U.S. OPEN - INTERVIEW  
Patrick Rafter
09/03/2001  
 
P. SAMPRAS/P. Rafter
6-3, 6-2, 6-7, 6-4


MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Did you perhaps rush that last game a little?
PATRICK RAFTER: Oh, I did it pretty well the whole match. For a set and a
half, I didn't do it. First two sets, I did it.
Played a lot of disappointing games in the match.

Q. On the final point, when you had the first volley, under the conditions,
could you have hit the ball any better, the one that Pete ran down?
PATRICK RAFTER: I hit that terribly. The volley?

Q. The first one.
PATRICK RAFTER: Shocking. Didn't get it at all.

Q. Trouble with the high volleys the whole match.
PATRICK RAFTER: Yeah, it was disappointing. The high volleys really let me
down today. That was a really disappointing part of my game.

Q. Are you going to go away from this with a lot of misgivings or are you
satisfied?
PATRICK RAFTER: He was definitely the better player today. A little bit
disappointed the way, as I said, a few areas of my game weren't real crisp
today, and Pete made me pay for it. He was definitely the better player today.

Q. Any reasons you can point out for your slow start?
PATRICK RAFTER: Took me a while to get my serve in a rhythm. I find it very
difficult to serve very hard now with my arm. It just doesn't -- I can't play
match after match serving very hard.
The first couple sets were just trying to get away with the way I've been
serving pretty well the whole tournament, the last few weeks, without serving
very hard, but trying to hit my marks, hit the corners, and I wasn't doing
that. Then I knew I had to pick it up. It's the only chance I had.
It was fine. Held up pretty well. It was good the way I worked back into the
match, but disappointed the way it ended.

Q. Did you ever think about playing your last Grand Slam singles match?
PATRICK RAFTER: Might be. When you're out there playing, no, not at all. No,
you're just trying to win the match. That's the only focus. It's not, "This
could be the last."

Q. Was it?
PATRICK RAFTER: I don't know.

Q. Could you single out one or perhaps two of your favorite moments here over
the years?
PATRICK RAFTER: Oh, the first one, definitely beating Rusedski in the finals.
I mean, that was very memorable.

Q. Do you have any particular memory of that that stands out?
PATRICK RAFTER: Well, it was my first Grand Slam. You know, it was a really
special moment, the first one. It was definitely the highlight of my trips
here, for sure.

Q. On CBS they were speculating you might have had something wrong with your
leg, especially in the first two sets.
PATRICK RAFTER: No. I've had a little bit of a hip problem, but there was
nothing in the match at all. I've been getting through fine. Today I felt it
once or twice, didn't want it to get worse, just tried to stretch it out a
little bit. No hip problem. Leg problems are fine.

Q. Starting with Game 3 of the third set, you really turned your serve
around, or else Pete stopped hitting service returns very well. Was it a
combination of the two?
PATRICK RAFTER: Oh, I had made up my mind it was time, I just had to go for
my serve, because I wasn't serving -- the way I serve, I serve very hard as
it is, but I try and hit my corners. I just wasn't hitting them. I just had
to turn around, got to go for it, first and second serves. I've got to be
aggressive with it. If it works, it works. If it doesn't, I've lost nothing
anyway.

Q. Did you change your service pattern at all?
PATRICK RAFTER: No. I just tried to hit it harder, then I found some rhythm.

Q. Seemed like you were coming to his forehand side a bit more.
PATRICK RAFTER: Oh, no. I was just serving well. Had good rhythm. When I have
good rhythm, I can mix it up. I was just trying to mix it up. I served well
from then on.

Q. Were you feeling pretty good when you took the tiebreaker? Your serve was
going well in the fourth. Were you thinking maybe you turned the corner and
could pull out the match?
PATRICK RAFTER: Yeah, for sure. Yeah, I thought, as long as I could keep
serving well, try and take my chances on his serve. There's really only one
end you could maybe break Pete from - that's when he was serving against it.
Otherwise, it was very difficult. He serves just too heavy, too hard. He came
up with some great second serves, as well. I didn't pass very well. That was
another part of my game which I wasn't happy with. Just never got set on the
passing shots, was disappointing. One or two occasions where I could have
made some passing shots that could have given me opportunities, and I didn't
do it.
So, you know, that puts a lot of pressure on your serve, knowing there's
really only one end you can break him from. Even then, there's not much of a
chance. You've got to make the most of it, and I really didn't.

