23 agosto 2001
Capriati D Dokic 6-4, 6-3
Q. (Inaudible).
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah, I was really off. Yeah, I think I definitely served
a lot better today and made up for yesterday for sure. So, you know, I'm
real happy about it.
Q. Do you feel that was a deciding factor in the second set particularly?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I think it just gave me a little bit more of an edge
there, you know, kind of helped my whole game. You know, 'cause my serve was
up, and so it just made me -- my whole -- the rest of my game go up on
another level, too. And so I just got a lot of momentum from that.
Q. If you play Venus Williams in the final of the US Open, would you --?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: It's not possible.
Q. Why?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: We're in the same half of the draw, so semi.
Q.
You had quite a few unforced errors. Is that a product of you just going for
a lot of winners, or...?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Maybe in the first set. But I think in the second set or
at the end of the first set, I definitely cut down on them. And, yeah, I
mean, I go for the shots. And, you know, her game, too, is tough because,
you know, it's hard to just really -- I mean, if you just give the ball to
her or hit short balls, she's pretty aggressive and she's pretty solid off
the ground. So she'll just, you know, try to hit the winners. And so I'm
just going a little bit -- I'm going for more of my shots against her. But I
definitely cut down on it towards the second set.
Q. You seemed to come out with a little more fire today than yesterday.
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah. I think I was definitely more prepared out there
from the first ball, and I definitely went out there really warmed up and,
you know, ready to play. Because I know she's a tough player, and I always
have tough matches against her. So, yeah, I was just a little more used to
the conditions also.
Q. Was it a tough adjustment going from Toronto, which is kind of slow, to
here which is a lot faster?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah. It's a pretty different court, the surface. And
just the weather and everything is just different. It's definitely more
humid here.
Q. You seemed to get much stronger in the second set, including on serve.
Did you serve harder?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah. I mean, I think in the second set my level really
picked up and I just started playing a lot better, more aggressive and cut
down on the errors. You know, I was just real aggressive and I came to net a
few times and won the point, the important points there. So I think my
confidence just went up also.
Q.
There were some disputes on calls that were close to the line. Was that kind
of unsettling?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I mean, it went both ways I think. Some were really
obvious, and then others, you know, you never know. So I just learned to
just play every ball like it's in 'cause you just never know with them.
So...
Q. Does that damage your concentration, so many suspect balls?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Sometimes. I mean, when it's just really close, like how
it was in the first set, you know, maybe you'll just get a little more upset
about the calls than you would normally if it's just going easier. But since
it's so close, you know, it just, you know, maybe makes you a little bit
more nervous because you're not really sure. You know you're hitting the
ball well, you know you're doing your part, but you don't know -- you can't
really trust the other person to do their part. So, you know, whatever...
Q. After Venus won a Gold Medal at the Sydney Olympics, she said that was
bigger for her than winning Wimbledon or the US Open. Which do you consider
bigger, a Gold Medal or a Grand Slam title?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: It's hard to say. They're both so different. I mean, what
if I just said they were equally the same? (Laughing.)
Q. Given the situation with Steffi and Andre, have you thought about what it
would be like to be married to a tennis player? And if you had a child, how
you would handle a young tennis player?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: (Smiling.) I have no idea. I mean, it's just -- I don't
really have any comment on that 'cause so far my experience with another
tennis player hasn't been the greatest. (Laughing.) So I don't know. It just
depends. I mean, it doesn't matter if it's a tennis player, another tennis
player, whatever. If you just meet someone that you really love, it doesn't
matter what they do. And as far as the baby...(Laughing.)... I don't know.
Q. But how would you nurture a young tennis player?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Well, I mean, I wouldn't know if my kid would want to
play tennis for sure. I mean, I really haven't thought about it. You know...
Q. Not to change the subject at all, but Dokic said that she has trouble
keeping up with some of the power players like you. Do you feel like you
were able to overpower her?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I mean, on some shots I can, I feel like I can. I think
like today I did, I was a little bit stronger. And maybe when I'm really on,
I feel that way. Like today I just, you know, in the serves and some of the
shots, I'm able to maybe just finish off the points. So I think that's maybe,
you know, an advantage that I have a little bit.
Q. The majority of her losses this year have been to Top 10 players. What do
you think she needs to do to get over that hump and break into the Top 10
herself?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I don't know. I mean, I think there's room for
improvement for her - for her, you know, fitness level and for her physical
condition. I mean, maybe if she did work on that, you know, getting a little
bit stronger and a little more in shape, you know, I think that could help
and maybe add more power to her shots.
Q. You said your confidence went up in the second set. How much has just
being confident helped you through this whole year? Like the big wins that
you've had, has that helped you through maybe yesterday, the first set when
you were struggling a little bit, just the confidence that you can overcome
that? How important is that?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Definitely I think it helps in tough situations. You know,
I mean, I think it just helps even like before I go out on the court. You
know, I'm confident before I go out and play a match that I know, you know,
I've put in the work and like I feel confident that I am going to go out
there and play well. And even against the top players, I'm always going to
give them a good match and make it hard for them. So, you know, maybe it
even starts before in the locker room. And, you know, that's helped me a lot.
And maybe, you know, the other players don't play as well because of that.
And just also the tough situations, you know, I can really draw on -- in
from those experiences and think how I handled it before. I think to myself,
"I've been in this situation before and I've pulled it out." So, you know,
"Just try to do the same thing."
Q. Are you going to watch the match tonight?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Probably. Yeah.
Q. Do you have a preference who you'd rather play?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: No. I mean, it doesn't matter. I mean, especially now,
like before the Open, it really doesn't matter. It's just about getting out
there and playing matches. I mean, obviously it's the Open that really
counts, you know, so...
Q. How important were the last three games of the first set? It was 4-3 for
her, those three games were really long. You were able to pull all three of
them out.
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah, it was very important. We could still be out on the
court right now playing, you know. So you just never know. I mean, it could
have really gave her a momentum if she won the first set and started playing
a lot better. We'd be out there now, or just lost the match. So, yeah, it's
very important that I won the first set.
Q. Who do you consider to be the favorites in the Open?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Everybody.
Q. How helpful has your brother been in your comeback this year?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Very helpful. I mean, especially in the summer. That's
where he traveled with me most of the time. I mean, the rest of the time he's
at school, going to college. But I mean, he's just there also as a support
factor, just like the rest of my family. So... And it's great because he's
also like a friend and someone I can really talk to.
Q. (Inaudible).
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: We're gonna try.
Q. Is he here this week?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: No, not now.
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