crap at Wimbledon. Rochey will be next week in Cincinnati. He likes to have his breaks. He loves going back home to Australia. So -- and I'm just really happy to have him around whenever he wants to be around. He knows that, you know, the U.S. Open is a big one for me. And he's coming over early to help me prepare.

REPORTER: A French journalist asked me to go through some of the technical stuff. He said you were sort of feeling your way tonight, he thought you hit a couple of strange sort of shots.

PATRICK RAFTER: That was the mental intensity that I was talking about. It's just stupid. I don't normally play -- I'm generally pretty conservative, aggressive but conservative. Tonight was just aggressive and stupid. And just tapping out a little bit. Even if I'd lost to him, I would have come off and felt pretty good, because I knew I was hitting the ball pretty well.

REPORTER: I know you have been asked a lot of questions about retirement and stuff.

PATRICK RAFTER: I'm not going to answer any more, either.

REPORTER: It's not that. Is there a slight chance of an extension through the Australian Open next year if you did play the Davis Cup final at the beginning of December?

PATRICK RAFTER: Probably not.

REPORTER: Probably not?

PATRICK RAFTER: No.

REPORTER: Patrick, when you were here two years ago and there was an autograph signing in a downtown store and crowds of women lining up to meet you and see you. You were in the full flight of sex symbol mode. Have things calmed down in terms of the female fans?

PATRICK RAFTER: Yeah, ever since I cut my hair. Yeah, if you want to attract women, grow your hair, guys. No, I mean --

REPORTER: What if you can't?

PATRICK RAFTER: Some people can't, I guess. They'd love that. That looks bloody good. No, I have been pretty settled for quite a while. I guess that's all dying down a little bit as well. There's great young fellows coming through, and very appealing guys. That's their job now.

TOUR OFFICIAL: Anything else?

REPORTER: Looking ahead to the next round, what is your feeling of the draw and how things play out for you from now on in?

PATRICK RAFTER: I play Norman now?

REPORTER: I think so.

PATRICK RAFTER: Right. That's as far as I know. Norman. Yeah, I have got a good record against Magnus. But this is another week and another tournament. He is a great competitor and he will be out there giving his best. I will be out there giving my best as well. That's as far as I know from the draw. I only like to play one match at a time. I will be going in there probably a little bit more confident than he will be. So hopefully it will go my way.

TOUR OFFICIAL: Thanks, everyone.