Q. The other day when you were in here, you were asked what you like about
tennis right now. Your answer was: "That it's almost over." Now that it may,
in fact, be over --?
PATRICK RAFTER: I have a few more big events coming up.

Q. What is your schedule?
PATRICK RAFTER: Davis Cup now. Go home, back to Australia, to work on that.
After that, I'm going to take a good break. I'll be injured for Stuttgart.
Then I'll get ready for Stockholm, Paris, then Davis Cup, then the Masters
hopefully. Hopefully we'll win Davis Cup and then the Masters, as well.

Q. Have you decided about next year?
PATRICK RAFTER: No. I'm going to take a break. That's what I know.

Q. You definitely will take a break?
PATRICK RAFTER: How many times you want me to say it? Gee.

Q. With great respect Pete talked about you. He said if you retire, you will
be greatly missed. If this is your last Grand Slam match, is there any
consolation that you ended it going up against one of the all-time greats and
a player you also respect?
PATRICK RAFTER: Well, in Grand Slams, you know, as I've always said, you
don't want to play Pete. I knew he was just playing better with each game.
I mean, yeah, I guess if you want to lose, it's good to lose to one of the
greatest of all times. You know, it's never fun losing.

Q. Besides being disappointed, does it mean anything to you to have come back
into the match, to have given him a good fight?
PATRICK RAFTER: I'm glad it wasn't 3-2-1, and I got booed off the court.
That's not a memorable way to leave a Grand Slam. You know in New York it can
happen (smiling).
It was a relief. It was good. You know, I'm always going to fight. Some days
it doesn't work. Some days you keep fighting, you do lose 3-2-1. You have to
say, "That's all I could do." Today was an occasion I got back into the match
and kept fighting.
It is good to know that I got back into it. The end result's always the same.

Q. Did you hear the guy shouting, "We don't want to go home"?
PATRICK RAFTER: I thought he said, "Do you want to go home?" I said, "Yeah, I
do." (Laughter) Yeah, I want to go home. I've still got to try and win this
match.

Q. The disappointment, doesn't it make it more likely that we will see you
again at a Grand Slam because you don't want to go out with this
disappointment in a career which has had so many highlights?
PATRICK RAFTER: I don't know if it's the worst point of my career.

Q. Unfinished business.
PATRICK RAFTER: The unfinished business for me is Wimbledon, for sure. But
there's no guarantee I'll be there.

Q. Speaking of Wimbledon, you played the final in front of that truly
extraordinary crowd. Today, fourth-round match, the stadium was about as full
as it's ever been. What does that mean to you in terms of your own role in
the game of tennis, your appeal to fans? Does that say something to you
inside?
PATRICK RAFTER: I think the TV built it up pretty well (laughter).
No, listen, that's really special. Obviously, you have -- I've always played
well in America. I've had a lot of success pretty well from '97 till now, the
last four years that I played - five years, sorry. The five years from '97 to
this year, I had pretty consistent summers. I always played well in America.
You know, it was always -- it was hopefully going to be a good match today.
It turned out pretty good. Disappointing from my behalf.
I guess it's something I'll look back on, reflect and say it was a great
experience, because I've never really seen the stadium that full before, even
the finals have never been like that. Sometimes a little bit disappointing
walking away thinking, "This is a final and it's not full." I've definitely
seen an increase in the fans this year just coming to watch. The audiences
has been as full as I've seen, even from day one, even on Monday night or
Monday afternoon.

Q. Tennis has been probably the major part of your life for more than half
your life. You're really not that old yet. How long does it take to wrestle
with yourself and decide it's time to step away from this, at least for a
while?
PATRICK RAFTER: When did I make that decision?

Q. Yes.
PATRICK RAFTER: I made it -- I've been thinking about it for a little while.
There's new things I want to do. You know, tennis has been extraordinary for
me. I've really enjoyed it. I've got the most out of it that I've ever
expected. I never expected to do what I've done.

I feel like I've come away from this game - if I do happen to leave and not
come back - that I've been really, really blessed to have a career that I've
had. For me, it's just all relative, I guess. There's new things I want to
do. I just want to step back and see what life is. I think it's time to step
into reality a little bit.  

US OPEN 2001
NEW YORK CITY

September 1, 2001

P. RAFTER/N. Lapentti
7-6, 6-2, 6-2

An Interview With:

PATRICK RAFTER

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. First set tiebreak, you're down 3-2. Rattle off five straight points. What changed at that point?

