March 08, 1999
H. Nagyova defeats M. Seles 6-2,6-4
INTERVIEWER: Did you catch Lindsay’s flu?
MONICA SELES: No. I mean, my mind definitely wasn’t there from the start, till the end. She didn’t give me a chance really to get into it.
INTERVIEWER: Usually you’re so intense. Sometimes your game may not be there, but your mind is. Is that the first time this has ever happened to you?
MONICA SELES: Not ever, but quite awhile, yeah. But, you know, I don’t know. Just my head wasn’t there. I think my game wasn’t there. She started playing some really good shots. Never really had a chance to come back into it.
INTERVIEWER: Did she keep you off balance? Looked like she hit some slice, a lot of topspin, seemed kind of fast.
MONICA SELES: She’s a quick player, no question. But I don’t think that much the variety that was bugging me. I mean, I let her do that. I really was just pushing the ball back today.
INTERVIEWER: You said that your mind wasn’t in the match. Do you know why?
MONICA SELES: That’s for me to ponder why.
INTERVIEWER: Was there something distracting you off court before you walked on?
MONICA SELES: No, nothing.
INTERVIEWER: Did you know as you were walking onto the court it wasn’t going to be a good day?
MONICA SELES: Well, I mean, I lost that first game. I mean, the first sent went by blitz really. I don’t know myself. It just went by so quick, a few mistakes here, there, that was it, 5-Love very fast.
INTERVIEWER: Does a performance like that leave you saying to yourself, “Just another tennis match, start again tomorrow,” or does it eat into you and really sort of annoy you?
MONICA SELES: It will annoy me for a while, but… It’s just frustrating to go out there and play that bad of tennis like today.
INTERVIEWER: You’re coaching and training, who you’ve been working with now since the last event?
MONICA SELES: What do you mean?
INTERVIEWER: Are you working with Jimmy?
MONICA SELES: Yes, at home.
INTERVIEWER: Who came with you here?
MONICA SELES: Zoltan, same.
INTERVIEWER: And the same trainer as at home?
MONICA SELES: Yeah, same everything.
INTERVIEWER: You’ve just been at home training before here?
MONICA SELES: I haven’t been training because I sprained my ankle. I’ve been home the last five days before coming here.
INTERVIEWER: What do you think she did well today in the match?
MONICA SELES: She just played really well. I mean, she was attacking, running down balls, not too many unforced errors. He was just a very solid player today.
INTERVIEWER: Did you see a little bit of your old self in her, the way she ran deep?
MONICA SELES: Definitely. I think her backhand, she hit some really great angles on it for sure.
INTERVIEWER: Were you trying to be a little bit more aggressive at the end of the match?
MONICA SELES: I really don’t know what I was doing out there today. I wasn’t trying to be aggressive or not aggressive. I was just out there.
INTERVIEWER: Can you pinpoint any reason why it suddenly happened today?
MONICA SELES: I don’t know. That’s for me to think about a little bit.
INTERVIEWER: But there’s no obvious reason?
MONICA SELES: No. I mean, I don’t think so. I mean, I just have to improve so these things don’t happen. That’s for sure. Sometimes it’s tough to separate a few issues.
INTERVIEWER: Aside from this match today, what do you think is the big difference from you now? You did move to No. 3. You were just starting at this point last year to play.
MONICA SELES: Well, I’m definitely playing better. Obviously, I didn’t feel coming to this tournament I was playing some great tennis, even the first round. I felt I was pretty lucky to get by in two sets. Just haven’t hit enough balls I think the last three weeks, so hopefully I have a better week to get ready for the Lipton. I need to just keep hitting so I feel a little more confident when I step out there on the court.