Massu: "The tennis I played has been incredible today"
10/16/2003
THE MODERATOR: Questions for Nicolas in Spanish. (XD 難怪訪問很長)
Q. Two days ago, you said you wanted to play against the best.
NICOLAS MASSU: Yeah, that's true. It's true I've played well, but not every
day you can do it this way. Everything went well. It would be incredible to
be able to play at this level all the time. The most important thing is
psychological aspect.
For me right now Roddick has proved he's the best player in the world. But
for me victory was also very important. I played well. I'm happy.
Q. You got very pumped up and excited. How were you able to raise your game
to such a high standard?
NICOLAS MASSU: I think I played really well because in the first four, five
games, I was a little bit tight, I didn't play balls. We play just with the
serve. After he broke me, he was 4-2, I think, I change my game a little bit.
I start to feeling better.
When I was 5-2 down, I have no pression because I thought that I lost the
set. I broke in the 5-3, I get a lot of confidence there. I think I start
there to play better.
Q. When you were 3-2 against you, he was serving, what happened with the
umpire? Were you upset at that moment?
NICOLAS MASSU: I wasn't upset really. Those things happen in tennis. We
just changed points of view, the umpire and me. That was a time when he
gave me the ball. I had an error. The ball went out. Three errors in a row
cost me a game.
But I wasn't upset really. It's just I gave my point of view.
Q. What do you think about Andy Roddick, about his game? Did you expect more
from him? Supposedly his game was going to be superior, it was going to be
difficult to defeat him.
NICOLAS MASSU: Among the top world players, tennis players are very similar.
The important thing is the psychological aspect. For me, in my opinion, he's
one of the best players on the circuit in terms of his psychological aspect.
But the second top player cannot deceive me. His tennis is great. This has
been one match of many. He's not played well, but that can happen to anyone.
You should ask him today.
Q. What is your trick to return of serve? Everybody says he has a huge serve.
Here with the speed of the balls, everyone was predicting that it would be
very difficult to return his serve. Today you returned very well. Did you
read it better?
NICOLAS MASSU: When I go to the court today, I talk with my coach and I say,
"I have to just concentrate on my serve, you know. It doesn't matter what
happen when he serve." I know that he serves unbelievable, he's going to
make me a lot of aces sometimes. Maybe sometimes I'm going to have a chance
and have to make it. If not, I go to a tiebreak and then try to make one
point or two points and win the set.
Then after a few games, I start to go for one side. I try to don't see the
ball, just go for one side, to choose like a goalkeeper, you know, to try
to see. Just that I return really well today.
Q. You say for you this is just one match of many, you've done what you have
to do. I think to beat the second best player in the world has given you a
lot of confidence on a surface like the one today.
NICOLAS MASSU: Yeah, I'm telling you the tennis I played has been incredible
today. Sometimes I've played at this level, but not consistently like today.
Sometimes I've been at this level one set, then my game has dropped. But
obviously, clearly, this has been one of the best matches of my life.
I had a lot of confidence in myself. Even with those points that seemed to
be a bit more difficult, those points I even saw them easy. I thought I
couldn't have errors. I even got used to his serve at one point. I started
returning the ball as if it was easy.
It's true that his percentage of first serves decreased at one point, and
that helped me. I took advantage of that. That's why I think it's been one
of the best matches I've played lately, without a doubt.
Q. Obviously, you've had a great clay court season, two wins, two finals.
Are you surprised you could bring that form into the indoor season?
NICOLAS MASSU: I didn't play too much in indoor in my life. We don't have
courts in Chile to play in indoor. Just there's like five or six weeks in
indoor, just in the final of the year, these tournaments. If you are not in
the Top 50 ranking, you cannot play here, you cannot play. Like from here,
two, three years ago, I start to play here four, five tournaments a year.
I don't have a lot of experience.
Of course, I play always in clay. In hard court, I play good in hard court
and in clay. But I start to learn to play here in indoor. This is my first
quarterfinal in Masters Series and indoor, you know. For me, I going to get
a lot of confidence. I can play good here, you know.
Q. The crowd finally supported you, and you thanked them.
NICOLAS MASSU: Yeah. Obviously one is not always conscious of what is going
around him. Ferrero is No. 1 and the crowd are with him. Maybe because I
speak Spanish, and Spaniards usually support Spanish-speaking people, or
maybe the weakest.
But I felt really good on the court. There's been thousands of times that
I've had the crowd against me, and it's much better to have them support you.
I found it great.
Q. How do you see your next match? Chela, Novak?
NICOLAS MASSU: Both players are really difficult. What can I tell you? It's
the quarterfinals of a Masters Series. I think every player is difficult now.
Here we have the best world players. Sometimes it's more difficult to win a
Masters Series than a Grand Slam because sometimes in a Grand Slam you get
people out of the Top 100. Here it's far more difficult for me because
they're usually top 40.
I don't really care one or another.
Q. The other day you asked to play against Roddick. What do you want from
the tournament now?
NICOLAS MASSU: If I tell you I want to win the tournament, you'll kill me
because you want a Spaniard to win (laughter).
The thing is, I only hope to keep winning during the tournament. I'm now
halfway. I've already won three matches. I've got three left. Now things
change. Every match that you win now gives you a lot of confidence. To win
a tournament changes your confidence, changes your way of seeing things.
It changes everything.
Q. Do you want to play against Moya or Ferrero, for instance?
NICOLAS MASSU: I've played against Ferrero twice. Once I won, once I lost.
With Moya, I have -- actually, I would like to play with any of them. They're
all better than me a little bit. We're almost on the same level maybe. I
cannot really answer. I would like to get to the final, that I know for sure.
Q. The other day you said you only wanted to get to the Top 10. Now that
you see you're close to it, do you think your goal is closer, that you can
achieve it?
NICOLAS MASSU: Well, I remember when I was young, I was a boy, I thought,
"I would like to be one of the best players in the world." Now that dream
is closer to me. Things seem to prove that I can make it. Top 10 is really
difficult. Until I get to the Top 10, I'm not going to be happy with myself.
I think my goal is to be Top 10. If I don't get there, it's because I'm not
going to be able, but not because I don't want to. That's my dream. I've
dreamed of it since I was little. Right now I'm close and very far away both.
Let's see what happens.
Q. You are having a lucky period. Your father won a car. What can you tell
people from Vina Marino?
NICOLAS MASSU: It's good because I think I'm lucky right now. I'm from Vina
del Mar, it's a very small city, one of the largest in Chile, but a small
one anyway. My team has gone to the first division. That's why I'm happy.
I'm happy my team moved up.
I hope to be champion here, too. Let's see. There are many good players.
M
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