PATRICK RAFTER: I guess I just took my chance pretty well in the breaker and from there it was sort of tough conditions. We're both trying to find our feet.
And Nic really never found it, never really found what worked best for him. He started making some good returns on my serve near the end and it looked like
that might be the way to start returning. But he found that game a little bit late in the match. And on his serve I think he struggled finding the right ball toss. It
was very tough conditions to get any rhythm out there at all.

Q. You know anything about the guy you're playing next?

PATRICK RAFTER: Nothing. He's a hairy fella. (Laughter). Just gonna be, you know, you don't want to play Pete at the best of times, even at the worst of
times. So for him... Just go out there and give it my best shot. Nothing really more you can say about it.

Q. Pete obviously has not been playing his best tennis this year. Do you have a sense he may be more vulnerable this year than he would be in
years past?

PATRICK RAFTER: I'm gonna treat the match like he's still the No. 1 player in the world. And he's the guy you don't want to play. Simple as that. He's the
No. 1 guy you don't want to play. And that's the way I've always treated Pete and that's the way I'll treat him in the next match - with a lot of respect. I know
I'm going to have to play very well. I still think it's interesting to listen to the commentary during his matches. In the first set it was how old he was, how bad his
backhand was, how bad all these things were. All of a sudden at the end of the match it was he's the greatest player again, he was a great athlete, and he had a
great backhand. It was quite annoying watching listening to the commentary today and them writing him off and being negative about him, which was very
frustrating to hear. I know he'd be frustrated with that.

Q. Have you ever been in a fourth round match like this?

PATRICK RAFTER: Yes, I have. 1995 Australian Open, Agassi. I got killed. (Laughter). That was a big night match in Australia. I was just, you know, trying
to find my feet. Maybe that was the third round, maybe it was the fourth round. No, I think might even be fourth round, I don't know. But it was a really hyped
up match in Australia.

Q. Is there a key of how do you approach playing Sampras on hardcourts?

PATRICK RAFTER: Oh, listen, I've played a good match against him in Indian Wells, was one or two points in the match. He'll serve and volley first and
second serves. I'll be serve-volleying first and second serves. Just got to get his serve back, simple as that. Make him play a lot of tough volleys. Pete does
volley well. He moves around the net after he makes his first volley. So you got to put him under a lot of pressure on his serve, which is very, very difficult to
do, how good his serve is. And my serve's just got to be pretty well similar, play the way I'm playing.

Q. He's beaten you the last three times you played?

PATRICK RAFTER: Has he? Bastard. (Laughing).

Q. Does it count for anything?

PATRICK RAFTER: We've had some tight matches. Wimbledon was very close. Indian Wells was a very close match. I can't remember the last one.
Whenever it was. But, yeah, I mean we've had our matches where I've beaten him three times, he's beaten me ten times. He's beaten me a few more times
again. It should be a good match.

Q. Do you feel any looser because you're going to take a break at the end of this season?

PATRICK RAFTER: No, not at all. No, it's not looser. It's not tighter. It's just the same. I'm not feeling like this is a whole lot of pressure for the last Grand
Slam. I've got to do well. Nothing like that at all. Just the same.

Q. Whether it's a day match or night match?

PATRICK RAFTER: Day, I'm sure. Bloody better be. Sick of these night matches.

Q. How do you explain how Pete has been unable to win a tournament this year? You know, you're saying people write him off. How do you explain
his dry spell?

PATRICK RAFTER: Well, I don't know what Pete does in his off time. I really don't know. But he's getting himself, I think, two or three finals at least this
year and he's given himself opportunities. Just because he hasn't closed them out doesn't mean he's not going to win one for the year. He just hasn't played a lot
of tennis. He lost a lot of early matches, and a few of the times he stayed over in Europe which is pretty good of him. He usually just gets on the next plane and
goes home. I know on the clay court he stayed over and did some work. I don't know how hard he's working or what his priorities are. But we all have our
bad, you know, if he's working hard then maybe he's just having a bad patch. We all have them. He's a great player but we're all vulnerable to him.

Q. How about yourself, you haven't dropped a set yet. Are you playing better than '97, '98, as well as?

PATRICK RAFTER: No, pretty solid. I'm working out the matches pretty well. I think that's the big keys of my game right now is that I'm trying new things
when things aren't really going well. And I'm looking for the weaknesses a little bit better than what I had in the past, trying to exploit the other guys'
weaknesses. It's been working pretty well for me.

Q. What about the comparison to the years you've won here?

PATRICK RAFTER: Yeah, I've been hitting the ball pretty well. I think I've been thinking a bit better these days, a bit older and wiser. I'm a wise fella.

