Friday, June 7, 2002
A. COSTA/A. Corretja 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3


Q. You know Albert's game very well; he knows yours very well. In
your opinion, what makes the difference today?

ALEX CORRETJA: Well, I don't think I lose today. I think I be losing
the last month when I didn't maybe control myself on the court and
reach the level that I should to be able to come here and get ready
for these matches. So I think today we both play pretty normal, not
really good tennis, especially in the first two sets. And the difference
was that he was more consistent and he was more focused probably, and
more used to make the effort to play. For me was difficult to be
concentrate again one more day. I was already tired mentally to get
on court again because I think, as I said these days, for the last
many months, I didn't make this effort. And today it was kind of
difficult for me to get focus.

Q. Is the feeling easier to leave because it's Albert who win the match?

ALEX CORRETJA: Excuse me?

Q. Does it make the disappointment less strong because it's Albert?

ALEX CORRETJA: Well, of course, once you lose, is better to see
that he's going to be in the final and he's going to have the
chance to win it. But the main thing for me is that I was able
to play another final and try to win the tournament - and now I'm
out, no? If I'm honest with myself, I have to be happy by the way
that I reach the semifinals because I didn't play really good tennis
for the last eight, ten months. And it was difficult to just come
here and play well. But, of course, once you are in the semifinals,
you feel like, "Okay, I've been working, maybe I'm going to make it,
" no? So if I look at just the score today, I feel disappointed in
the way that I lost. But if I look at generally, 10 days ago, 15 days
ago, I didn't win more than two matches in the same tournament for
the last eight months. So I think I can't ask for more.

MODERATOR: Questions in Spanish.

Q. I was telling you that your declaration sounded as if you were
thinking that you were defeated before even playing the game. Did
you have the feeling even before the game started that things were
not going to go your way?

ALEX CORRETJA: I've been explaining all along throughout these days
that leaving everything to the end is always very risky. Last year,
it wasn't too bad and I was able to play the finals. This year, I
was doing all right, and reached the semifinals. But I noticed
already yesterday, day before yesterday, that the effort of
concentrating for three hours on the court was harder and harder.
This is because you carry over a number of things. I've been having
difficulty making this kind of effort. Today, I think it was very
difficult for me to try to concentrate on the game, and I think that
the positive thing to draw from this match is that I found a way to
make me feel well when I play, and perhaps I hope to be in better
conditions to play in the future. But if I'm going to blame myself
for something, it is not really because I feel that I've recovered
to some extent, that I'm playing tennis reasonably well, but I don't
think I've been able to give it my all, not 100% of my game.
m . Even though you clarified this before, did it matter that you're
friends, that you're going to be his best man -- did the fact during
the game that you were playing a friend make it difficult for you?

ALEX CORRETJA: No, I don't think this is the case because in recent
days, I've had difficulty in concentrating on the game when I'm on
the court. And I think that we know each other very well, that there
has been some stress, that he's had difficulty wrapping up the match.
At times when I was playing better, I had an option during the third
set. And even in the fourth set, I could have turned things around.
But the fact that he's a good friend didn't really matter. It's not
the reason why I lost. I lost for a number of other reasons. The fact
that 10 days ago I was not doing well, and now I leave Roland Garros
feeling that I've recovered my style and my game to some extent. But
not winning here is hard, but it shouldn't be that hard because you
have to be fair with yourself. And after so many months not winning
any matches, it was difficult to come here and win all of a sudden.
So you can't really ask for miracles. That would be farfetched. I
think I can feel rather satisfied about the way I playe here, taking
into account how I was playing beforehand. It wasn't just one more
chance. The thing that I care about is if I play intelligent, this
is the road that I have to follow for the time I continue to play,
whether one year or several years more. I have to play with the right
outlook, otherwise I don't think it will be any good, because all I
would do would be to drag myself from tournament to tournament, and
that is not really worthwhile. If this defeat is  interpreted in a
useful way, it shoul be useful. If I take it the wrong way, then it
would be useless. I think you have to act intelligently and to gain
from it.

