Q. How do you explain your pretty slow start?

 

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Difficult to answer. I guess, you know, Gustavo really got me by surprise by showing his body language that he wasn't into the match. I did not expect that he was going to do that.

 

Lose a little bit of focus for maybe 20 minutes, basically the set was over. You know, to give advantage like that to the player who can really play the game, it's basically, you know, unforgivable. Basically, you start in being two sets to love down from the beginning.

 

But you got to give him credit for doing this. He knew if he would show me that he's trying very, very hard from the beginning, perhaps I would be in a different state of mind. But he really got me by surprise.

 

Q. After that, the match changed. It was very close until this game at 4-4 when you had those breakpoints.

 

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Yeah.

 

Q. What happened? Seemed that you were a little nervous on those points, 15-40 especially.

 

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Exactly. I got really unlucky at Love-40. I thought I hit a perfect backhand cross-court for the winner. Basically, the ball traveled just a few centimeters wide. Deep inside I felt like it was winner, that I was going to serve for the third set. Seems to me at that stage everything was going like I wanted to have.

 

But then, you know, 15-40, Gustavo made a good serve. I kind of rushed it. All of a sudden you still have one more breakpoint. But then, you know, the pressure was already on myself. I was kind of hoping, you know, to win that game and then basically close out the third set.

 

Then basically I started to feel little bit pressure because I knew how important that third set was going to be. Being two sets to one up is completely different story than being two sets to one down.

 

Then played basically poor tiebreaker. Couldn't hold my serve once. You know, you just can't afford to make such a mistakes.

 

Q. In any case, in the fourth set, you were losing quite hard, 3-Love. But you showed that you could come back.

 

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I did show it. Again, I got really uptight at 4-3 when I had two breakpoints. I knew how important it would be. Deep inside I felt if I would come even at 4-All, I knew my chances were going to be, again, very, very high, that game.

 

It's difficult playing behind with a player like Gustavo all the time. You give him freedom, he's like Picasso. He's playing backhand up the line, backhand cross-court, doing everything.

 

Yeah, I was quite pleased that I fought really hard back, basically tried to. But, unfortunately, few unlucky shots made a big difference.

 

Q. You won two Grand Slam titles, so many matches. Why are you getting uptight?

 

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: You know, career getting almost over. Every single tournament is passing by. My chances to win, it's less and less. It's not that I'm getting uptight, getting really frustrated to lose the match. I have no problem. If my opponent is better than me, good for him.

 

I understand that perhaps that match was the match of the tournament. I know whoever wins between us has a really good chance of winning. It's a shame that every time we playing in that stage of the tournament, quarterfinals , you cannot afford to lose.

 

Perhaps if it would be final match or at least semis, you know, I would have at least more freedom, you know.

 

But in the quarters, seems to me that's where my barrier at the moment. Every time I run into Kuerten, it seems to me that hurdle is unmakable.

 

You know, I definitely will try to do it next year.

 

Q. Could you talk a little bit of those match you play against Guga. It seems you know your games each other very well.

 

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: It does, yes.

 

Q. Every shot is precise.

 

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: It's absolutely a matter of a few points which is makes a big difference. You know, it's obviously that Gustavo, he is a better clay court player than me. And especially when you play a five-set match, it's a matter of one or two points, where always the better player come up on the top.

 

Seems to me last three times we played here, he's coming up better on those important points than me. That's make a big difference.

 

Q. Could you talk also of one shot you managed to do during the match. It's when you served first serve, second shot is a dropshot. How important is it to play those kind of points on clay?

 

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: Well, basically Gustavo, he's a player who likes to, you know, move only on baseline, right to left. You give him no rhythm, that's where he struggled. Basically that was my tactic in the previous matches. I tried to accomplish that in the match today.

 

But, like I said, Gustavo's body language wasn't showing much to me, like he wasn't trying. But I knew he was trying hard. That got me off a little bit of my balance, out of my comfort zone. That's what happened basically in the first set. I did not know where I should come from into the match, what kind of tactic I should have.

 

Like I said, it was part of my game that I tried to bring him into the net as much as possible, you know, not to give him any rhythm.

 

Q. Last week you said when you are in best of form, you are better than Kuerten and Ferrero on clay. You're not better than him or you're not in your best way today?

 

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I cannot answer that question. You guys have to, you know, made the judgment who is better on any particular surface.

 

But I believe when I'm playing my best, and Guga is playing his best, it's difficult to answer that question. Difficult, very difficult. When I do play my best tennis, when I do play my best points, you know, all the fans are enjoying it, you guys are enjoying - so is Guga. It's difficult. It's difficult to answer.

 

Q. Last two times that Guga beat you here in the quarterfinals, he went on to take the title. What's your prediction for this year?

 

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: I said, you know, it could be the match of the tournament. Whoever could have won the match today would win the tournament. I'm sure Guga has now two days to recover instead of one. It's a big, big paradox. The guys who always beats me, they get huge, huge confidence, because they know it's not an easy thing to accomplish, beat me in a Grand Slam. Normally when they do that, they come and take the title.

 

Hopefully he will do that again. Otherwise I'll be very ashamed.

 

Q. Do you have any drawing of Picasso?

 

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: No, unfortunately. I will go and buy me one (laughter). I know I can draw myself very well.

 

Q. The last guy who won this tournament three times was Lendl, going to the Hall of Fame this year. If Guga wins this tournament three times, could you think of him in the same category as a player like Lendl or Borg?

 

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: All I can tell you is Guga hasn't accomplished same kind of success on any other surfaces. While Lendl did basically best what he could on the grass, hard court, Rebound Ace. He was I think a little bit better worker than Guga.

 

Like I said, you know, Guga has to prove to the world that he can basically win the tournaments in any other surface. You know as well as I do, you know, Grand Slams is hard court, Rebound Ace, the grass. Guga hasn't done that well in any other Grand Slam. It's difficult to put up him and Lendl together on the same level.

 

Q. You were talking about either yourself or Guga, whoever wins the match has a great shot to win the tournament. If Guga plays Agassi in the final, you'd pick Guga over Agassi?

 

YEVGENY KAFELNIKOV: You know, he's going to have a tough match either against Ferrero or Hewitt. You know, Andre won the tournament here also two years ago. He's also playing well. But I give a slight edge to Kuerten because that is his favorite surface. I strongly believe he is playing a little bit better than Andre, although Andre has shown in the last few matches that he's also, you know, on top of the form.