Q. On a different subject, your countryman, Lleyton Hewitt, has gotten himself in a little bit of a stew. Not talking about that incident directly, but
talking about the issue of race in tennis, do you feel that the ATP Tour or the USTA, one of the governing bodies, these two address this issue? I
don't know whether that's talking to the players about the issue or sensitivity training. Does it need to be talked about in any way?

PATRICK RAFTER: Is this your way around the question?

Q. No, I'm really writing a story about the issue broadly, not just Lleyton.

PATRICK RAFTER: Race... You know, with Lleyton's situation, first of all, those sort of things I won't talk about. It's nothing to do with me. I know you want
to try and get this, so I'm just going to let you know right now --.

Q. Seriously, I don't want to get there.

PATRICK RAFTER: Okay.

Q. I'm not interested in what you think or don't think about Lleyton. I really am interested, though, because you are one of the more respected
voices in this game to know what you think about the issue broadly. It's been brought up with Lleyton, with the Williams sisters this week. I mean,
it's out there.

PATRICK RAFTER: Yep. Again, it's such a delicate situation that doesn't need to be, which shouldn't be. It shouldn't be an issue. You just treat everyone the
same. To me, it's ridiculous that race is an issue at all. I don't know, it's just a strange thing to me. I know it's out there, but it's -- I don't know. I don't know,
it's a really tough question. But for me, you don't look at someone and say, "Oh, he's black, he's white, he's Asian and I have to look at him a little bit
differently." And I don't know the issue in tennis. I've never seen an issue, especially not in the men's game, that's for sure. I've never seen a black or white issue
in the men's game at all. When there's a black tennis player, they've always been extremely well liked on the tour, as is James. And I know Lleyton does like
him. But with the Williams sisters, I don't know what the women -- I'm pretty sure, you know, they haven't got a race issue with them at all either. But I don't
know. It's just a really messy situation, if you ask me that doesn't need to be an issue. Shouldn't be an issue.

Q. Can you talk about heat of the battle, like athletes do, is there a point where comments made shouldn't be allowed on the court regardless of
what they are, if they can be interpreted as worse than maybe they were intended? Does there have to be a point where an athlete shuts down and
says, "I have to be a gentleman or I have to be a gentle women"?

PATRICK RAFTER: That's just life in general. Doesn't have to be on a tennis court. I think that's just life.

Q. Do you think that --?

PATRICK RAFTER: Is there a place for heat of the battle? No, I mean of course not. There's certainly not an issue for that in anything. I certainly don't see it.
Then if people do, then I don't know what their agenda is. But I'm pretty sure -- geez, you found a way around this question, haven't you? I don't know. I just
really don't want to answer that question because there are too many ways you can interpret it and put it back to a situation.

Q. Have you ever been in a situation where you wanted to say --?

PATRICK RAFTER: Oh, God, no. Not at all.

Q. I'm not saying racist. I'm saying in general where you just wanted to swear to the world.

PATRICK RAFTER: Beat the shit out of someone down the other end?

Q. Exactly.

PATRICK RAFTER: Yep. I wanted to beat the shit out of Tarango a couple times.

Q. And you stopped yourself.

PATRICK RAFTER: No, well I wanted to go but he didn't want to. So that was it. (Smiling). Listen, no, there are issues, yeah. If it's a -- yeah, I've had a few
-- you know, if someone's hacking me off on the court and I don't think they're acting properly, yeah, bloody I'll speak my mind if they've been acting up or
playing up or saying things to me. Geez, yeah, I'm ready to get right back into their face.

Q. At what point do you say, "No, I can't say that"?

PATRICK RAFTER: No, there isn't. I'll say everything. Yeah, I mean if I'm against Tarango, it was great. Should of have seen it. It was a beauty.

Q. Do you remember what you said?

PATRICK RAFTER: Yeah, I can't repeat it. (Smiling).

Q. When was that?

PATRICK RAFTER: It was in Antwerp. A few times we've played, we've had complications. He sort of does that to wind the other guy up. But it just makes
me mad and wants me to beat him even more. Sort of works against him a little bit. Against other players, I don't think there's any of it. I think Jeff's done it in
fun before to see if he can wind you up. He does a good job of it. But there aren't too many guys on the tour. There definitely are times where you lose it, yeah.

