28 giugno 2003
Capriati D Morigami 6-4, 6-4
Q. Could you outline the shoulder trouble, the ins‑and‑outs
of what happened in the first set?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: The shoulder is nothing serious. Just had a little kink
in there, wanted to get it out. I mean, that's what the trainers are there for.
Yeah, that had nothing to do with, you know, the way I was playing and the
way the scores were going. She's just a good player, tougher than all the
other opponents that I've played so far.
She had a different kind of game, so kind of threw me off a little bit. I
had to get into a rhythm.
But I played well when I had to, to close it off.
Q. Were you able to scout her at all?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Not really.
Q. You looked a lot of times on her serve that you were having a hard time
reading her, reading her backhand.
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah, yeah, exactly. Yeah, she disguised it well. She had
a real short motion and just took the ball early. It was throwing me off a
little bit. And I think that court is a little bit faster than the other
courts also.
Q. Did the long wait from the previous match make it difficult?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Maybe a little. Just kind of getting out there and
everything, it felt a little bit sluggish. The crowd went to go take a
break, it was kind of empty. The atmosphere out there was just kind of
lethargic a little. So then they started getting into it when they wanted me
to win, obviously to get off, so Tim could basically get on (laughter). I
think I heard someone say it, anyways, in the crowd, "We want to see Tim."
Q. Did you think about the timing of when you would call for the trainer? As
it happened, it worked quite well for you. Were you thinking about when you
should call the trainer during that first set?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Well, a little bit, yeah. But, I mean, it was just
getting worse. You know, there's no sense why I should take the chance and
lose the match just because I was trying to wait. You know, if it could help
me, it was going to help me. I didn't want to let any time go by, because I
don't have the time.
You know, I needed it. That's when I called it. Actually, I called earlier,
and then she didn't come out till then.
Q. When you
say the court was faster than the others, you mean because the type of grass
is different, this is making some difference on your game?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I have no idea why it's faster. It just seemed that way
to me. Or maybe it was just me. I just felt slower, I don't know, out there
(smiling).
You know, she was serving well. I was not returning as well as I had in the
previous. I was just a little bit late in a couple of shots. It just seemed
to be bouncing lower.
I don't know why that would be faster; just felt like that to me.
Q. Nowadays in female tennis, the players are always younger than they used
to be. Do you think there is too much pressure on the players today and
that's why they are retiring so early?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Who's retiring?
Q. Not only competitors, but to have good looks.
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Who is retiring early?
Q. Martina Hingis had a problem.
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: She's one out of many, many people.
Q. You don't find many players over 30.
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: You can't play the game over 30, basically. You know,
there are a lot of girls that are hungry out there. To get out there sooner
seems when the best tennis comes almost. I mean, now there's this age
ability rule anyway. It's not like you can play a lot of tournaments anyways.
Q. In your case, did you feel much pressure?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I think this has been talked about many times. I don't
want to discuss it right now.
Q. You haven't had problems getting to the second weeks of Slams in the last
year and a half, but once you've gotten to the second week, you've hit a
little bit of a wall. What can be different next week? How are you feeling?
Are you approaching this any different than, say, you did Paris or Australia
or New York last year?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I mean, really the only place ‑‑ well, Australia this
year, I mean, I usually don't go into a Grand Slam the way I did anyways
that way, just being not prepared like I was.
You know, I just got to give my opponents credit, too. I mean, it's not only
me, why I'm losing the match. I mean, I'm playing somebody else out there.
You know, it's not always my fault for the reason I lost.
So I always approach it pretty much the same way. There's really not a lot
of difference. I mean, the next round at least, you know, I know my opponent
well. I think it's better, like even today, to have a little bit tougher
match.
Maybe what happens is just the first week is too easy, and then when it
comes time to having a really tough match, I'm kind of not match tough and
not used to having to hit many balls in the rallies, so I almost lose the
sharpness a little bit.
Q. You've talked about this a lot this year. Maybe you did this in between
France and here with your dad.
Most of the matches you've lost this year have been three‑setters. It's not
like you're getting killed. Once you get to the third set, it seems like
you're having problems breaking through and closing. Talk about that. If you
get into a three‑setter with Mysinka or Serena in the quarters, what's going
to be different for you?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I think it's just a matter of how I've led up to that
point and how I'm playing beforehand, and if I'm getting some confidence.
You know, I'm trying to work on, also, even in these first few matches, to
close it out and not have any lapses of concentration. And when I get ahead,
just to be more aggressive.
So hopefully that kind of attitude would come out in those tough three‑setters
again or when it comes down to, you know, those matches where I'm not really
quite pulling it out.
So I think it's almost like not to think about it either, because the more
emphasis I put on it maybe that's going to, you know, get in my head, "Here
we go again, I can't close it out again." You know, I think it's just a
matter of just keep going forward and keep going for it. I think eventually,
you know, the luck has got to go on my side. Hopefully one of these times,
it will turn around.
I think, you know, it just takes once, maybe, to know that I still have the
capability to do it.
Q. Not so many people have been talking about you as a serious challenger
for the title this time. Do you think that will work well for you?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I'm not really paying attention. I think it's best to not
listen, whether they think I'm a serious contender or not, because it doesn't
make a difference.
Q. Switching subjects to Fed Cup. You made
yourself available this year. Billie Jean said back at the last tie that she
might reconsider having you on the team if you were to call her and you guys
could straighten out what happened last year. Is that something you're going
to consider doing, even though you're eligible for the Olympics anyway?
Would you consider calling her, talking to her, working it out? Is it
something you don't want to pursue it again?>
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Actually, I've gotten many e‑mails to ask if I was
interested in playing Fed Cup, and I haven't made any phone calls.
Q. Meaning what? So you're not interested? You made yourself available for
the last tie.
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I mean, to think that she would accept me or she would
think about accepting me back if I called her, whatever, to apologise, I had
always gotten the first invite, so that's wrong.
Q. I'm misunderstanding something. Are you willing to call her? Do you feel
like she needs to call you?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I don't want to get into that.
Q. You're just saying, what, you're available? If she would have asked you
this time, you would have played the Washington tie?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Well, there's many things to consider, first of all. So
the time I made myself available, you know, I wasn't needed, I wasn't called
for that. Many things to consider if I would make myself available, the
timing and all that.
I mean, right now I guess I am eligible for the Olympics.
Q. Right.
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: So maybe it wouldn't, you know, be wise for me to play
that Fed Cup. Just kind of the schedule is tough enough.
Yeah, I mean, if I want to play, I want to play. It has nothing to do with
Billie Jean.
Q. Meaning you would play even if she was still captain?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Well, I did make myself available, so I would have played,
obviously.
Q. Again, is it open for discussion? Would you talk to her about what
happened last year? Are you willing to do that with her?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Sure.
Q. But she needs to make the first call?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Well, I'm not going to get into it now.
Q. How different is the second week from the first?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Well, I mean, a lot of people say that's when really the
tournament starts. But, you know, obviously the matches get a lot tougher in
the second week. You know, all the pressure's on. That's really when you got
to bring your best stuff.
But hopefully, you know, the first week, you know, you're able to get out
all the nerves and the kinks of really playing in a Grand Slam. And, you
know, sometimes it's not always easy, and you can have really tough matches.
I think, you know, either way, just you have to focus on every match. What
me, I do, how I'm going to play, and I think it all helps if I make it to
the second week.
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