MONICA SELES INTERVIEWS

Melbourne, Australia January 27, 1999 Monica Seles defeats S. Graf 7-5,6-1 INTERVIEWER: Monica, congratulations. Was it a perfect match, you would say? MONICA SELES: No, I mean I don’t think I started off really well. Obviously, Steffi started off so well, and I just kind of hung in there. Once I changed to a tighter racquet it helped me a little bit. But I had some brilliant points; but I also had some not so brilliant points, but I think this was a key time to have good points. INTERVIEWER: Was this like old times – Flinders Park, Monica, and

Melbourne, Australia January 28, 1999 M. Hingis defeats M. Seles 6-2,6-4 INTERVIEWER: Martina was too strong today? MONICA SELES: I think Martina just started off so well. I was really flat, I think, and she was just too good. I was just too slow to a lot of balls, and I really felt it was just one of those days when you feel flat, and that’s how I felt today. INTERVIEWER: Was that a let-down after yesterday, do you think? MONICA SELES: I think I had two tough matches. I knew I had to play well against Steffi yesterday. But

February 16, 1999 MS. REYNOLDS: I’d like to introduce Susan Ungaro,editor-in-chief of Family Circle Magazine, who has a special announcement for today. MS. UNGARO: It’s always a thrill for us to talk about the Family Circle Cup, but it’s even more exciting when we can talk about the “Player Who Makes A Difference” award. We started this award in 1992, to recognize tennis players who practiced the version of “to serve” off the court as well as on. We really are delighted this year to name Monica Seles as our 1999 “Player Who Makes A Difference” winner. Many of you,

March 06, 1999 Monica Seles defeats E. Likhovtseva 7-6, 6-2 INTERVIEWER: Welcome back. MONICA SELES: Thank you. INTERVIEWER: Did you have a little trouble being consistent in that first set, going back and forth? MONICA SELES: I came out pretty rusty. I haven’t been playing that much tennis in the last few weeks. I didn’t feel too secure going out there. I think the ball flies a lot more here. I just felt my strings were a little bit loose. When I started missing a few, I started pushing the ball back; Elena took advantage of that. I was lucky

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

March 30, 1999 Monica Seles defeats Olga Barabanshikova 6-3, 6-0 QUESTION: Must have been a relief with the forecast for rain today — SELES: Yeah. QUESTION: — just to get out there. SELES: I was very happy, definitely, even that I was playing the first match and obviously when I woke up with the rain, that we even just got onto the courts, I was really happy. QUESTION: And the performance, you must be pleased to get through. SELES: I mean it’s always a tough match the first time you play on clay every year, and today was really the

April 01, 1999 E. Likhovtseva defeats M. Seles 7-6(4),6-2 QUESTION: How big was the first set? I mean you got her last time you played her and I guess that was the big difference. Was it the opposite tonight? SELES: She just played, I think, a lot better than I did really in the first set also. And you know, after she won the first set, I definitely got down on myself, but she still played some great tennis. She was a better player out there today than me. QUESTION: Monica, did the conditions out there and the starting the

Paris, France May 25, 1999 Monica Seles defeats Li 6-2,6-4 Q. How do you feel on the court after such a long time? MONICA SELES: I really was anxious to go out and play the match because it’s my first match on red clay. I was a little bit nervous coming into the French not playing anything. So I’m pretty pleased with the way I played. I knew today would be a little bit tougher match. The last time I played her we played a tough three-setter. I knew I had to come out concentrating, and at key times I

Paris, France June 01, 1999 Monica Seles defeats Martinez 6-1,6-4 Q. You usually beat Conchita handily. You played a lot of long points today, especially in the second set. You came through at the end. Why do think you do so well against her? MONICA SELES: I don’t know. I think today she’s definitely been playing a lot better than the past matches. I think she’s gotten a lot of confidence built up over the course of a couple matches coming into today’s. The court we played on was so slow, I think my shots, I just felt were not

London, England June 25, 1999 M. Lucic defeats M. Seles 7-6,7-6 Q. Monica, what went wrong today?A. I just think she played both sides pretty well today, and she put me on the defensive, and if I could pinpoint one thing, definitely my returns. Q. You had so many chances in the second set, so many break points?A. Tons, I mean tons, but just really my return, I could not find it at all. She served very well also, so it wasn’t just my fault, but my return let me down and on grass you can’t let that happen. Q.

