PATRICK RAFTER defeated MARK WOODFORDE

      6-2 6-4 6-4

      20 January 1999

                 Q. Pat, you must be very happy with that?

                 A. Yeah, good to back it up, mate, have two good wins in a
                 row now, so if I don't play well - I always said if I
                 move well, I play well, and tonight was one of those
                 situations.

                 Q. How long since you have moved that well?

                 A. With my last match of last year, I felt like I moved
                 pretty well against Todd Martin.

                 Q. Pat, Krajicek was in here earlier in the day saying that
                 in his view the courts are playing quicker and the balls
                 are quicker. Do you agree, and sort of how much quicker
                 are they, and how much help is it to you?

                 A. Not really. It's nothing like the US Open, that's for
                 sure. I don't know what he's comparing it to, if he can
                 remember what it was like last year; maybe a fraction
                 quicker, the conditions here, than last year, but, yeah,
                 it's probably hard to say.

                 Q. Any thoughts about Enqvist?

                 A. Well, he's obviously playing very well. You know, I'm
                 going to have a game that's probably a little bit
                 different to what he's played against lately, and I guess
                 we will see how quick the conditions are. I mean, if the
                 ball is flying, then it's going to be good for my serve,
                 so I would like the balls to be flying around out there
                 when I play him. Hopefully, it's one of those nice hot
                 days, yeah.

                 Q. Do you feel that the recent success of you and Mark has
                 helped revive Australian tennis?

                 A. Well, yeah. I think, you know, there was always , going
                 back probably 3 or 4 years, there was always, there was a
                 lot of talk about Australian tennis and where it was
                 going, and I guess Mark and I - I came along 94, a little
                 bit, and then sort of went a little stale, and Mark came
                 along and helped push me along, so, yeah, now I think
                 we've got Lleyton Hewitt coming through, and he's going
                 to keep it going for at least a good ten years after
                 we've gone.

                 Q. Do you think it has increased the interest in tennis in
                 Australia?

                 A. Well, I think by the size of the crowds, it's definitely
                 a good sign.

                 Q. When did you start to think about this tournament, to
                 start preparing for it, for the Melbourne tournament?

                 A. Well, I thought about this tournament, going back, in
                 probably October of last year. You know, I had a
                 decision to make, whether I stayed in Europe and then try
                 and get the knee better in the two weeks and play
                 Hannover, or I take those weeks off and really try and
                 work on the knee and get it better, and get ready for the
                 Australian Open. So it has been in my mind for that
                 long. The preparation may not have been ideal for me
                 this year, for this tournament. I probably started a
                 little bit late, but I think that will only help me in
                 the end of the year, where I can keep my sanity a little
                 bit more. It's a long year.

                 Q. Pat, do you remember your sort of previous matches
                 against Enqvist and the trend of how those matches went?

                 A. Yeah, I mean, I'm just going to play my style of game.
                 He's got a big serve. I've just got to try and get the
                 thing back and I'll be coming in, and I say, "If you can
                 pass me, they are too good. You can have it". He's
                 going to have to beat me and I'm going to try and play
                 very steady and put a lot of pressure on him. So we'll
                 see who can put the most pressure on each other - the
                 more pressure, if that's the right word. I don't know.
                 I passed English, just.

                 Q. And three days into it you are the highest standing
                 seed. Any thoughts on why that is?

                 A. No, I don't look at it that way at all. I would probably
                 go on form more than anything. That was - I was very
                 impressed with the way Mark played tonight. That was
                 fantastic to watch. And obviously Enqvist is going to be
                 tough. I mean - but there's a lot of very dangerous
                 players out there. You've got Agassi out there as well,
                 and Krajicek. I mean I could name a lot of players.
                 They are not coming into my mind right now, but I don't
                 really necessarily look at seeds. This - I find it's a
                 very open tournament, as I have always been saying.

                 Q. Where do you feel more comfortable to play - in Europe,
                 US or Australia?

                 A. Oh, I think US is probably the place I have had my best
                 results. I do enjoy playing out here. It's fantastic
                 crowds, and it's a good atmosphere, and there's a not a
                 better feeling when you win in front of a fantastic crowd
                 that is really behind you. That's great. Sometimes in
                 the US you may not have them on your side, but at least I
                 know when I come to Australia, I generally know they are
                 on my side.

                 Q. Why do you feel more comfortable in the US?

                 A. The conditions are pretty good for me. The hard court is
                 a nice court. The ball is a ball that moves around; it's
                 quite quick in the air, and I like playing on hard
                 courts. It's my best surface.

                 Q. Pat, having had such a difficult, say, last two weeks,
                 week and a half, having had one or two rounds, do you
                 kind of feel as if, okay, this tournament hasn't been a
                 disaster, whatever happens now; do you know what I mean?

                 A. Like I have got nothing else to lose?

                 Q. Yes?

                 A. Not really. I think, you know, I have got a couple of
                 very good challenges ahead of me. I have got a really
                 touch match coming up, and, if I get through that,
                 another very tough one, so, you know I think at this
                 stage my mind is just set on that. It's not set on, I
                 have done well, I have done okay, so let's draw the line
                 there. I'm still very keen to try and take one match at
                 a time and try and kick on.

                 Q. Were you happy with your serve tonight?

                 A. Yes, very happy. I don't think I was down a break point
                 tonight. I must have served close to 70 per cent of
                 first serves. You know, I can't ask for more than that.

                 Q. Can I check on what that golf score was?

                 A. 76.

                 Q. What do you play off?

                 A. 11.

                 Q. Yeah, good. And what do you do tomorrow? Do you go back
                 out and play?

                 A. No, I play doubles. If I didn't play doubles, I would be
                 out there playing golf again for sure. But, no, this is
                 going to be very ideal. If I can play singles and
                 doubles every second day and I can continue to win, then
                 I think it will be great preparation. I need more
                 matches and there's no other way than being on court
                 playing them - that's the only way to get matches. What
                 am I talking about? Thanks.