Q. Do you think in sports now that's encouraged? People want to see it, they want to see guys go crazy?

PATRICK RAFTER: A lot of the sporting bodies don't really allow - I know back in Australia with the Rugby league and Rugby Union, if you punch someone
now, you're suspended for six weeks or whatever. Before it used to be great fights, you know, all sorts of things. Now you just don't see it. I think a lot of the
sports have cleaned themselves up for the better of the sport. But people still want to see it, I guess. And in tennis, you know, you've had the John Mac who
set, I don't know, something -- set sort of a funny example out there. But he attracted people to go and watch. It was fun to watch and I enjoyed watching it as
well. "When's he going to snap? When is he going to lose it?" It's great to watch. It is fun to watch, but it is sort of a sad way for entertainment.

Q. Is it the "watching the car wreck theory"?

PATRICK RAFTER: Yeah, I mean certain things -- it's always fun to see things go so far without going too far, without stepping over the boundaries.

Q. Is it stepping over the boundaries more now, do you think?

PATRICK RAFTER: What are you referring to?

Q. I'm referring to sports in general. Is it happening more often that people aren't stopping at that point where it's past entertainment?

PATRICK RAFTER: To me, I think the sports generally have cleaned themselves up very well. I think you always are going to have your exceptions though.

Q. You're not gonna comment on whether you saw the Lleyton incident?

PATRICK RAFTER: I saw it. I saw it. I'm not going to comment on -- that's up to his -- for him and his party to talk about, not me.

Q. Have you seen him?

PATRICK RAFTER: No, I have not seen him.

Q. What do you think about Nicolas Lapentti?

PATRICK RAFTER: He's an idiot. (Laughing). Nicolas and I, we're good mates. It was a tough situation out there. It was tough conditions. I think mentally

and -- especially mentally it was very hard to hit the ball and he was struggling out there. He wasn't playing his best tennis and it's very hard to play good tennis
in those conditions. But Nic, he just didn't play very well tonight.

Q. How much of Pete's match did you see on TV? Did you see anything?

PATRICK RAFTER: Oh, no, just Pete playing, you know, his game. I was impressed with the way he served. He played well. He was aggressive and he
played well. I think people are trying to write him off, but, you know, not me. I'm , you know, I'm weary.

End of FastScripts....

Round 2 P. RAFTER/C. Rochus
7-5, 6-2, 6-1

Q. At 2-5, how comfortable were you that he would blow himself out?
PATRICK RAFTER: Not at all. It was a bit of a scary time. You get down a set,
start panicking a bit, start pushing things around, go for a bit more. That's
when things start becoming dangerous. He gives you an opportunity with
not a lot of pace on the first serve, so you feel like you should do something
with it. You can get yourself in trouble that way. I found myself in matches
before, similar conditions, blowing it.
Today, just had to find my serving pattern. It's very different from day to night.
I struggled with the first half a dozen games, that's for sure.

Q. Did you expect him to be so strong in the first set?
PATRICK RAFTER: Listen, he's a good little player. I didn't expect him to
return so well in the first few games. I was trying to look for weaknesses,
strengths, where he was covering at the beginning. I couldn't find anything.
The court plays different at night than it does during the day. It was hard to
kick the ball up and get it away from him. He handled my serve pretty well I
thought in the first couple of games. Started to make me a little bit nervous,
started to get a bit frustrated because I couldn't find a way to get it away from
him.

Q. In the second set, you found your rhythm?
PATRICK RAFTER: Found my rhythm, started serving well, found where his
weaknesses were. Christophe probably hung his head a little bit. I expected
him to probably fight a little bit harder. He got a little bit frustrated out there
and he couldn't find any way to hurt me after a while. I think it frustrated him
pretty badly.

Q. I sat next to a woman who said that you were her favorite player because
she's never heard anything bad about you. I was wondering how wearying
that is to know you have this image that is of goodness personified? No one
can be that way all the time.
PATRICK RAFTER: That's true. That's true. Listen, it's a matter of time before
I stuff up. It really is. I mean, I try to live as normally as I can. Sometimes, you
know, you act like a bit of a hooligan. I've got that in my blood a little bit. I'm
pretty sensible, but at times we have our weak points. I just haven't been
caught yet (smiling). Just a matter of time, though.

Q. Got to get out of the game while you still have your reputation.
PATRICK RAFTER: When you get out of the game, they get worse (laughter).