New York, New York September 02, 1999 M. Seles defeats Farina 6-2,6-3 Q. Monica, after what happened at the Fed Cup, did you come out today with an extra sense of purpose? To make sure you took care of it?MONICA SELES: Definitely. I didn’t want to have a repeat of that match. I got a little bit — my mind left me at 5-1. So I was just happy that I toughened it out there, that 5-3 game. Q. How do you guard against your mind leaving you?MONICA SELES: Well, I just think it was, you know, 5-1, I thought

March 13, 2000 M. Seles defeats P. Schnyder 6-0,6-3 WTA: Questions for Monica. Q. Your thoughts about playing Patty. MONICA SELES: The last time I played Patty, I won 7-6, I think, in the third set. I knew coming in it’s going to be a tough match. She’s a tough lefty player, great hands. I was surprised. It was a little bit of a different match out there today. When two lefties play, it’s very different. I was just happy that I could finish the match in a pretty quick time. Q. Are you able to judge how well you

March 15, 2000 M. Hingis defeats M. Seles 6-3,6-1 WTA: Questions for Monica. Q. What was missing in your game? MONICA SELES: She was playing very well today, except one game really where she gave it to me in the second set. For me, for sure, my serve a little bit let me down. That would be pretty much what would stand out. Q. How much of a factor was the weather out there? MONICA SELES: Not much today really. I mean, I feel fine now. I’m playing doubles. Today’s match, I didn’t feel it as a factor. It was

Miami, FloridaMarch 26, 2000Monica Seles defeats Lisa Raymond 6-3,6-2 WTA: Questions for Monica. Q. Tennis is a game of contrast. Lisa played some serve-and-volley out there today. Do you miss the absence of serve-and-volley on the circuit? MONICA SELES: I probably miss the most Martina just because it was such a contrast in our game styles. The last person was really Jana. I think on the tour really the only one that’s left is Lisa. I really hope more junior girls will play the style of game. Q. Any chance that you’d change? MONICA SELES: Not in my career, no.

Miami, FloridaMarch 30, 2000Martina Hingis defeats Monica Seles 6-0,6-0 WTA: Questions for Monica. Q. Have you any explanation what happened today? MONICA SELES: I think she played well and I wasn’t playing well and I had a hard time moving. A combination of that was not good today. Q. Was it your ankle or anything else? MONICA SELES: No. I just couldn’t move, so. Q. Is that a conditioning thing? MONICA SELES: No, no. I have a slight problem with my ankle. But, I mean, it’s no big deal. Q. How did it feel today compared to your last match?

April 18, 2000Monica Seles defeats Erika DeLone 6-0,6-0 QUESTION: Is that pretty much the A game? SELES: I was just playing so well tonight. You have some of those nights that you’re just playing well and some nights are not and tonight was one of them and you’re just very happy when everything comes together like that. QUESTION: You kind of still feeding off the momentum you had last week and bringing that here as well? SELES: Well, it was really surprising how well I did last week, so that was great, but it’s a new tournament and I just

April 20, 2000Monica Seles defeats Elena Likhovtseva 6-4,2-6,7-6 QUESTION: Monica, the last two times here you’ve had a third-set tiebreaker. You lost both of them, so how does it finally feel to win this one? SELES: It feels really good. It was such a seesaw match out there today. Elena was playing some great tennis. I had to battle my own things. And it’s just really lucky that last few points went my way. I mean it could have gone either way. QUESTION: Did you think about either of those other two times against Hingis or Spirlea when you were