Q. On the court you were slow. Was something wrong physically?

ALEX CORRETJA: I felt I was slowed down, but I think it's all in your
head. When your head is not quick enough, you look as if you were not
moving correctly. There are times when you have the feeling you can't
swing as you should. I began the match well, but then I was a bit
surprised by the result in the beginning. But I think this was a
mirage to some extent. I don't think I was really concentrating as
well as I could have. More than anything else, I think it's psychological
- it's a mental thing.

Q. Allow me to ask you about the injury on your hand. How did it
happen? Was it something that happened today during the match?

ALEX CORRETJA: Yes, it was. It was not an excuse (laughter). I do
recognize there was a point that it came at the wrong time because
after the third set, I was able to win the third set, I was beginning
to play better during the fourth set, and then during that point I
slid on the clay and I injured my hand. Apparently, this was a costly
mistake because I was not able to recover myself. But I've been more
affected by a blister I have on my mouth and that I have on my face,
and something I have to accept, the many things that happened here.

Q. At this point in time, is it important to win a game or is your
game more important? What is the feeling you have about all this today?

ALEX CORRETJA: Had I lost as things were going during the first two
sets I would have felt very badly because I was not really giving as
much as I should have given of myself. But it was difficult for me to
do so. I've explained it over and over again in different interviews.
When you don't make an effort for a long time, it becomes very difficult.
But the only thing that reassures me is that I recovered during the third
set, I was able to win the third set, and during the fourth set I
concentrated on the game. This is the only thing that satisfies me
from this game. 15 days ago, two months ago, when I faced the situation
as that of today, when I was negative, not concentrating enough, I
practically played with no results. This happened with Chela, this
happened in Rome, too. I lost in three sets. At least today I can say
that I'm not really happy with myself. But at least my reaction was
positive, as far as is possible.

Q. Do you leave Paris better than you arrived?

ALEX CORRETJA: Frankly, much better - much, much better than when I
arrived. I arrived in Paris badly. I wasn't confident about my game
or my routine or my style on the court. Everything has gone much better
than I expected. I can't really ask for more. This time around, I can't
ask for any more than what happened here. It's not that I'm willing to
accept what happened; it's that I had a bad track record for a few
months, and I leave Paris feeling that I have a lot of possibilities
for the future, and I can still win important games and important
tournaments. Perhaps two months ago I wouldn't quite have been as
optimistic.

Q. Will Albert be physically and mentally prepared to win at Roland Garros?

ALEX CORRETJA: If you reach the finals, you should be mentally
prepared to win Roland Garros. Albert will have to control his
nerves and he will have to play well and to be able to accept
the kind of game that you will have in front of him. He has to
be aggressive and he has to try to win because all of us, the
first time we come to the finals, you feel that this is good
enough. But this is not enough; it's everything that comes with
it. I think professionally, losing or winning the final match,
there's a big difference, but you're not going to become bitter
about it. It's just one match. The difference there between
winning and losing is being the winner or the loser, the runner-up.
But in the long run, people remember that you were in the finals.
As years go by, whether you win or lose in the final, this is not
really going to change anything. The fact that I won or didn't win
last year doesn't really matter all that much. My life goes on. I
go out at night the same way. Life goes on. So winning  Grand Slam
is not really that vital - and I hope he feels this way.

Q. What did you say to him when he fell on the ground?

ALEX CORRETJA: I told him, "Well, the way you fell, you should
not have won." I said, "You even fell to the ground." I knew that
he was anxious, that he was nervous. I try to win, and I think I
played well during that fourth set, but I wasn't fully convinced
that I could overcome. I suppose that Albert should be able to
control his stress and his nerves, and this kind of preparation
is what is needed in order to do so.

Q. Would it be difficult to be his best man at his wedding?

ALEX CORRETJA: No, it will be just as easy as it was 10 hours
ago. There will be absolutely no difference. It has nothing to
do, one thing with the other.