Q. After the third set, Jonas said you were enquiring about whether it was worth continuing. Did you want to continue?
A. No, no. I just -- I don't see much point in playing four, five games and walking off. I thought the light as starting to get pretty ordinary late in the third and I just wanted to stop regardless after the third set and, yes, and he said -- Alan Mills said he wants us to stay out there, and I said Alan Mills isn't playing, so how's he going to judge that? And I think they should probably have a light meter and just gauge it by that. Obviously in the end it worked out well for me. But, you know, for both of us too, I mean --Q. I asked Jonas this before: is it a strange mindset to be partners one day and then intense adversaries the next, especially in such gruelling matches?
A. Yes and no but, you know, we both respect each other a lot, and we don't get into each other's faces on the court, you know. Other guys you might, but with Jonas and I, we're pretty honest with each other, and there's no aggro out there. So it's a nice way to play. It's really nice because we are good mates and, you know, we do understand that we can lose to each other on any given day. So, you know, you're not mad when you come off if you lost because I know I can lose to him tomorrow.Q. You're not sick of seeing him after the last two days?
A. No. Obviously I didn't really look at him too much today. I was trying to watch that little yellow thing.Q. John Newcombe was saying yesterday that he considers you a throwback to the Aussies of his generation, the swashbucklers, because in spite of your success, your priority is to remain just a regular guy. Do you agree with that, and also do you think that coming from such a large family might --
A. Yes, it definitely helps, yes. That helps but also, you know, you can lose your way a little bit in sports and doing so well in sports, but having the role models and a tradition like the Aussies had, you know, it's such a great thing to look up to. I mean, those guys were all -- you know, they went out there and they tried their best, but at the end of the day they are regular people and they realised that, you know, all we're doing is playing a sport and we shouldn't be looked at any differently than just that.Q. That's something you try to emulate?
A. I do, yes. Obviously sometimes it's a bit difficult when people always want attention, and thing, to put things in perspective, because all you want to be is just a normal person, and yes, so ...Q. Did your family play a role in that?
A. Sure. I remember I think the first time I did pretty well in '94 I started -- yes, then, you know, becoming a little bit affected by it, and they pulled me back in line very quickly.Q. You obviously are a big fan of Davis Cup. Do you remember a match in particular a couple of years ago that John thinks was the turning-point for you, a five setter against him?
A. It wasn't just coming back and winning that match, it was also these guys having the faith in me to go out and do the job, which made me feel really good within myself. I hadn't had much confidence and we went into a big tie, and he put me up there ready to play, and that felt really good, to be one of the guys on the court playing.Q. What does your Dad do?
A. He does a lot of things. He owns food shops, he's an accountant. He doesn't do it any more, but he was into that. But now he just runs food stops.Q. He's the one that instill you into this feeling?
A. Yes, I think it's a whole family thing.Q. How do you think you played today?
A I was very happy with that. It was a tough match. The court was I think a very evenly paced court. It wasn't quick or particularly slow, but it was a medium paced court and they were good to play our style of games, and knowing each other's games so well and knowing where we're going to serve, you know, obviously it makes it a little bit tricky when we're playing against each other. But I could see out there constantly we were both trying to go against our natural instincts, because we both knew each other's nstincts very well.Q. Can you get a line on your form through playing someone whose game you know very well?
A. We always play relatively good tennis against each other but, you know, that only can -- if you win, then all of a sudden you feel good within yourself, so you feel like you're hitting the ball well, so that's a good thing.Q. What about Thomas next round?
A. He's got a big serve, so I've got to try and get that back. I don't know if he's serve volleying, I haven't really seen any of his tennis, but this is not a good surface for him. He's never done well on grass, so I'll be quietly confident going out there.Q. Are you playing well enough to set yourself any goals yet, or is it whoever's coming?
A. Yes, I don't really set myself any goals in Grand Slams. I'm out there to win every one, and that's it. But I try and take it one match at a time realising that each one is as tough as each other.Q. Have you put the quest to be number 1 in a different perspective recently? You've come close several times.
A. No, I mean, it's always going to be there. You're going to go on the court with a thought that, "If I win this next match I could be number 1", or "I will be number 1". I mean, that's going to be there. So I think you've got to face the fact that it is going to be there, and you've got to deal with it the best way you can.Q. Newc expects it by the end of the year and he thinks --
A. My God.Q. He thinks you're just as well off not having that extra burden coming into Wimbledon. Would you just as soon be the top dog here or the number 1 target?
A. Am I?Q. Would you rather be number 1 than being number 2?
A. I'd like to be number 1, no doubt about it.Q. Do you keep an eye on Pete's results?
A. Not really. He's got to win the thing and if I have a good result I'm going to beat him. I think there are ten guys who can be number 1.Q. 10?
A. I think that's what someone said before the tournament.Q. Jonas said he was impressed by your returns today. He said if you go on and play like that in the doubles we'll be doing --
A. Yes, I mean, I always -- as I said, we know each other's games pretty well, so we know sort of where we're going to serve. But, you know, a few times I was very happy with the way I returned, and that's the best I've seen Jonas serve for a while as well. He did go off a little bit, but he has been struggling with his serve a lot and I thought he served quite well today.Q. How was your shoulder, by the way?
A. Not bad.Q. Is it good?
A Not bad.Q. Are you concerned at all about his pulled leg muscle?
A. For doubles? No, we have the attitude for doubles that, you know, if we're not ready to play or if it's going to interfere with our singles then we will give it a miss. We've always had that arrangement. That's why we play together and that's why we have fun out there, because we understand that singles is a priority, and we enjoy each other's company, but we'll be going out there to do our best and if he can't keep going, if he feels slightly under the weather, then, hey, listen, that's fine.Q. He says he is intending to play, but --
A. I saw him in the locker room just then, he's hobbling a little bit too, so he's going to be sore tomorrow.Q. Pat, Newc has plenty of air time here today. Twelve months ago, when you were down a bit, you said he wrote you a note or a letter that spurred you on and you kept. Can you let us in on that twelve months down the line?
A. I've repeated this about 50 times, I reckon. I mean, I've gone through a lot of problems. I have my ups and downs and again I've gone through it again this year, but what happens is things just change. All of a sudden you feel like you're back again and Newc's letter was to the extent that "Go out there and enjoy yourself. People have been saying that to me all the time, but it was just a matter of when it was going to sink in and it finally sank in and I went on the court enjoying myself again, and that's when I play my best
tennis and that's what's happened before Rome as well, I started to enjoy it.Q. How are you feeling right now?
A. That's why it's good when you win, so it's pretty hard to differentiate between those two at the moment.Q. Did you know those guys growing up?
A. Yes, their presence and everything, of course. I knew they were big icons back in Australia.Q. They were before your time to an extent.
A. Yes, they are, but they're still people -- tennis is a big sport in Australia.
