INTERVIEWS

Round 3: Defeated Slava Dosedel.....6-2, 6-3

MIKI SINGH: Okay, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, a straight set winner today over Slava Dosedel, who is also celebrating his birthday. In tomorrow's quarterfinal he'll play Tim Henman whom he's beaten three out of four times. First question for Yevgeny.

QUESTION: What was your game plan going into the match? You seemed to hit a lot of slices.
KAFELNIKOV: I knew we were going to have some long run on the baseline. I just tried to stay focused because the top half of my section is pretty open, so I knew it's a very good opportunity for me now to really do well here in the tournament. So I was focused and I was ready to play.

QUESTION: Did you take anything off? You didn't seem to hit out the way you usually do. You seemed very contained.
KAFELNIKOV: No, I've had the same game plan as usual. I just try to keep the ball in play as long as many -- to hit as many balls as I can, which I successfully did. I was hitting more long shot more than him, so although he was missing, or he was going for the big shot shot. I think I was -- that was the game today.

QUESTION: Do you have a lot of confidence now? I mean --
KAFELNIKOV: Well, I feel pretty confident, yes. My physical condition is not as good as I want to see, but is getting better.

QUESTION: What was going with the -- was that a shoe problem, or a foot problem?
KAFELNIKOV: A shoe problem.

QUESTION: It's the yellow shoes.
KAFELNIKOV: Yes, it is.

MIKI SINGH: Too yellow.
KAFELNIKOV: Too yellow, too bright.

QUESTION: You're going to Tim Henman in the next round. Your thoughts on that?
KAFELNIKOV: Well, we played four times and three out of four I beat him, but I lost big match at Wimbledon which is a really big disappointment. But tomorrow it's going to be another day in the office. I'm going to take it as serious as any other match. Is quarterfinal. As I said, it's a very big opportunity for me to play well.

QUESTION: How do you describe your play so far and how do you anticipate --
KAFELNIKOV: Overall I think I'm performing very well. I played kind of shaky match two days ago, but now I'm pretty happy with the way I played today, solid. Solid enough. I think 53 minutes and I'm pretty happy. So I'm saving my energy for the last.

QUESTION: Was the difference today you were that much better, or the other day when you played Cecil, was he that much better?
KAFELNIKOV: No, I think my first round match I didn't take it so seriously. I didn't realize that is going to be that hard, but then after shaky first set and then I kind of got back to the game. But today was different story. Was one round further than that and as I said, you know, when I look at the draw I saw many top guys failing down, Jim Courier, Mark Philippoussis. It's a big chance for me.

QUESTION: Do you get distracted? You had said previously that at the French and Wimbledon when you saw that you had a clear kind of run, you kind of got distracted maybe.
KAFELNIKOV: Well, sometimes I particularly putting myself under so much pressure, like when I see a lot of good guys losing in the early rounds, then I see some other names which is for me not so difficult, and maybe in this case I'm playing not so relaxed as I always do. That's really hard. But this week, you know, I'm confident and I'm playing good tennis right now.

QUESTION: Last year you qualified for both Hannover and Hartford and because Hannover was first you made the decision not to play in Hartford. They flipped it around this year.
KAFELNIKOV: No, it was not -- is not because of that. Because my doubles partner, he was injured.

QUESTION: Okay. Would you play -- this year would you go from Hannover to Hartford?
KAFELNIKOV: Well, I don't know really at this stage if I would participate in both, you know. First of all you have to qualify for that. Second of all, I think it's a big opportunity, you know, to compete in such events like, you know, singles matches or doubles matches. It doesn't matter whether top teams or top players, you know, of this year competing with each other. It's a big honor. At this stage for me my main goal is just to qualify, then we'll see from there.

QUESTION: But you wouldn't rule it out either?
KAFELNIKOV: No.

MIKI SINGH: Any other questions?
QUESTION: You still enjoy playing a ton of tennis? I know you play --
KAFELNIKOV: I do. I do, yes, especially after this almost four months away off the court, I really missed it. I've seen so many tournaments during that time on the TV. I've seen a lot of guys playing finals, semifinal, and it kind of disappoint me. But it's the way I am. I like to play a lot, as many matches as I can, not only singles but doubles, too.

QUESTION: You don't feel it wearing you down?
KAFELNIKOV: No, no. I'm 23, my body is still able to do that.

QUESTION: Don't you make the schedule soon? Don't you have to pick the schedule before the U.S. Open?
KAFELNIKOV: Well, I'm going to look at the schedule a little bit later on.