http://www.sonyericssonopen.com/content/20070330225136.html : Canas interview
G. CAŅAS/I. Ljubicic
7 5, 6 2
An interview with:
GUILLERMO CAŅAS
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. Willie, the big shot, the break in the first set, describe it. Maybe it's indescribable.
GUILLERMO CAŅAS: Yeah. Really in the beginning of the match, I couldn't see any serve. I think that he served very well. But that game, the 5 5, I had just one chance, and I take it. Don't know what I do different. Just in that game I return very well. I think I returned three, four serves before I couldn't. And just I try to put the pressure for his side.
When I have a chance, I go to the net a lot today, and that game I did. I finish with an unbelievable passing shot.
Q. When you raced back for the lob, did you know in your mind what you wanted to do with the ball when you got it?
GUILLERMO CAŅAS: Hit it (laughing) just to hit it. When I have a close, when around I have it close, I try to hit it to the forehand, but really I have a little luck in that passing shot.
Q. You call that the Buenos Aires backfire?
GUILLERMO CAŅAS: What?
Q. The Buenos Aires backfire?
GUILLERMO CAŅAS: Oh, that shot. Oh, really, backfire, I don't know, Buenos Aires, you came up with a name for me (laughter).
Q. Could it be a new grand Willie?
GUILLERMO CAŅAS: Yeah, but if I need to do again, it's going to be tough.
Q. Did you request a wildcard for this tournament?
GUILLERMO CAŅAS: I request, yes.
Q. And it was refused?
GUILLERMO CAŅAS: Yes.
Q. Ljubicic said a few minutes ago that he didn't think a wildcard should be given to anybody who is coming back from being suspended. How do you feel about that?
GUILLERMO CAŅAS: I disagree with Ivan. He think very different than what I think. The real thing is I don't want to talk about that. For me I think I say yesterday or two days ago, it's a stupid.
Q. Sorry?
GUILLERMO CAŅAS: No, it's all right. I say it's stupid, you know, to do something else. If you do something, you pay, if you're on suspension, but you don't need to pay anymore. You paid before, and I think that this one is another suspension if you don't receive the wildcards or anybody that has a suspension for doping.
I think it's stupid from my point of view.
Q. Is there a bad feeling between you and him because of this issue?
GUILLERMO CAŅAS: No. I don't have feelings, not bad, not good. He is a player, I am a player. I respect him because he's a great player. But we don't have a relationship, that sometimes happens.
I think if he do very good job when he go to the court, I respect that. We can think different. I think different with Ivan, but we don't have any feelings.
Q. So there was not an extra feeling for you on the court?
GUILLERMO CAŅAS: No, really, I don't have bad feelings against him. I respect him because he's a great player. I think when I get into the court, we try to do I try to do my best shot, he tries to do his best shot. But really I don't have any feeling or any relationship. Just that's it.
Q. Willie, eight matches, 12 days, win over Federer, the final of the tournament, as you look back over these last 12 days, does it seem a little bit like a dream?
GUILLERMO CAŅAS: Yeah. It is. I enjoy it. Yeah, really. Four days ago I start to play first round qualifier, and really I have a lot of confidence in my game. But I saw it was too far to get into the final. But really I am playing day by day, better and better. I have a very good results. I get confidence, and now I'm in the finals. Just yeah, it's like a dream.
Q. Guillermo, you've beaten five consecutive seeded players in this tournament. And now there is just one more significant player for you to beat, Novak Djokovic. How do you feel about this finale, and it's going to be five sets?
GUILLERMO CAŅAS: I'm feeling great to be in the final. I try to beat the six seed in a row. But the real thing is I know I saw the match this afternoon, and I think that he play very well. He has a lot of confident. He makes final in Indian Wells and now he is in final here.
I think it's going to be a tough match for me. But really I feel very confident in my game. I know if I play well, I have a chance to beat him. It's just I try to do my best and tomorrow I'm going to start to thinking in the final. But just today I try to enjoy what I did.
Q. If you have to go five sets, when is the last time you played a five set match?
GUILLERMO CAŅAS: Oh, long time ago, yeah. I think it was French Open. It was in the French Open, I had one match in five sets, and it was two years ago or a year and a half ago.
I feel very great physically. I know I'm prepared to play five sets. I didn't feel tired I did feel tired today because I played a lot of matches these two weeks. But I have the day off, and I'm going to be ready for the Sunday match.
Q. When you were refused the wildcard, was that after you had beaten Federer?
GUILLERMO CAŅAS: Yes, I beat Federer, and the next day I received that I didn't have.
Q. No explanation?
GUILLERMO CAŅAS: No, just say no.