May 16, 2000M. Seles defeats Maleeva 7-5,6-1 Q. What happened, you went down 5-2? Was there any particular problem? MONICA SELES: No, really nothing. I mean nothing with the court. It was just really I missed so many balls by a little and then I got a little bit rattled, and it went by very fast. Also, I just came from the States three days ago, so still I’m a little bit slow to start. But thank goodness I started to really raise my level of game quite a lot. Q. What were you thinking at 2-5? How did you

May 18, 2000M. Seles defeats Sidot 3-6,6-1,6-1 Q. Monica, you almost lost the first set against Maleeva and you did lose the first set today. What’s the problem, slow starting or what? MONICA SELES: I think it’s a combination of two things, slow starting and maybe being a little bit tired, I think not playing as aggressively. Both matches, the first set really I was just kind of staying in, and Sidot ran away with a couple of games there after I was up, and then I think I got a little bit frustrated with myself and said, “Well, just

May 19, 2000M. Seles defeats Dokic 6-1,3-6,6-3 Q. Difficult match today? MONICA SELES: Definitely. I started out playing really well, then I let Jelena in and she started playing some amazing points at some key times. Q. How much did your experience help to beat her? MONICA SELES: I don’t think that was the key in this match. It was just better play from the ground strokes I think, and just really better play overall. “I think people put too much emphasis on experience and all that stuff.” Q. You must have been happy with your serve, Monica, 69 percent

May 20, 2000M. Seles defeats Morariu 6-3,6-1 Q. How does it feel to play in the final here after ten years? MONICA SELES: It feels fantastic. Obviously, as I said before, I have such great memories from 1990 and to come back and play so well in 2000 it’s really a fantastic feeling.So I definitely will keep on playing if, you know, God allows my body and everything to be healthy. Q. How do you feel about the end of this week, Monica? MONICA SELES: I feel physically fine. I mean, I’ve got a slight bit of a cold today.

May 21, 2000M. Seles defeats Mauresmo 6-2,7-6 Q. You said I think yesterday or the day before that it is not the experience, but the best player is going to win that day. But today maybe you had so much experience and you started very, very well because you had to start well?MONICA SELES: Well, I still don’t believe – I mean, I still stick by my philosophy that you start out much more aggressive. I think in the first set I definitely played better than in the second set, but also Amelie raised her level of game in the

May 29, 2000M. Seles defeats Talaja 6-2,6-2 Q. How did you feel at the beginning of the tournament? MONICA SELES: I feel really good. I knew it would be a tough first round match coming here. It was just really good to finally get to play. I’ve been here since Tuesday, just really anxious to start. Just really happy with everything that went out there today. Q. Quite clearly your emotional state is better now than it was when you left Key Biscayne a couple months ago. What’s happened during that time? What was your emotional state when you left

June 01, 2000M. Seles defeats Gagliardi 6-0,6-1 Q. You seem to have pretty much your tracks on the Suzanne Lenglen court. Do you like this court? Is it a special court for you? MONICA SELES: Obviously because of what it’s named, it’s a very special court for me. In terms of court surface, I probably still prefer center court. Besides that, it’s definitely my favorite court out there. Q. How is it to be one of the favorites of the tournament? Is it difficult to handle or you don’t want to hear about it? MONICA SELES: I really don’t think

June 04, 2000M. Seles defeats Mauresmo 7-5,6-3 Q. Was that kind of a hang-in-there match, wait till she makes a few errors, make sure she doesn’t completely dominate you, make her beat you? MONICA SELES: Really I think I only did that in a few games when I kind of let it go. Same mistake that I did in Rome. But otherwise I really felt I was attacking, going for my shots. But still I had a couple of letdowns. But, I mean, it’s hard, they were tough conditions out there. Q. You ran down a lot of balls today.