Q. Talking about James Blake yesterday, young American guy, mentioned
over a period of 12 months that you were able to say a couple of things to
him, encourage him. When you were -- did you get a lot of encouragement
from the top players when you were young?
PATRICK RAFTER: What I found was a huge thrill for me was being in the
locker room probably '89, '90, those years at the Australian Open, seeing a
guy like John Fitzgerald walk by going, "Good day, Fitzy."
"Good day, mate."
He didn't know who the hell I was. I thought that was great.
I remember Yannick Noah playing Lendl in the semifinals of the Australian. I
said, "Good luck, Yannick."
He goes, "Thanks, mate."
It was such a huge thrill. Those things stick with me, especially those guys.
There are a lot of guys on the tour that don't do that, as well. Sort of turn their
head, you say hello, they do that (looking away).
Especially when we were all coming through, as well, there were a lot of
guys like that. Now there's some really good guys on the tour that say hello
to everyone. It's good for young kids coming through.
I met James, I really started talking to James probably a year or two ago in
Bermuda at the tournament there. He was just a really good fella. Take
people as you find them. Doesn't matter what their ranking is. If they're a
dick, they're a dick. If they're a good bloke, it's good. He's a good fella.

Q. There was a poll in which they asked people who they'd like to be for a
day, of Australians. You beat Russell Crowe, Ian Thorpe. Wanted to know
how you felt about that.
PATRICK RAFTER: The Australians?

Q. Yes. You won like 31.3 percent, overwhelming.
PATRICK RAFTER: What do they want?

Q. They were asked who they would like to be for a day. They picked you
over Russell Crowe, Ian Thorpe and John Howard. How does that feel?
PATRICK RAFTER: Thought it would be Russell Crowe, I reckon. They
picked me. Good-looking girlfriend, I guess. That's why they picked me.
Well, you know, the popularity in Australia, after Wimbledon, I haven't been
home since, but I heard it was very, very positive. Then the public have been
great back in Australia. That's I guess a sign or a reflection of how things
went at Wimbledon.
I guess if you put Goran in there, they might say Goran.
No, it's just always a really nice feeling when you're recognized in little ways
like that.

Q. Considering how different the conditions are at night here, Sampras or
Agassi, which would you prefer to play at night?
PATRICK RAFTER: You'd probably have to say -- probably neither, I don't
know (laughter).
You know, I've played Andre in a few night matches in Grand Slams, a
couple times in Australia, and at least once here. It's good to play Andre
sometimes at night because you're the one doing a lot of work. He's going
to run you around. At the same time, you get a bit more work off his serve.
With Pete, he's going to serve big, whether you play him day or whether you
play him at night. I played him here in the day, had success.
Oh, listen, I'd probably prefer to play day, keep preferring to play day. Get into
a better rhythm throughout the tournament.

Q. On your run to the title, how many times did you play at night?
PATRICK RAFTER: '97 Andre. I remember that match. That's probably only
once.
In '98 I started off the first match against Arazi. Must have squeezed me in
there somewhere else, I reckon. Can't remember. Probably day is better.

Q. Top seeds have to play at night to give the TV something to show. Have
you made any requests to play day matches mostly?
PATRICK RAFTER: Yeah, I prefer to play during the day. I made that point to
them. The first match of this tournament, I said, "I'm sick and tired of playing
a night match the last three years. I don't want one."
"Okay, we'll play you second one if you win."
I said, "All right. I'll get through that."
"Maybe third one."
"Steady on."
It's out of my hands, but I think there are a enough top players on that they
can shuffle them around, put them on day and night. I don't think it would be
really fair if we had to play another night match straightaway.
But I think it's generally play one night match a week. I don't know if that's a
rule, but they try to get the players a bit of a say in that. I've tried to say I only
want one match a week at night.

Q. TV screens interfere at night matches?
PATRICK RAFTER: No. I think if you get a lob put up, then it might sort of
cross over. Change of ends, I wasn't looking. You couldn't notice it. I didn't
notice it in the ball toss or anything. A great little added touch.
That's the best crowd I've ever seen at the US Open ever, even during a
finals, I think. It was a good atmosphere.

Q. Why was that?
PATRICK RAFTER: I don't know.

Q. Why were they good? A lot of Aussies?
PATRICK RAFTER: No, no, just a lot of people. It was packed as I've ever
seen it for me. It was good.

