Day 14 - Albert Costa
Sunday, June 9, 2002

A. COSTA/J.C. Ferrero 6-1, 6-0, 4-6, 6-3

Q. Considering the moment, Grand Slam final, against a very tough player,
the first two sets, have you ever in your life played tennis as nearly
flawlessly as you did in the first two sets?

ALBERT COSTA: Well, I think today I did the best match of my life, for
sure. I was playing unbelievable tennis. I was playing so hard, trying
all the time, looking for the point all the time. And I was feeling
unbelievable. So I was feeling great in the court. You know, I was a
little surprised because in a final, I was supposed to be nervous. I
was playing unbelievable.

Q. Why do you think it is that it's taken you three years to win a
tournament, and now you win the French Open?

ALBERT COSTA: Well, I think this year I was feeling very good. I did
well in Australia. I did well in Barcelona. I did well in Monte-Carlo,
Rome. I still was needing more confidence in myself. And that's what I
did these two weeks. I was trying to say, "Okay, I cannot have bad
thoughts. I just need to be positive and let's go to try to win the
tournament." So that's what I tried, and that's what I did.

Q. Alex Corretja said before this final that these two players, they
cannot be satisfied just getting to the final, there's something more,
they have to not be satisfied until they win it. Did Alex impart that
same message to you? Have you heard Alex say that?

ALBERT COSTA: Yeah, you know, Alex give me lots of confidence, and I
think he's a friend of Juan Carlos and mine. But Alex has a lot of
experience, and he can tell you something that you can do in the court,
and sometimes this is important.

Q. A couple years ago, you weren't playing as aggressively as you did
in this tournament, especially in the final. At what point during Roland
Garros did you know that you could play aggressively all the time, not
make errors and still win?

ALBERT COSTA: Well, I took the decision against Guga because I knew if
I wanted to try to win the tournament, I cannot stay in the back and put
the ball inside the court; I have to look for something else. I was
trying to -- I tried with Guga, and I played unbelievable tennis. I
tried with Canas, I play unbelievable tennis. I try with Alex, and I
play unbelievable tennis. Today it was for me the better one. Today I
was just hitting, and no misses, no mistakes.

Q. Did you say to yourself, "Oh, my God. Why haven't I been playing like
this all my life?"

ALBERT COSTA: Yeah, but you have -- the most difficult thing is to
believe in yourself - for me, to believe that you can win. And now
I'm believing. I'm believing. I know that I'm going to lose matches
and everything, but now I have different feelings about me.

Q. Is it even more satisfying to win playing the way you played?

ALBERT COSTA: Yeah, for me, it's unbelievable to be in the final and
to play like this - because for me, the best match ever for me, for sure.

Q. Sort of a silly question, but how does it feel? You've only had a
couple of hours as a Grand Slam champion, but how does it feel?

ALBERT COSTA: It's tough to believe, but I feel very proud of myself,
and I'm very happy. It's like I don't like to say dream come true,
because everybody's saying the same thing. But, you know, sometimes
you think, "Oh, I'm going to win or not. What's going to happen?" And
now I did it, no? I'm convinced that I won in Roland Garros, and it's
very important for me. I feel very proud.

Q. You talked having belief in yourself, about thinking positive
thoughts. How did the process come about that you finally achieved
this after so, so long? What went inside of you? What were you thinking?

ALBERT COSTA: Well, is difficult, no? You have to try to believe, try
to think all the time. And that's what I tried. Maybe after last year
in Rome, I made unbelievable -- I don't know how is the word in English,
but I was completely down last year in Rome. I start to think, "Okay, I
cannot be like this." I was getting completely crazy in the court. I
couldn't play, so I couldn't play. I start to think, "I don't want to
feel this anymore, I just want to be relaxed, I just want to enjoy
tennis, and I just want to do the best as I can. I don't want to get
pressure. No, no, no, stop. I need to play like the way I know." That's
what I start to think, just to be more relaxed, not to think that if I
lose is a drama or not drama. No, just play tennis and believe in yourself
and that's it. That's what I did the whole days since that day.

Q. And your wife-to-be shortly said that having your children gave you
more maturity.

ALBERT COSTA: Yeah, for sure is true, because you start to think in
other things. For me, before, tennis was a hundred percent of my life,
and now is not. So now I have other things. Now I have my two little
babies that I love them a lot. Sometimes when I lose a match, I think,
"Okay, I'm going home, I'm going to see my little babies," and I don't
get that drama, no? So it's more natural.

Q. You talked the other day about watching some of your friends, some
of the other players reach semifinals, make finals. Can you tell us
how long a wait it was for you to do that, how you felt during that time?

ALBERT COSTA: I think I was watching Alberto Berasategui that day and
Bruguera, I was also playing here in Roland Garros, but I was so young,
I was 18 years old. I was practicing with Alberto Berasategui. I said,
"Okay, if he's in the final, why I cannot be in the final? I play good,
I play almost like him." That's what I thought at that moment. Then the
other day with Carlos and Alex, when they played the final, I was
thinking, "Oh, what's happening with me? They are playing the final;
I'm not." I was

playing very good, because I won in Hamburg this year, and I did final
in Rome. So I was feeling, "Oh, I never going to win in Roland Garros.
This could not happen to me." You start to have negative thoughts. But
I think I learn a lot from these two finals because if they can be in
the final, why can I not be in the final? They are so close friend from
me. I said, "Why? They are not different, they are regular person, and
they are in the final. Why not for me?"

Q. And how does that time that you had to wait affect how good it feels
to win now?

ALBERT COSTA: Yeah, now it's unbelievable. I feel great. I feel the
happiest moment in my tennis life. For me, I think that I don't believe
yet that I won in Roland Garros (smiling). I need at least two or three
days to think about it.

