Transcript: Belarus Team After The Draw
24 Sep 2004 - Family Circle Tennis Centre, Charleston, SC U.S.A.

A transcript of the press conference with the Belarus team after the draw (credit USTA):

Q. Max, what does your team bring to the table here?
MAX MIRNYI: What does what?

Q. What does your team bring to the table here?
MAX MIRNYI: Well, the semifinal result as of now, I guess a lot of it speaks for itself, and from now on we're looking forward to
accomplishing another goal, advancing to another round, and this is the team spirit in general.

Q. Max, you've beaten players ranked higher than you, against Argentina and against Russia. Does Davis Cup bring out better tennis from you than we see on the circuit?
MAX MIRNYI: Not necessarily. I've beaten many higher ranked players than me on the circuit as well. Certainly Davis Cup --

Q. I mean, excuse me. Both you and Vladimir. Does Davis Cup bring out --
MAX MIRNYI: Certainly. It's a special occasion. You play for your country. We're very young and a small country. That's why anything we do in Davis Cup is very much publicized and very well covered. Therefore, maybe it does bring something extra out of us any time we play, and we certainly like that feeling, and we hope we can produce the same results this weekend as we have been in the past.

Q. Do you come in here thinking you're the underdogs or where -- how do you see yourselves?
MAX MIRNYI: Well, certainly the U. S. team probably favorable to win, but considering the fact that our team, with the exceptions of the younger boy here, played for many years in the past and the U. S. team that's formed this year is a relatively young and a new team, we feel that we're more experienced as a team. And you know, who knows? This may play to our advantage and help us out down the road.

Q. Vladimir, how's your wrist?
VLADIMIR VOLTCHKOV: I'm here. I've been practicing all week pretty hard. I know if I can return Max's serve and the body feels good about that, I'm ready to face any hard hitting or any hard serving.

Q. Are you ready to play three matches if it's needed?
VLADIMIR VOLTCHKOV: Well, so far in our previous matches -- this will sound too easy, but we didn't have to play on the third day, you know, and I was strong enough to play the first two days, so I guess only next three days will show.

Q. But if you're behind two nothing after the first day, are you ready to play doubles?
VLADIMIR VOLTCHKOV: I'm ready to play. Alexander is ready to play, and it's up to the captain to decide who's going to go on the court.

Q. Are you still watching "Gladiator"?
VLADIMIR VOLTCHKOV: You know, there are so many good movies coming out each year, but I guess that one stays classic.

Q. Max, the match with Mardy at the Olympics, what does that give you or what kind of knowledge going into tomorrow?
MAX MIRNYI: Well, not much other than a great opportunity for revenge. It was a highly competitive match in which I had my chances, he had his, and he at the end of the match came on top. Even though it was 6-1 third set score line, it was a very difficult match leading up to that, so you know, I've known Mardy for a long time, and probably as long as he's known me. So there's not much to be surprised about as far as the styles are concerned. And you know, this is the way I look at it. Davis Cup is just as important for me and for my country as the participation in Olympics, so these events following one another is a good opportunity, like I said, to get a revenge and have it not only being at a personal level, but also doing it for the country.

Q. Captain, we heard a lot of figures last night, which may have been American propaganda. I don't know. How many tennis players are it in Belarus?
MAX MIRNYI: Are you asking competitive players or --

Q. Well, people who are competitive, yeah.
MAX MIRNYI: I can answer for him. There's a big flow of tennis interest starting maybe last couple years. There are more facilities being built and renovated, so there's more and more interest in the country for tennis. I'm not sure if we can answer number wise exactly how many players have registered, but --

Q. Do you know how many courts there are there roughly?
MAX MIRNYI: Well, I think you guys named yesterday that there were 15 indoor courts. So you probably know better.

Q. Max, would you guys have rather played on clay?
MAX MIRNYI: Would we have rather played on clay?

Q. Yes.
MAX MIRNYI: Well, not really. This is the summertime, and all of us have been playing on hard courts, the U. S. Summer Circuit, so I believe that we're all pretty much in the same shoe. I've been living in the States and spending time in Florida for many years in the past, and you know, this climate is very familiar to me as well as to Vladimir since he spent quite a bit of years in the States as well. So I think it's just going to come down to who does the better job tomorrow executing their shots and game plans, better tactics, and you know, there's not much of hard courts, clay courts, balls involved, because we all have
been playing.

Q. How is the surface, Max? Is it slow or --?
MAX MIRNYI: I don't know. It's a unique court. I don't mind it. It doesn't feel like it's any fast or slow, but to me from just walking on it, it feels more like a Rebound Ace because it looks what they did was they had some layers of plywood that they put rubber on and they painted over. So it's not a typically hard court as far as the firmness of it. It does feel to me that it has more elasticity and jumpy feeling.

