Tommy Haas French Open Interview June 1st

R. FEDERER/T. Haas 6‑7, 5‑7, 6‑4, 6‑0, 6‑2

Q. So one point away to have the break in the third set, leading two sets to love. How frustrating is it in the end to have lost this match?

TOMMY HAAS: Yeah, it's frustrating, because you know you're very close. You know, on that break point, you win that point you're serving for the match. So obviously goes through your head.

I thought I played a decent return, you know. I didn't really want to go for it too much, but I wanted to keep it deep and cross court. He ran around it and played a really precise,nice forehand inside out that almost touched the line for a winner.

That's just the situation where you just have to tip your hat and say ‑‑ when you go for it and you're rewarded like that, that's too good.

Q. You were so close to win. Do you have some regrets now?

TOMMY HAAS: Well, when you're that close that winning, it hurts, obviously. You know, when you play against the second best player in the world on center court and you know you have a chance to maybe close it out and maybe serve it out for the match,and, you know ‑‑ but this is tennis. It's a sport. It's never over till the last point, and we all know that when we go out there. It's just what happens.
So, you know, if I look back ‑‑ I haven't had time to really look back through the match. At some point, I'd like to see it myself. Right now I know that I gave it all that I had out there today, and I came up short.

Q. You didn't feel angry? You didn't feel like you let a big opportunity slip?

TOMMY HAAS: How am I supposed to feel? Sure, I'm disappointed, you know. I mean, every time you go out there it's like a boxing match, you know, you lose and it's tough, you know. You have to swallow it and accept it when.

Especially when you areclose like that it hurts more. You know,be realistic, it's not easy to lose a match like this. But it's over now, and, you know, you have a few days to recover from it, and then you have to look forward.

Q. Did you think at all, after what had happened obviously with Rafael yesterday, that it was an extra good opportunity because of the pressure on Roger?

TOMMY HAAS: Yeah, I mean, you know, you can talk andthink about it all day long, obviously. Djokovic is out, Nadal is out, maybe Roger was feeling it a little bit
knowing that this is maybe a great opportunity for him to win and he puts little extra pressure on him, as well.

You know, I just went out there, tried to play as good as I could. I came close to maybe beating him today, which would have been nice no matter where it was at, because it's been a really long time.

But, you know, in the fifth set, again at 2‑All I made a few slight errors, unfortunately, and he just kept playing better and hitting the winners when he needed them.

Q. Do you think back to 2002? You beat him at the Australian Open. Does something like that come to your mind today?

TOMMY HAAS: Yeah. You know, we've had always, most of the times, really good tight matches, you know. But lately I've been coming up short, just like so many others, unfortunately. You know he is just clutch when it comes down to the big points. He just excels like only maybe a few others on the tour right now.

He's done it for so long now. It probably just comes natural to him. You know, maybe there's another way that I haven't figured out yet.

Q. Can you compare this in any way to a match in a big event when you played a big player like that, when you either won or you lost? Is there another match you can sort of think this match reminded you of?

TOMMY HAAS: What?

Q. Does this match remind you of any other match in a big event when you either beat a big player or lost to a big player, had a good chance?

TOMMY HAAS: Yeah, I mean, you've come back from winning some big ones and you've lost, you know, being up a little bit in the big one. One that hurt for me the most, or one that is up there, is probably when I was up two sets to one against Safin at the Australian Open. What year was it? Maybe 2002.

Started like raining in the fourth set, and it took like 30 minutes for the roof to close. My body just totally changed and locked up. I couldn't move anymore, so that was, you know, painful. Today is painful, too. I mean, you know, it's just as simple as that.

Q. The crowd took sides with Roger pretty noisily at some stage. Did it affect you in any sense?

TOMMY HAAS: Not really. You know, I think it's pretty much normal that that was going to happen,as well.

It didn't really annoyme, no.