Q. Seles was there earlier.
PATRICK RAFTER: I think that's what it was.

Q. Escude, I think you play him next?
PATRICK RAFTER: Lapentti.

2001 U.S. OPEN  
Patrick Rafter
08/27/2001  
 
Transcribed Interview:  Patrick Rafter
P. RAFTER/B. Bryan 7-6, 6-3, 7-5

MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You told Bob at practice this morning that you didn't have a chance
against him. Didn't seem to help him much.
PATRICK RAFTER: No, no, no, no. He must have misunderstood. Mike hit a
topspin lob over his head, and I just said, "I don't have that shot, so don't
worry about looking for the topspin lob." I was messing around.
I didn't say I had no chance against him. I just said I didn't have that
chance.

Q. He made it sound a lot more interesting.
PATRICK RAFTER: No. He must have misunderstood what I said. No one really
understands me anyway, so...

Q. Were you fibbing?
PATRICK RAFTER: No. Don't really have it.

Q. How was that match for you?
PATRICK RAFTER: Hit a lot of balls out there. I got through the match. It's
pretty important to get yourself in the tournament. The first round is always
a bit of a tricky one.
I'm glad I got through it. Played pretty well, served okay, volleyed pretty
well. I think Bob, you know, he played pretty well. Never really gave me a
lot of opportunities. When he did, he served pretty well on the big points.
To get out of it in straight sets was a relief, that's for sure. It was very
hot and humid. You know, I was starting to get tired out there.

Q. You've been talking about taking a break at the beginning of next year.
Now that you're actually playing the last Grand Slam of the year, this phase
of your career, is it hitting you more?
PATRICK RAFTER: No, no.

Q. Is it just another Open to you then?
PATRICK RAFTER: Yep.

Q. The sky cameras, did that bug you at all?
PATRICK RAFTER: Listen, I think it's a good idea. When it's up there, it's
fine. But when it's moving around, it's sort of in your line when you throw
it up to serve. You don't want too many things moving around because it
distracts you from the ball. It was just a little bit frustrating. I think
it's just teething problems with it, the guys messing around. I think it's a
great concept.

Q. How is your shoulder?
PATRICK RAFTER: Good, thanks.

Q. In your own mind, what is the likelihood this is your last Grand Slam?
PATRICK RAFTER: It could be.

Q. That doesn't mean anything to you?
PATRICK RAFTER: I'm not answering these questions.

Q. When you come into the US Open having won it twice, do you feel sort of
different when you come over here than maybe a couple of the other Grand
Slams?
PATRICK RAFTER: No, not really. I feel good here, but I think a tournament
like Wimbledon gives you a better chance to get into the tournament because
you feel like there aren't many guys that can win the tournament. When you
play a lot of guys, you feel, you know, you definitely have that edge on
them, especially on the grass. But not here. It's a good equalizer. The hard
court, I think there are plenty of guys that can win here. So I'm always
pretty weary of that. There can be upsets at any time. The guys are all too
good these days.
But it does feel good to be actually in the tournament for a change.

Q. What did you think when you saw the bottom quarter?
PATRICK RAFTER: I haven't seen it. But someone just told me. I don't really
want to talk about the draw. I just want to talk about my next match and go
from there. I really don't look at it.
He thought I was pulling his leg. He kept going on and on about it.
Eventually told me who was in it. I was like, "All right. Thanks."
Yeah, I really just try to play one match at a time. That's all I want to
think about in this tournament.

Q. Do you want to talk about your retirement?
PATRICK RAFTER: No. Thanks, mate.

Q. How would you compare your chances for this tournament compared to '97,
'98, the way you're playing, the way you feel?
PATRICK RAFTER: Well, things look good. Because '97, '98, I came in with a
lot of tennis. Again here I've come in with a lot of tennis. From that side
of things, it's sort of like an omen going on, I guess. I'm just trying to
ride the wave as long as I can.
But, as I said, the draw is heavily stacked. There's a lot of really good
players to get through. I'm obviously not in the great section of the draw.
Probably aren't too many great sections, but I'm probably in one of the
hardest ones.
You know, it's going to be very, very tough.

Q. Considering your successes on hard courts this year, do you feel as
confident, more confident, as you did back in '97, '98 coming in?
PATRICK RAFTER: No, probably the same. I generally approach most Slams the
same. Just sort of try and play one match at a time, but knowing that you can
go out at any time. I've always had that attitude with Grand Slams. I've
never gone in saying, "I'm going to win this one, I think I'm going to win."
Too many good guys in the field to ever say that.
I always give myself an opportunity to win. I always think, "No reason why I
can't get through." It's a very difficult task, as well.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about winning in Indianapolis?
PATRICK RAFTER: It was good to get a win. I think psychologically it's pretty
important, however it happens, "Okay, it's happened."
'97, I had five or six losses in a row again, then I had a win. I kept
winning my next seven, I think, in a row. Hopefully that will help, if I get
in the same situation here. You know, if I did lose the last five or six
finals in a row, coming -- and if I did get to the final, psychologically I
couldn't imagine myself feeling great.

