Q. Will you enjoy the pressure being on your opponent, not you, next round, with probably no one pushing you at all?
A. That's probably the way to look at it, but again, it's not like I've been feeling the pressure as I've been playing. It's just been a match for me and I've been concentrating on what I've had to do, you know. Every match I've been volleying better, returning better, and again on the serve I was a bit up and down today, it was a bit windy, so my ball toss was a bit everywhere, but I feel like every match I'm getting, you know, used to the grass more and more.

Q. The grass this year I gather is sort of hard and bouncy. Does it suit you more than the sort of grass we'd have if we were in wet weather?
A. I think the courts vary. Court 2 -- I don't think it's as hard as the other courts, but tends to go through a lot more, slide through like today, and a bit lower. So, I mean, it's a nice court.

Q. You had to come back in the first set today and you got out of that pretty well. How do you think you are these days at getting out of tight situations like that?
A. I thought I didn't want to put my head down knowing that I played a terrible service game at 4-3, two double faults and missed a volley but, you know, I just wanted to concentrate on the next game, and I put some pressure on him and broke back. I started playing a lot better after that break.

Q. Do you think that's a stronger part of your game now, that you are better to get out of those situations now than, say, a year or two ago?
A. Definitely, yes.

Q. Is that just experience?
A. I think that is experience.

Q. The talk is that you've put particular concentration on preparing for Wimbledon this year. Is that correct?
A. Yes. Obviously you'd like to do well at Queen's. There's no doubt about that, but I didn't have a great tournament, and I wasn't very focused but, you know, like I said in my press conference after the match, you know, I was looking forward to a good tough training week before Wimbledon, and you know, I'm going to give this my all, these two weeks, everything I've got.

Q. Does that kind of focus come automatically, or is it something you really have to work at?
A. It's definitely something you really have to work at, but I think just coming into Wimbledon it just, you know, just hits you, you know. It's a Grand Slam, it's Wimbledon, and every point, you know, is different.

Q. The despair that you were feeling last year around Queen's time, how long did it take you to shake that, and have you had any sort of similar feelingssince that period?
A. I just went through a rough patch last time. I was pretty negative. I lost, you know, a few first round matches, and you know, just trained reallyhard before Wimbledon, again, just the same as this year, and it's a different focus, you know. Like I said, a lot has happened since then.

Q. For a player as tall as you, a key factor at Wimbledon on grass is often the low volleys. How do you feel about that aspect of your bid?
A. I feel, like I said, every match I'm volleying better and better, and I think today I picked up some, you know, good volleys at my feet and I'm just starting to get a better feel for the ball.

Q. Your next match could be against Greg Rusedski, the two biggest servers in the game. Do you think it's going to make for a very exciting game?
A. Depending how we both serve but, you know, I won't be just relying on my serve. Like I said, I feel like I'm returning better, I'm volleying better, so it's going to be -- again, it's a match I'm looking forward to, but it's just another match. So I'll be concentrating on that one.

Q. Have you played him much before?
A. I played him two years ago and then after that I'm not sure, I think I played him three times before. So I know how he plays, he knows how I play. It'll be an interesting match.

Q. How much value is the work last year with Pat Cash?
A. I mean, the guy has won it before, so he's been through everything. He's been through everything, the things that I'm going through, you know, so he can relate to it. So he knows how I feel. So it does make it a lot easier when you can talk to someone like that.

Q. How closely are you working with him right at the moment, during these last couple of weeks?
A. Just the same. Like all year, since this time last year when we got together, it's just -- you know, he's been great, no problems at all.

Q. Are you sharing a house at the moment?
A. He lives here, so I'm renting a house here.

Q. You mentioned before your growing maturity. Does that include Wimbledon? Do you enjoy the traditions of that more? Do you understand that and perhaps want to win it more now?
A. I do. It's something I've always dreamt of winning ever since I was a little kid and, like I said, it just feels like more prestigious than all the other Grand Slams for some reason. It's just a great atmosphere.

Q. You said you're throwing everything into these two weeks. Obviously winning the final is the ultimate goal, but what do you think would be a pass mark for you here at this stage of your career?
A. I mean, like I said, I'm 22. Like I said in the last press conference, I don't think you guys will see my best tennis for another two to three years, so every year I'm maturing a lot more, I'm getting more experience. Obviously I'm not saying I wouldn't like to win it. Sure, everyone would. I'm just taking things as they come.

Q. Can I go off at a tangent and ask you what your opinion is on the opening of the Sydney Olympics next year?
A. Sorry?

Q. What your opinion is on the opening of the Sydney Olympics, who should be the person to open the games?
A. I don't have a clue. I wouldn't have a clue.

Q. It's not something you've thought about?
A. No, not at all. I'm sorry.

Q. What about yourself? Have you ever thought about yourself?
A. No, no.

Q. Would you rather it was the Queen or an Australian? Mark, the back page of one of the papers today talks about Jelena Dokic and her father and illegal coaching and that sort of thing. You've been that sort of thing before. Would you like to see the papers get off her back and just let her play tennis? You've experienced it, I suppose, growing up, and that sort of thing, and it made it hard on you. Is it becoming hard on her?
A. I wouldn't say I've experienced it. My Dad has been tough on me, my Dad has shown -- you know, has been tough getting me through -- you know, he's made me what I am, and he's always given me encouragement on the court but, you know, it's not like he's coaching or given a code violation, so in that sense I wouldn't say I understand that point of view, but it's tough, the European ethnic background, they're brought up different and, you know, she's -- you know, us people in Europe, or like Australia or America, haven't had such tough lives, and, you know, you don't know what she's been through, so
it's hard to say what she's been through, but obviously her father has made her tough, and look at what she's done, you know, she's beaten the number 1 player in the world and she's a tough player. Obviously you shouldn't be coaching on the court. It's different. I've seen him giving her encouragement, but that's all I have to say, obviously.