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http://www.sonyericssonopen.com/content/20070330225453.html : Sour grape Ljubos interview
G. CANAS/I. Ljubicic
7 5, 6 2
An interview with:
IVAN LJUBICIC
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. What is your feeling just now after this match?
IVAN LJUBICIC: I'm of course disappointed. I think I had a lot of chances and I was not lucky to convert. One statistic shows all, and that's breakpoint conversion, two out of two for him, and zero out of seven for me. I think that shows everything. The first set I lost I think five points in my serve and the whole set I lost a serve.
I think I was a little bit unlucky there. He was very solid. On these windy conditions, it's difficult to play against him.
Q. Are you doubting the machine?
IVAN LJUBICIC: I think that's what I mean, the doubting, of course. I know the machine is not perfect, but if it shows that it's good, I know the umpire's going to go with the machine, like human eye sometimes can be wrong. I don't know, I was 100% sure that the ball was wide, but apparently not.
Q. Why is it so difficult to play against him especially?
IVAN LJUBICIC: No, it's not him. About these kind of players. He's just pushing the ball in the middle of the court, and you have to do everything. When it's windy like this, it's not easy to go for the big shots. And I think these conditions here suits his game perfectly.
Q. I understand you've been a very strong voice on the Players Council and the proposal on wildcards for players coming back from suspension?
IVAN LJUBICIC: Yes.
Q. I imagine that Guillermo probably doesn't feel the same way. Is there any bad feeling between the two of you because of that?
IVAN LJUBICIC: We never talked about it.
Q. Can you tell us why you feel so strongly about that proposal?
IVAN LJUBICIC: Because I feel like giving the wildcards to the guys coming off doping offense, means helping them to come back, which I don't feel right. The guys were cheating on us, and I don't think we should help them to come back, simple as that.
Q. Do you not feel like it's just another penalty after they've already served their penalty?
IVAN LJUBICIC: It's not the penalty, it's just showing they're not going to be helped to come back. I mean, we had actually long discussions about it, and one of our board of representatives actually says it's like a guy coming out of jail, and you are penalizing him even further. That's exactly what you said. But I feel like it's like I don't know. The guy coming out of prison, and you're just giving him a gun straightaway.
There are mixed feelings. It doesn't mean that naturally it's going to pass, of course. But all Council members voted for that. Everybody feels the same me, and we'll see how it's going to go.
Q. On another union matter, can you tell explain what the players' position is on the Hamburg tournament? There was a lawsuit filed by the German Federation against the ATP.
IVAN LJUBICIC: I don't know what everybody's feeling. I can tell you that I understand them. They had a great event for a great tradition for over 100 years and I know that they feel bad. But I also understand that the ATP is trying to improve our sport, and Hamburg, it is unfortunately one of those tournaments who are paying the price, and I think they are right to go for it.
Q. Have you canvassed the other players about this at all? Can you say anything about that?
IVAN LJUBICIC: It's pretty simple. Guys who likes to play on clay, they like to see Hamburg as a Master Series. It's very simple.
Q. You seem to fade more dramatically at this level in a Master Series tournament. Is this just an emotional issue? Do you just say it's so windy, the guy's playing solid, I blew my chances, that's it?
IVAN LJUBICIC: You think that's how it goes?
Q. Yeah, I thought so, yeah.
IVAN LJUBICIC: Okay, well?
Q. Is that inaccurate? You didn't feel that way?
IVAN LJUBICIC: No, I knew that I have to go for my shots. Against Caņas, I'm not going to go three meters back and push the ball back and fight like a dog and lose 2 2, you know. I think I have to play my tennis. It's for me it's not looking good, for me it's trying to win a match. And if it's not going well, I mean, what can you do.
Q. How much, if at all, did the crowd affect your concentration?
IVAN LJUBICIC: Well, it does affect, it's not pleasant, of course, playing in the United States, and you have Argentinian like half of the crowd Argentinian cheering like in Davis Cup. It's not pleasant, but I'm used to it. I played in Davis Cup, and in Argentina, actually, and I know how it feels. It's just that, of course, I would prefer to have an even crowd or something different than this.
Q. What's the difference though between Ivan Ljubicic that goes on to beat the U.S. single handed in Davis Cup and a guy who goes out here and gets discouraged?
IVAN LJUBICIC: And plays the semifinal. I mean, I think that's a good result. I mean, I don't think semifinal is a bad result at all.
I beat some great players on the way, and I played quarters in Indian Wells, same as here. That's a pretty good result. To stay on top of my game all the time is not so easy.
Q. Do you think he will beat Djokovic in the final?
IVAN LJUBICIC: I mean, I learned in my experience not to express my opinions on the final (laughing). I've had some really bad experiences with that, so I like to shut up actually with that one.
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