Q. What are some of the things you really want to do over your break, your
five months?
PATRICK RAFTER: I really don't have a lot of idea what I'm going to do. Just
get away from tennis for a while is really what I want to do. I'll be a
little bit in Australia for Christmastime, showing a friend from Bermuda
around Australia a little bit. Probably head back to Bermuda, chill out there
a while, see what I want to do.
I don't want to be around tennis for a while and see how much I miss it, if I
do or not.

Q. Are you surprised at Agassi and Sampras, who have been around longer than
you, having done the same thing, are still going strong?
PATRICK RAFTER: Listen, it's everyone to themselves. They're obviously
feeling good. They really are enjoying themselves still. I think everyone has
their threshold for it. I don't want to put myself anywhere near someone like
Borg, but at 26 the guy was tired of tennis. I think Mats also had a bit of a
letdown, as well. These guys were superstars at a young age. I was never
that. I think we all hit our point where we say, "That's enough."

Q. There's obviously a lot of talk these days about the popularity of the
women's game, the cover of Time Magazine this week. Have you talked amongst
the guys, "We're playing pretty well, too"?
PATRICK RAFTER: No, I don't think -- we're not in competition with women's
tennis. I think the only way that I think tennis can get bigger is by joining
the two, men and women's together. I've always said that. If the women don't
want it, they don't want it, fine. But for the health of the game, it would
be good.
But generally we've found in the past that a lot of times the tournaments
have had more spectators at men's tournaments than women's. But the women's
is definitely healthy. There's no doubt about it. You know, I quite enjoy
watching women's tennis, as well.

Q. What do you love about the game right now?
PATRICK RAFTER: That it's nearly finished.

Q. That's about it?
PATRICK RAFTER: (Nodding head.)

Q. Australians have a great legacy, Newk and Roche working with the younger
generation. There's a sense of national pride. Once you have accomplished
what you've accomplished, maybe step away from it a little bit. There seems
to be a sense that the time comes a little later on to give back.
PATRICK RAFTER: Definitely.

Q. I know it's early to ask a question, but when you --?
PATRICK RAFTER: At some stage in my career, I'll be putting back for the
game, whether it's worldwide, but definitely back in Australia, as well. I
will definitely be part of that. I enjoy seeing someone like Lleyton, who
I've seen at the age of 15 just blossom, be a world contender. I don't know
if I have anything to do with Lleyton's success, but it would be nice to have
someone there and say, "I helped that kid."
I think it's important, you know, we're going through a tough time with
Australian tennis with young guys and young girls coming through. There will
be some stage that I'll try to help out and put in my ten cents' worth.

Q. You've experienced victories, but can you take a moment and say how you
dealt with the defeat at Wimbledon? I know it was not a happy memory. How did
you deal with the results of that?
PATRICK RAFTER: Well, there's not much you can do. The match is over. You've
lost your chance. I lost my chance for this year at Wimbledon. You know, it's
just a matter of putting things in perspective. It's a tennis match. You're
out there playing for a title. You put in your best effort, and it doesn't go
your way. That's all you can do.
No, I just went back to Bermuda. I sort of stayed with some really close
friends. I didn't really want to go out and see people. I didn't want to hear
people saying, "Great Wimbledon, bad luck." After a week, I went around, just
sort of generally mixed back in Bermuda with all sorts of friends. But at the
time I didn't want to see anyone.

Q. Harder than before?
PATRICK RAFTER: Yeah, definitely. There were no real high bridges in Bermuda
to jump off of (laughter).

Q. How long did you take to get over it?
PATRICK RAFTER: I just answered that.

Q. Are you over it?
PATRICK RAFTER: I'm fine, thanks (laughter).

Q. How much do you hope Lleyton gets help from other Aussies?
PATRICK RAFTER: He's got a great circle of people around him right now with
Darren and Fitzy and Wally doing the Davis Cup now, Newk and Roche doing it,
spending a few years with Lleyton, as well. I don't have -- what's the word?
I think Lleyton is well looked after amongst the Australians.
If ever Lleyton needed some company, sure I'd like to help him out. No, he's
fine. He's got a lot of good friends around him.
 
END--http://www.usopen.org/news/interviews/