Q. Throughout your career, eight years, you've always been the other
Spaniard. There was Sergi, when you turned pro. Then there was Moya,
Corretja. Now among the young players, there's Ferrero. You were never
the person they thought of as being the best Spaniard. When the rankings
come out tomorrow, you will be the highest-ranked Spaniard. Even if it's
not true, do you believe that you are now the best player in Spain?

ALBERT COSTA: Well, I cannot say that because there is a lot of players.
I have a lot of respect. There is many players that they are very good.
And now maybe it's my moment. I think Alex. I cannot say I'm better than
Alex. Then Carlos, Mantilla, Ferrero. Many players. They are also good.

Q. In this moment?

ALBERT COSTA: I think now is my moment because I won Roland Garros
(laughter). That's for sure. I cannot say, no, I'm better than them
because is not true.

Q. When you laid on your back after the victory, did it remind you
of Sergi?

ALBERT COSTA: A little bit. It was like a huge picture for me. But
I don't know what to do. I said, "Okay, I'm going to rest a little
bit," because I was completely dead. When I was there, I was thinking,
"Did I win? Is it true that I win?" I was thinking these things.

MODERATOR: Could we have Spanish questions, please.

Q. Will you be at Wimbledon?

ALBERT COSTA: No. I'm getting married.

Q. In '95 you lost against Muster, who became the champion. Later on,
the following years, you lost to major players. Today you've proven
that this was possible for you to win.

ALBERT COSTA: Yes, you have to gather a number of different
circumstances in order to be able to win. And today all those
various circumstances were gathered here today. I was feeling
very well both from a tennis and mental point of view and physical
point of view. During those other years, there was also Muster, and
maybe I was just as good as the others from a technical point of
view, but not as good mentally. Last time I was against Squillari,
I lost. Then again, I think that other circumstances were not put
together for me to win, but today they were. This was the best match
ever for me.

Q. You are now the defending champion.

ALBERT COSTA: Is that true, really? Did I win or not today (laughter)?
Yes, I did win. Yes, I did win today. But I can't say that from a
personal point of view this is the best day of my life, but from a
tennis point of view, yes, it is. It is the most intense day for me.
It is a big, big day for me.

Q. During those very first sets, what did you think about them?

ALBERT COSTA: Well, I was not surprised at all. Everything was going
well. I was doing well. I could move around very easily. I could
anticipate. I was hitting very good shots. I kept thinking, "Well,
if I keep on playing like this, I might eventually win." It's true
that Ferrero did not play his best game today. It's true. But I think
I did play very well.

Q. Do you think it was the toughest match during this tournament for you?

ALBERT COSTA: Well, in such a tournament, all the matches are very
tough and difficult. The very first one I had against Gasquet was
very tight. It was very difficult for me. The most difficult physically
and mentally was against Canas for me. All those matches were very
difficult. Really, the one against Canas, was very, very difficult for
me because I almost lost.

Q. In '97, there was Mantilla, Carlos Moya. You played each other in
Australia. It's not only on clay that you managed to win matches.

ALBERT COSTA: Yes, on other surfaces, too, I've made a lot of progress.
On all surfaces, I've improved quite a lot. I like to play on very quick
surfaces, too. I might not win yet, but I have very specific objectives,
and I will try to keep winning.

Q. You started very well. What do you think happened to him when he
started to come back in the match in the third set?

ALBERT COSTA: Well, I think he was getting his confidence back, and I
thought to myself, "I should not let him get back into the match mentally.
" I have to focus and concentrate as much as I can in order to win,
because otherwise I'll have to go home and think to myself -- I'll
go home and be sad because I will not have won.

Q. What do you feel now with this trophy in your hands?

ALBERT COSTA: Well, I feel so many different things. I'm most happy.
It's like a dream come true. When I got here in Roland Garros, I could
not imagine such a feeling of happiness.

Q. In 1999, you said that the next tournament you would win would be
the French Open. If you had been told this at that time, would you
have agreed?

ALBERT COSTA: Yes, yes, yes, of course. Two years ago I was not as
happy as I am today. There were major moments for me, like in Sydney
or during the Davis Cup, which were quite comparable to today. But
this is "the" tournament for me that I really enjoy and that I really
wanted to win, especially today.

Q. You have proven you are the best player over those two weeks, so
that's history that you're making here. What do you think about that?

ALBERT COSTA: Well, it could be somewhat unfair because I'm not always
the best one, nor the worst actually. But during those two weeks, it's
true that the tournament was quite tough, and it's true that if I won it,
I really deserved it. So I deserved making history. If I had lost
against Gasquet, of course, it would have been a disaster. But now
that I've won, I'm so happy, I feel so good, I'm going to try to keep
on winning as much as I can.

Q. What did you tell your daughters?

ALBERT COSTA: I was not able to say anything to them, but I just took
them in my arms and I kissed my wife-to-be in a few days, and that's
about it. I couldn't tell them anything, I just raised them in the air
so that everybody could see them. Then I kissed everyone, my coach, my
wife-to-be, Tony, my parents who are always along with me, and all those
who come and stay with me and are wonderful to me.

Q. You saw Alex and you talked with him.

ALBERT COSTA: Yes, of course.

Q. What did he tell you?

ALBERT COSTA: Well, he said that I had done very well, a great match,
and as usual he kept encouraging me. He said he was so happy for me.
He said that I really deserved winning today.

Q. The other major sport event is the World Cup. Aren't you afraid
that with the football World Cup and the success of Spain in Japan
and Korea, your success might be somewhat erased?

ALBERT COSTA: I believe that the Spanish football team is doing very
well at the moment. We do hope that it will advance to the final. There
is still a long way to go, though. Yes, I hope that Spain will win the
World Cup and we will be so happy about it.