Q. How do you think the fourth set affected you and Roger for the fifth one?

TOMMY HAAS: Not much. You know, after the third set, obviously it was mentally a little tough to swallow for me, because like I was saying, you know, 3‑4 break point, maybe serving it out. At 4‑All, I had, I don't know if I had game point. Maybe I did. I double faulted and then I saved the break point, long game, and I lost it. He served it out. That was tough.

Then beginning of the fourth, you know, I was trying to pump myself up and keep going. Then 30‑All, I just made bad volley error that I put like one centimeter out and he broke me right away. Then he just kind of let loose and played a very good service games, and another one of my service games, I came close to winning that.

At 4‑0, I just kind of looked ahead. We both took a toilet break, and when we both came out we both knew it was just going to come down to a fifth set, maybe like in the '06 Australian Open.

I think we were both pumped and knew that this was it. At 2‑All he broke me,and that was pretty much the key for him.

Q. Did you feel in the third set, when that began, that he was sort of relaxing and getting back into himself?

TOMMY HAAS: The fourth or third? In which set?

Q. In the third when he's down two sets and then he starts to come back,did you feel that he was relaxing and more confident?

TOMMY HAAS: No, I think he was ‑‑ it was very tight,I think. You know, I think at the beginning it's swirling in there in the stadium, so I think it was tough in the beginning, also.

We both miss hit a lot balls, and I think trying to keep the balls deep with heavy spin was the key for both of us. I think in the middle of the third set we both knew there was a chance for me to finish him off.

I think at 3‑4, break point, he knew he had to come with the shots, otherwise he's going to pack his bags. He came up with the goods.

Q. Does that encourage you for the rest of the year?

TOMMY HAAS: For me, obviously looking back, this was a good French Open for me. Looking forward to the rest of the season, yes.

Q. How shocked were you by Rafa's loss yesterday? Who do you pick to win now?

TOMMY HAAS: Yeah, it was obviously shocking in someways. I think for all of us, it was. You know, Soderling played a great match. I think what Rafa said was pretty right in the press conference, that he was very defensive and played very short, which was unlike him, especially in the past six, nine months. I thought he played a lot more aggressive on other surfaces, as well.

But, you know, this happens. Soderling played really well. You know, I think now that,obviously, the attention goes to Roger. I think if he's going to win the French, this certainly becomes a very good time for him to do so. Personally,I wish him luck.

Q. When he hit that inside out forehand on the break point at, I guess 3‑4in the third, what went through your mind? It was almost on the line, wasn't it?

TOMMY HAAS: Yeah, it was very close. You know, when he hit it, it looked good. You know, you kind of hope for it to maybe go a little wide, but it didn't. I was still trying to fight in that game. You know, went back to a game point for him and then back to deuce. He came up with some good serves. It was tough.

You know, the next most important thing for me was trying to hold serve at 4‑All. It was another deuce game with game points,and I saved one break point. When you lose those important points, it's mentally tough to digest.

Q. How do you, in your mind after all these years of playing, when he could have missed it by that much more and you had the break and maybe you serve out the match, after all these years, how do you make sense of this in tennis?

TOMMY HAAS: You know, it's just, I guess, the way it is,you know. I mean, like I said,he's ‑‑ you know, there's no secret to why he's been there where he has been the last five years and what he has accomplished.

So you just got to tip your hat and say, That's why he's Roger Federer, you know.

Q. In that vein, you've had the good fortune in your wonderful career to face many fantastic players. Who do you think the greatest of all time is?

TOMMY HAAS: That's a tough question to answer,really. If you go ‑‑ you can go look at it right now, who has the most Slam titles. Pete's still up there. Roger would have to win a few more to pass him. I think if he does, then in my eye she deserves rightfully to be considered the greatest ever.

Q. And if he wins here?

TOMMY HAAS: Yeah, I know, I have to think about it more. But if he wins here, you know,he's probably the greatest ever.


Interview from RG
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