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Legg Mason Championship Match Quotes

MICHAEL CHANG

When you play against Petr, you know he's going to make great shots. He's a shot maker and for me, I felt like I had to go out there and play good solid aggressive tennis against him. And to do that effectively, I had to keep my errors down. That's pretty much what I try to go out to do.

Q: Did you try to take advantage of his fatigue?
I didn't actually. I was able to get the first break in the second set which was pretty crucial to be able to get back in the match. From there, I didn't see signs of him getting tired until I got the second break. There were a couple of games there where he had a chance to break back, some tight moments, and I was able to squeak out those games.

I felt like after the second set was over, he would give it one last surge regardless of how he felt. For me I just went out and tried to take it to him. Try to go out and play the same kind of tennis. Make him move a little bit more and make him try to stretch a little bit more.

I the third set he tried to do that. He tried to get things going again and I was able to kind of maintain a little bit of momentum from the second set.

Q: With the way the points are set up on the tour, how do you approach trying to defend points from a tournament you won the year before?
For me, I try to keep it simple and just play my best tennis. Sometimes, you can let a little bit of the pressure get to you. But, if you want to go out and be one of the best players on the tour, you have to get used to it.

Q: Did you go into this match trying to wait out Korda because he was so tired?
Absolutely not. I don't think you can go and try to wait anybody out. If you start doing that, you're going to get away from what you do best. If you try to wait against Petr, You're going to come up short. He's too good of a player.

Never do I try to beat somebody by being in better shape. Granted, you are going to have times where you are in a little bit better shape than the other guy. It's going to show up in the later stages of the match, but you let that come into play when it does come into play.

Q: Do you see yourself playing Davis Cup here this fall?
I hope so. I have made myself available, so I'll have to see how [Captain Tom Gullickson] goes about choosing the team, and I'm sure he's going to wait and see how the rest of the guys are playing this summer.

Q: How important was this win for you?
This was a really good confidence booster for me. The past couple of months I was struggling a little bit on the clay and the grass. For me it's really great to get off to a really good start this summer.

This was a good stepping stone for me last year and I hope it will be a good start for me this year.

Q: As you get a little farther away from your 1989 French Open victory, do you feel a little more pressure to win another Grand Slam title?
I don't think about it much. It's always kind of in the back of my mind when the next one is going to come. But I feel that God has a purpose for everything.

I feel like I just have to be patient then if it comes, then great. In the meantime, I'll just continue to do what I need to do, give it my hardest and play the best tennis I can play.

PETR KORDA

I was tired and I couldn't do anything. What I went through all week cost me an enormous amount of energy and Mike came completely fresh. If you don't have legs and energy, you can't beat Michael Chang.

Q: When did you first start to feel cramps?
I started to get tired like in the middle of the first set. I was very pleased [in Saturday's semi final] David [Wheaton] didn't give me a big effort and my game went very easy. But, I just didn't gain the energy. My trainer told me that is a result of what I went through on Friday. I just needed more time. Unfortunately, I didn't have the time and I did the best I could.

I'm back. I'm hitting the ball well. I just had bad luck that I had to play all my matches in the lunch time.

Q: Do you feel you got beat by the schedule makers as much as by Chang?
I got beat by Mike today. This I have to admit. He beat me on the court. Once you step on the court, you just have to forget it. If you're tired or whatever. I did the best I could, I just didn't have it.

Q: What has improved over the years in Chang's game that put him at the level he is at today?
I don't want to compare today. I just gave effort for one set, and I was better in that set. I think If I had the energy, he would have had a hell of a time to beat me, because I was the one that was dominating the game. For my game, you need to have the legs. If you come a little late for the ball, it will just fly out. What had happened, was my legs were not there, and that is it.

Q: Do you think you will not play here because of your experience?
You're asking what's going to happen in a year, I don't know what's going to happen in two weeks. ... I have to consider all the aspects, and in the end, Washington was always good for my game. But maybe I'm going to have to pray a little bit more for the night matches.

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