TONI WOOD: Questions, please?

QUESTION: Were the conditions -- I mean were you used to the conditions there? Did they have an effect today?

RAFTER: I was very hot. You know, I hadn't played in those conditions all week. It's always very difficult to play under those, for my style of game. It's a lot easier to stay back, but if I stay back I'm going to lose, so I have to play my aggressive game.

QUESTION: Pat, was it a double fault in the tie breaker that really cost you the match?

RAFTER: It was definitely costly, yes. 2-2, I went for it, probably just didn't give it -- probably went for it a little bit too much, I suppose. But you know I got back in the position of fourth, Yevgeny missed a backhand volley again, so, you know, there was a couple of unforced errors in the break and that really hurt me.

QUESTION: Do you feel he had a big advantage by having played all three previous matches in the daytime, Patrick?

RAFTER: Not necessarily. I mean, it was very hot during the day and that can drain you as well. He had to do a lot of hard work. The great thing about Yevgeny's game is that he's so smooth. He just seems not to use up any energy at all.

QUESTION: Patrick, the crowd was obviously with you again today, as it has been throughout the whole tournament. Very much behind you. Do you like that? Does that put a lot of pressure on you, or is that something that pumps you up?

RAFTER: I definitely like it. Nothing worse than having a crowd against you. You know, sure they can be a bit moaning, you know, "Come on Pat. Come on," like this. But, you know, as long as you put in 100 percent, you bust your guts, what more can you do? And the people respect that as well. As long as you put in 100 percent. That's what I always try to do every match.

QUESTION: Is it frustrating, obviously, being so close to the final now four times this year and come up short?

RAFTER: Yes, it is. I mean it was a fantastic week again and, as you said, sort of bit sick and tired coming in second place, but I guess it's better than coming in 56th isn't it?

QUESTION: Is that what you take from it in terms of a positive, based on those experiences?

RAFTER: Oh, there's a lot of positives to take out of this tournament, a lot of matches before the U.S. Open. Confidence is another really good thing I got out of it.

QUESTION: You're playing next week?

RAFTER: I am playing Long Island, took a wild card there.

QUESTION: What about New Haven, Patrick? Obviously the fans had a great rapport with you. What did you like about this tournament this week?

RAFTER: This tournament? The one thing I've always liked about New Haven is that they bend over backwards to help you. They really have done a fantastic job. You know, if you need to be picked up from New York, they'll go and pick you up. If they've got to take you there. Girlfriends, if they get -- I mean they bend -- they really do a fantastic job to look after players and that's what I love so much about it.

QUESTION: Talking about the last game, you break, you look like everything is going your way, then that last game just seemed to slip away from you.

RAFTER: Yes, he carried a lot of tough returns to my toes, I just didn't make enough volleys. But that's the sort of game Yevgeny does. He puts you under a lot of pressure and you have to keep coming up with it. I had the game point, he made a great return.

QUESTION: He doesn't have the strongest serve you've faced this week, but what makes his game so big, that he didn't really lose serve?

RAFTER: He doesn't make any unforced errors. I'd hate to see the stats when he has unforced errors. But he only made a handful and he made them in the first two or three games and that was it. He probably made three or four in the first two service games of his and then he never saw another one. And my return is to chip it back. You know, it's not the strongest part of my game. I like to get into the rally and try to control it, but he controls you because his ground strokes are very tough.

QUESTION: Did the heat especially affect you late in the match, Patrick?

RAFTER: No, after each time I had to do a very explosive point, it was very difficult to come back and back it up. It was like a big serve run to the net, play a volley, a low volley, then get back for a lob or something, or lunge for a volley and that takes lot out of you. If you keep that for an hour and a half, you start feeling it after awhile.

QUESTION: Patrick, can you talk a little bit about what's going through your mind at 5-2 when you have this marvelous come back? I mean it would have been so easy just to --

RAFTER: Again, mate, you know, this is the finals. Even if it's not the finals, this is my last roll of the dice and I've got to put in 110 percent and that's what I do. I would have loved, you know, to have gone on and held my serve and from 5-5 you never know what might happen. But, you know, you get it going, you give it everything you've got, and times like that it can go your way.

QUESTION: How much of an impact of losing that first set, then coming in, you get two break points on his serve and you come in and get broke. I mean, did that carry over or is that not relevant to you?

RAFTER: No, you know, I knew I had my chance early, I didn't take it. Then I played a poor service game and all of a sudden I'm on the back foot, but you hang in there, get -- because I'm pretty he confident I'm going to get another chance to break, and that's what I was trying to work on and I got it.

QUESTION: Your serve was off. Is that a case you think you had to do too much against him, you knew he wasn't going to give you anything as well?

RAFTER: Difficult conditions as well. Playing through the day actually made it a little difficult to serve under. But again he puts you under pressure to hit the lines on the serve, unless you're going to get a return at your toes. You just don't get as many free high volleys.

QUESTION: He passed you off two relatively short balls when you went to the net in the last game. Do you have any regrets about going in then?

RAFTER: Well, one he missed, I got 0-15. Another one I made -- I thought I made a pretty good volley, it caught the tape and it bounced up. I was a little bit unlucky. And another one -- you know, but this is my game. If I stay back I'm probably going to make an unforced error. Percentages. You know, for me, it's better to go to the net.

QUESTION: Anything concerning you with your game a

week before the Open?

RAFTER: No. I feel pretty good about it. I just hope that it's not as hot at the U.S. Open as what it is today. You know, I hope for a reasonable draw. Yes. I mean, no, Craig, it was a good week for me, confidence-wise.

QUESTION: And other than actually winning it, have you set yourself a particular stage of the tournament that you'd really like to get to?

RAFTER: To the U.S. Open?

QUESTION: Yes.

RAFTER: No. I mean, no, just go there and play well. If I can play well, I'm sure the results are going to come.

WOOD: Any more questions? Thank you, Patrick.