Q. It's slower than U.S. Open; right?
MAX MIRNYI: I think so, yeah. I think so. A little bit. Like I say, U.S. Open are harder. Maybe it's laid on cement or something. Here we see that it's laid on wood.

Q. So you feel like they thought picking a hot, kind of humid climate would be a bonus for them? Do you think they misjudged you guys a little bit?
MAX MIRNYI: I don't know. The history shows that a lot of finicky picking and choosing with surface, balls and climates could sometimes hunt you down and be a factor for a home team, because you know, as neither one of us played on this court that's been laid on wood, I'm sure they haven't done for that many times either. So we all have to adjust to it. I believe it's a pretty neutral court. We all play pretty similar styles of tennis, our team as well as theirs.

Q. I was just talking with the weather, because you have a place in Tampa. You're used to hot and humid. That's not really a really ace for them.
MAX MIRNYI: Well, we've been playing tennis, you know, in hot places like Cincinnati and Toronto, Vladimir and I. This is our maybe ninth, tenth year as a professional player, so we certainly -- it's something to consider, but you know, there are some electrolytes drinks that you try to take in advance to prevent cramping and you gotta cool off. You gotta prepare high styles, but you know, other than that, there's not much surprise or anything that could be taking you off guard.

Q. Slower than the court you played Argentina?
MAX MIRNYI: This is, yes.

Q. Sergei, how firm are you on your doubles decision? What will be the factor that you will decide on at the time?
MAX MIRNYI: The captain feels that there is still a full day of play prior to doubles day, and based on how the first day is going to go and how the players feel, we're going to have a team meeting where we're going to decide what should we do for the doubles game.

Q. Vladimir, you've been hitting hard off the backhand side all week, but is there some possible concern that it might be difficult to go three days in a row?
VLADIMIR VOLTCHKOV: I think like I answered before, you know, I've -- I'm practicing already for good week. Every day we spend on the court at least three to four hours each day, and that's been for the last five, six days, and still sitting here if I need to run, I'm going to run. So you know, I think I'll be fine.

Q. Max, who was the first person to call you "The Beast?" Who gave you that?
MAX MIRNYI: I think you've seen these stories where it's been my friend from California. I've said many times, Alex. You know him, and he's not playing professionally anymore.

Q. Alex who?
MAX MIRNYI: Alex Reichel.

Q. He first called you "The Beast"?
MAX MIRNYI: We were traveling together maybe seven, eight years ago on the circuit in Asia, and it was pretty lonely and not much luxury in our hotels and accommodations, and despite the fact, I would still go and do my best and fight and play long matches, after which he would just come to me time after time and tell me that you're the beast, so...

Q. You like that name?
MAX MIRNYI: Well, names are given. They're not chosen. So I guess it's good for the world and for you guys to relate to, and I don't mind it.

Q. Do you think you're the first vice president of a Federation to be playing Davis Cup for his country?
MAX MIRNYI: I don't know. You noticed that, Bud.

Q. I think you are. Max, all the years you spent in Bradenton and weather that's much warmer and much more humid than this, does that mean you're not going to have any kind of problem with the weather tomorrow?
MAX MIRNYI: Weather wise, I should be fine. It's a lot cooler than everybody is expecting. And I think it's something that we are prepared for. Coming from the U.S. Open and playing at the Olympics we're accustomed to the weather as far as this season is concerned.

Q. When you play Andy and Mardy, you've lost to both, do you have to change your tactics or just play your game and execute your game better?
MAX MIRNYI: There's not much you can do at this point. Your game is your game what you've been working on for many years to come, and certainly there's some adjustment needs to be made in order for me to win since I've lost several times to Andy, and you know, I have to play according to the circumstances, how the score line is going to go and how I feel, how he feels, how he responds to certain things that I bring up to the court tomorrow. And it's a game.

Q. What actually was the surface when you played Argentina? Was it wood? Was it --
MAX MIRNYI: No. It was synthetic supreme -- not supreme. I think they called it tile flex. Some tournaments use it in Europe. Leone has that surface, and it's actually pretty common indoor court surface.

Q. A plastic of some sort.
MAX MIRNYI: Yeah. It's a synthetic -- synthetic surface.

Q. Vladimir, which victory for you is bigger, defeating Byron Black or defeating Mikhail in the Davis Cup?
VLADIMIR VOLTCHKOV: I think playing Mikhail on Saturday -- I think playing Mikhail in this other match was bigger for me.

Q. Were you carried off the court by your teammates after that victory?
VLADIMIR VOLTCHKOV: Yes. It's good memories, and yeah. It was very good.