March, 24th 2002
Capriati D Myskina 3-6, 7-5, 6-2
Q. What was happening with your serve? You obviously were struggling?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I don't think -- yeah, I had some double-faults, but I
had some good serves also. And, you know, she was returning well and that
was putting a little pressure. But, you know, I wasn't missing by much. It
was just, you know, sort of like how my game was in the beginning, just kind
of on everything. I was just missing by just a little bit. And I think it
was just probably on the second serve didn't have a good rhythm on it. But I
think overall, I mean, that shouldn't stand out. Because it was a great
match, and I think I played pretty well.
Q. Down 5-4 in the second, did you think she had you?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I never think that. I never give up till the last point.
I thought I'd been -- both of us had been returning better than serving. And
I felt pretty confident still, that I would be able to break and just apply
the pressure and, you know, I had been playing well. I thought I'd just go
for it. And if she's going to beat me, she has to keep playing like she had
been playing. I was just playing really well. She wasn't missing anything. I
have to give full credit to her.
Q. What do you think turned the match your way in the last five games?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Last five games, well, I think I wasn't missing very much.
Maybe I could sense that maybe she was getting a little bit tired also so
she started missing a little bit more than what she had been. And I was just
maybe a little more aggressive at that point.
Q. Is this what you can expect being No. 1, getting everybody's best tennis
coming at you?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: It's not only now that I'm No. 1, I mean it's always --
I've always kind of felt that before, that everyone sort of steps it up
against me. I don't know, I sort of make them play better. You know, it's
the first time I played her, so she's obviously a good player. And, you know,
I guess maybe it's the consistency that she can play good matches and then
have, you know -- play worse. I don't know her ranking, but I think she
should be ranked a lot higher than she is. She's definitely a good player.
Q. Off of the tennis, do you happen to recall how you heard about the
September 11th stuff, where you were? How did you hear?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Well, I was in New York, like, two days before that for
the US Open. Everyone was there. So I just heard it, I was home.
Q. Do you think that a lot of things have changed in terms of what you see
out there in the world?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Well, I think maybe here, in home territory, the
Americans are trying to come together a little bit more. But maybe not as
much as you would think, because something like this happened.
Q. You said you felt even before you were No. 1 you were getting everybody's
best tennis. Why do you suppose that is? Why is everybody coming for you?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: No, maybe it's just the kind of game I play. Like you
just, you know, it kind of makes people play better against me because I,
you know, if they can handle, like, a hard-hitting ball, it's like I give
good rhythm, I think, to the other players. So it's like, just get into a
good rhythm and get psyched up and I don't know... They just do (smiling).
Q. How much did the crowd help you today?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: They helped a little bit. But, you know, I was kind of
trying to block everything out. Because in a way, too, you know, it's like
every time I just missed a ball, I heard the moan from the crowd. You know,
that's frustrating, too, to kind of hear that. So I just try to, like, block
everything out, whether it be good or bad. And, you know, I just wanted to
stay -- I had to be really concentrated today out there.
Q. Martina and Serena had easy matches today. What are the positives for you,
if any, to have a difficult match like this so early in the tournament?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah, well, hopefully I'm in good shape that I can just
recover. It wasn't like it was just a really difficult match, so I think I
should be okay. And, you know, just the court time. Just to get out there
and, you know, definitely I feel like I have a good rhythm now and am used
to the center court and being out there. So physically, I mean, I don't
think it will bother me at all.
Q. You rode with the dolphins at the Sea Aquarium, you got a new Ferrari,
it's been a pretty good week.
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah. So it's time to play some tennis now.
Q. Was that Matthew Perry sitting with your folks?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Uh-huh.
Q. Is that coincidence, or...?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: No, we've been hanging out a little. He's just a friend.
Yeah, "Friend" (smiling).
Q. Does he come to a lot of your tournaments?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: No. This is just the first one.
Q. How did you meet him?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Okay. This is just the last question that I'm going to
answer about that. He came and presented me the award, the Sports
Illustrated award. So that's how I kind of -- I met him.
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