Ernests Gulbis
US Open
Saturday, August 30, 2008
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. Happy birthday.
ERNESTS GULBIS: Thank you.
Q. Any thoughts on this match?
ERNESTS GULBIS: A lot of thoughts on this match. Not only one.
Q. Are you disappointed or are you...
ERNESTS GULBIS: I'm not happy about my loss. Of course, I'm disappointed. A little bit, but I played -- I played not so bad, only I'm a little bit disappointed about the second set. I think I should have finished it, and then, you know, it wouldn't be -- I wouldn't win a match already, but to be a big set because 2-0 down in sets, it's tough to come back, and I would be more maybe concentrated third set and it would be different. I lost the second set, I lost in the beginning of third set, my concentration. I started to play worse. I was serving worse.
And, yeah, fourth set, a little bit I come back, I started to play better than the third set, and then it was tight, you know. He started to return my serve a lot better than he did in the beginning.
That was the key, and I think that he served much better throughout the game. He served the first set not so good, at least, I don't know, or I was returning good. I was reading the serve, as I thought, pretty well. But then the second and third set he was serving much better.
Q. The fact that this is night session, that didn't affect your playing or...
ERNESTS GULBIS: Yeah, like I said, I'm just waking up around 6:00 in the morning, always. I'm like a night person. I was really -- how you say -- pumped up for playing night session, because center court, it was pretty full at the beginning, and it's pretty amazing feeling to go in such a crowd in New York.
Yeah, I hope that people enjoyed the game. I think they did. So that's the point.
Q. Your game at the net was very strong. Were you happy with that?
ERNESTS GULBIS: That's a surprise. Really. That's a surprise, because I haven't -- that's one point of my game which I'm really working on right now, because -- yeah, I have a good serve, but sometimes -- good groundstrokes, but I don't close it with a volley, because my weakest spot until now.
Today I felt volley better, I was coming in more. I got confidence off few good volleys and it helped me a lot. I think that in future I'm going to try to close down points even more with volley.
Q. You have many winners, too, tonight, but many unforced errors. It's normal for you in tennis?
ERNESTS GULBIS: Yes, it's normal, yeah.
You know, I answer this question a lot of times. Is it normal? Yes, it's normal, because I play aggressive and try to play aggressive, and it's unforced errors, it's normal in such a game. Of course, I try to reduce it to minimum. I would like to put in all my first serves, but that's not possible.
Q. What was the turning point of the match tonight?
ERNESTS GULBIS: Second set, the ending of second set. That was the turning point of the match, if I was up two sets to love, different story, as you know.
Q. Did you have a chance to speak with your coach or not after the match?
ERNESTS GULBIS: No, we try to not speak the same day after matches, so we're going to talk a little bit tomorrow.
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