UNITED STATES TENNIS ASSOCIATION

1992 U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
Flushing Meadows, New York, NY

September 11, 1992

S. EDBERG/I. Lendl

6-3, 6-3, 3-6, 5-7, 7-6 (7-3)

INTERVIEW WITH

Q. Ivan, knowing that you didn't have to play a whole full set, what was your plan in the set?

IVAN LENDL: Basically, come out there for them, try to pick up my rhythm as quickly as I can.

Q. Ivan, all the matches in this tournament you lost the first set. Were you concerned at all coming in that--

IVAN LENDL: That happens sometimes. Sometimes you win the first set easily for a few weeks in a row, and sometimes you don't win it.

Q. Did you do anything differently out their today?

IVAN LENDL: No, I haven't figured out a pattern for that yet.

Q. Was it difficult to come in warm, giving that doubles match that you never knew when you were going to go on?

IVAN LENDL: Well, when you-- we knew not before 1:30, so that was much easier because of that. And I timed it pretty well. I went out; warmed up only when they were halfway through the third set. So I came back to the lockerroom and it was last game.

Q. Was the level of play this afternoon about equal to last night?

IVAN LENDL: No, I think it was better last night. Conditions late in the match last night were much better than today. It was been windy out today. Light was changing because of the clouds and so on and so on. I think we both had better rhythm last night.

Q. How did that affect you, specifically?

IVAN LENDL: It is just harder to keep your rhythm because the conditions are changing.

Q. Is it hard emotionally to get involved in a fifth set? You know, that means right now that you got to get--

IVAN LENDL: Not really. It is rather easy.

Q. Did you think that the delay last night when you had to stop was going to either help him or hurt any --

IVAN LENDL: We both have been through it so many times. It is just one of those things which you have to deal with it. It is not pleasant. It is better to finish the match in one stretch, but things like that happen.

Q. Did you expect him to maybe not come out a little down after having to lose the four match points yesterday and having had to come--

IVAN LENDL: As I said, we both have been through it so many times, that you know how it is. If he came out, and I won, everybody would say, yeah, he came back a little bit down after losing four match points yesterday. Now he came back and won and everybody is going to say, yeah, he is really tough mentally. He could have gone five and five and you would have two different answers each time.

Q. Ivan, given that you had gotten the match points last night, do you feel you were going to run him off there in the fifth set of last night had it not rained in that first--

IVAN LENDL: I don't think you can feel you are going to run Edberg off easily in the fifth set. He is not a pushover, but it is difficult. Sometimes it happens. Give you two examples, I played him-- I believe two years ago at the Australian. Had two match points in the fourth set. I won it in 5; ran him off 6-3 or something like that in the fifth, and then this year, I won the fourth set in the tiebreaker; then he ran me off of 6-1 in the fifth. So again, it can go either way.

Q. What is it like to have a whole night off, do you want to avoid thinking too much about what is going to happen today or do you want to use the time to think as much as you can?

IVAN LENDL: You don't think. You go to sleep. At least, I do. That is the best way to do it.

Q. By the time you got out of the car, and got home, you were finished thinking about what had transpired and what was about to--

IVAN LENDL: Pretty much so, yes. Nothing you can do about it, anyhow. Why bother with it?

Q. What was your feeling or reaction when you saw the forehand net volley crawl over?

IVAN LENDL: I thought at first actually it dropped on his side, but then I saw it dropped on my side. I said look, you can't let it worry you. You have to keep going.

Q. Who is going to win this tournament now?

IVAN LENDL: How do I know?

Q. You are an expert tennis player, and observer?

IVAN LENDL: Not Edberg, he doesn't play the way he used to. He just bunts the ball.

Q. Ivan, on the last shot of the match, did you get frame on the ball, or the --

IVAN LENDL: It was just the frame. He hit really deep return; it skidded off the court, and I caught it late.

Q. Were you able not to let it bother you after you saw that, even though you say--

IVAN LENDL: Yeah, what can you do? I just try to win the next point which fortunately I did. But it wasn't enough.

Q. After saving those match points last night, and everybody is here and paying attention, it is like you were kind of the grand old man of American tennis, suddenly it seemed like a lot of people were pulling for you. Did you feel any of that at all?

IVAN LENDL: Not really. You just -- I just try to concentrate on the match, and not what is going on around.

Q. Do you think he got more aggressive in the last few games on your serve?

IVAN LENDL: Well, I was trying to do what I thought was right. That is what I tried to tell you the other day. Why should I attack Connors if that is his strength, return of serve is his strength and he likes space; why should I give it to him? Then if I played Becker or Edberg, I think my proper play is to attack and mix it up; then I will do that.

Q. You had talked prior coming into here that you thought you could always keep on playing well. Playing would come back. Do you feel that you have played-- that you are back to that level that you wanted to through this entire two weeks?

IVAN LENDL: Well, I would like to be better, of course, because that would mean I would have won this match. But I thought I played pretty well.

Q. I mean, this is the kind of progress that you were looking for, hoping for?

IVAN LENDL: I was hoping for more so I can win, but as I said, I thought I played pretty well.

Q. Ivan, have you ever had a harder run through this tournament, given all the sets you have played, and all the emotional matches or whatever?

IVAN LENDL: I had really hard round last year. I had tough five setter first round and then fourth setter in the third, and five-setter in the quarters. That is pretty tough.

Q. How much did you feel the 8th game of this fifth set hurt you? Have you beat him off a -- he had a breakpoint; then you had advantage three times before he finally broke. That was sort--

IVAN LENDL: I thought that was pretty big. If I had 5-3, it is obviously much better than 4-All, and he played -- I did couple of times what I really wanted to do, and he played some good shots.

Q. Ivan, what is your feeling about playing Davis Cup for the United States?

IVAN LENDL: Well, I do not think it is in question at the moment.

Q. Is it something that you would like to do?

IVAN LENDL: Well, if I get invited, I will consider it very seriously, and would like to do it. But it is -- I don't think it is a question at the moment.

Q. Have you ever seen him this emotional?

IVAN LENDL: Yeah, Stefan gets pretty pumped up. I know you guys don't see, don't know it, or whatever, but I think he is pretty emotional.

Q. You seemed much more emotional in the Becker match. Was that a right perception, or much more pumped up in that match?

IVAN LENDL: Well, Stefan was keeping me down pretty much for two and a half sets yesterday, so it is hard to get pumped up when you are getting swept off the court, there is nothing to be pumped about.

Q. How did you get back in the match then yesterday?

IVAN LENDL: You just have to keep plugging away, and try to create some opportunities and if he presents you with some, then take it. That is what happened. He presented me with one, then I created another one and took it and all of a sudden, I was serving for the fourth set.

Q. Ivan, more than a year, without a victory, does this leave you angry? Does it leave you frustrated?

IVAN LENDL: I don't even think about it. You guys think about it much more than I do. I mean, you worry about it, I am not. It is going to come.

Q. Thank you very much.

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