2002 Family Circle Cup – 3rd Round Interview

Charleston, South Carolina
April 18, 2002
Stephanie Foretz defeats Monica Seles 6-4,7-6


Q. Monica, where were you when the truck hit?
MONICA SELES: Getting a shower. In the shower.


Q. Scared?
MONICA SELES: I had no idea. Someone just came in and yelled “get out, get out,” so obviously it took me a little while to get out, but I got out. But definitely a scary sight. Wow.


Q. Monica, we know yesterday you weren’t feeling well. What was the problem and how are you feeling today?
MONICA SELES: I think I just have a stomach virus. I felt better today than I felt yesterday, obviously not 100 percent, but I went out and did the best that I could.


Q. In your mind what were the keys to this match?
MONICA SELES: I really don’t know. She just played too good on key points. Whenever I had chances, she closed the door on them, and I didn’t really take control of the match. I think I probably had a lot of unforced errors and double faults and stuff like that.


Q. You were serving at 5?3 you had a set point there and double faulted. You had an unforced error and she had a return winner. Did that take a little steam away when you had a chance to close it out and fighting back?
MONICA SELES: Not really. It was really the story of the match. Any time I had a chance of kind of where I made a mistake or she hit a great shot. So never got the momentum really going.


Q. Last couple days have been tough, unseeded players a lot of upsets.
MONICA SELES: Yeah. Definitely yesterday and then starting with me losing. Hopefully not too many other seeds will lose today. For sure, there are some girls that are playing really great this week.


Q. Monica, is this a disappointment given how well you’ve played in the past this year or you look at the stomach virus and say, well, it’s a situation beyond my control?
MONICA SELES: Well, no. Each time you’re disappointed when you lose a match. I mean obviously I’m not feeling the greatest. It still doesn’t matter. I went out there and played, but just hopefully recover well enough and be ready for Fed Cup and just, you know, not worry too much about today.


Q. Was there ever a point where you thought about withdrawing from the singles like the doubles?
MONICA SELES: No. No.


Q. You’ve played her once before, but how much did you know about her game?
MONICA SELES: I knew quite a lot. I watched her play Conchita yesterday. She played some great tennis, and I played her in Shanghai last year, so I knew going in that she would be a tough opponent.


Q. It seems her serves, especially when she had to get a big point ??
MONICA SELES: Yeah. Definitely.


Q. ?? she was able to do that. Did the heat play any role at all, and were you ready to go for that third set considering your health?
MONICA SELES: Yeah. Definitely. I mean the heat was for both of us. It was hot out there, but I think, you know, I’m used to it, living in Florida, it really shouldn’t bother me. Just not feeling the greatest out there, whenever you are like that, you struggle, but in tennis you have to play every week, so you have weeks that you’re just not feeling the greatest and you still have to go out there and play, and today was one of those days.


Q. When you see brackets open up the way it did with the seeds falling, did you have confidence at all that this tournament could be mine?
MONICA SELES: I truly don’t. I truly try not to look at the draw at all besides who I have to play. Obviously you hear in the locker room, this seed and that seed lost, but I just worry about my next opponent always.


Q. Will you go home before you go to Fed Cup?
MONICA SELES: I really haven’t given any thought to what I’m going to do. I have to kind of think about it today and then make a decision tomorrow because we have to be there Monday.


Q. Talk a little bit about Fed Cup. I mean their team has one well?known player and then one marginal and then two unknowns.
MONICA SELES: I think I’ve heard Barbara is not playing, Schett, so obviously that will make it a little bit easier because she’s a terrific clay?court player having played Venus last year. So we’ll see. I played Barbara Schwartz, and she has given some trouble I think to me a little bit, but you can’t underestimate anyone. I think anything can happen. Hopefully I’ll have a good week of practice and be ready for Saturday and Sunday.


Q. Do you know anything about those two girls?
MONICA SELES: I just know about Barbara Schwartz. I played her about two years ago. She’s a very good lefty player, very awkward style of game, but I don’t know anything about the other two. Whole week of scouting.


Q. What most impressed you about the style of play you saw today?
MONICA SELES: She’s just very good off the ground, really both sides. She hits the ball hard and flat and she’s a very aggressive player. So if you’re not aggressive or you’re making too many errors like I did today, you’re going to lose the match.


Q. Monica, is Fed Cup taking on any special significance this year in the wake of 9/11?
MONICA SELES: Yeah. Definitely, but obviously it’s really important right now, even more than it was before, but yeah.