28 agosto 2003
Capriati D Sucha 6-1, 6-1
Q. Feeling as well as you can feel at this point, first two matches?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah. It's hard to tell a
little bit, you know, unless you're just really pushed. You know, that's
when the test comes a little bit. But, you know, I feel like my strokes are
fine, I'm moving well there. You know, maybe I made a few unforced errors
today, more than I would like to have.
But, I mean, other than that, I feel pretty good, yeah.
Q. Are you a momentum player? This is possibly the best momentum you've had
since the 2002 Australian Open. You won a tournament in New Haven looking
strong. Do you feed off of this sort of momentum?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I think it starts for me, yeah,
back, if it's a few weeks, the last couple months maybe building up.
You know, you can't forget, every time I won the Australian, I lost first
round the week before. Remember in Sydney? It's hard to say.
Even though I've had those losses, whether I lose or win, I know how I'm
feeling anyways inside. It's all I can concentrate on is my game. I can feel
confident. You know, then the rest is up to the opponent and how they're
playing.
I have to just concentrate on my own game, worry about my own game. Yeah,
when I'm feeling well, everybody starts to get rolling for me. I just get
better and better.
Q. How long has it been since you felt like you're hitting the ball this
clean match after match?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: It's been a while. It's been a while. I feel like a lot
of my strength is there. I'm just -- I feel like I'm more accurate now
hitting the ball. I don't know. I think that probably has to do with my
movement and how I'm feeling physically. You know, I've really taken the
time to just take care of my body, try to get in shape, but also try to just
get looser and feel more agile, just limber also.
You know, all that kind of stuff helps.
Q. You've been playing tennis for so long. How comfortable are you out on a
court, at tournaments, being in the tennis environment? Is it the most
comfortable for you?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah. I mean, it's where I live
basically. I mean, I still get nerves, of course, you know, playing in front
of huge crowds, certain things might make me lose my focus. But, yeah, I
mean, I don't think you can get any more comfortable than how I feel about
tennis tournaments.
Q. Your dad was talking today about, "I can't believe she's 27 years old."
Do you stop and think about that?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah, I do. I really -- it's
like: Where did the time go? I don't feel 27. I certainly don't act it all
the time (smiling). It's just a number.
Q. Has your
relationship to tennis changed over the years? Has it meant different things
to you at different times?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Oh, yeah. It changes. It goes
up and down at times. Of course, I can't lose focus on myself and can't
forget about the other part, which is the life, what makes you happy as a
person, all that kind of stuff. Tennis isn't everything. Maybe that's what I
felt, like it was just getting too overwhelming, you know, I wasn't doing
enough things for myself. You know, it's not going to last forever.
You know, then I just took a step back, realized a couple things for myself,
my attitude.
Q. During this streak between the 2002 Australian Open and New Haven where
you know you're playing good tennis, but the titles aren't coming, maybe
you're getting frustrated, maybe angry about how things are going, did you
find yourself pressing at any point trying to do more than you normally
might want to do on tour?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah. I mean, well, you know, I
just try to do everything so perfect, you know, what I do off the court,
what I do on the court. You think, you know, everything is just going to go
your way. Then when it doesn't, you know, you wonder what's going on. You
just can't expect so much from yourself, from everything, just because of
that. I mean, that's not how life works.
I mean, I don't think you can predict anything. I mean, who knows. I don't
know what's going to happen in the next couple days, in this two weeks,
whatever's going to happen. Just got to live it moment by moment.
Q. Did you go into New Haven having a talk with yourself about how you would
approach this tournament perhaps somewhat different than you approached the
previous ones?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Really no. It's best when I
don't think about things too much, don't try to analyze everything. I didn't
have too many expectations because I was just coming off an injury. I just
wanted to go into the tournament, and hopefully my shoulder wasn't going to
hurt, and I was going to be okay to play the US Open. That's what I was
thinking about. Everything else came as a bonus.
Q. How good psychologically does it feel to have that tournament victory?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I mean, it feels great to know
that, you know, you worked so hard, you do get rewarded, and things do come,
and go your way. You know, but I don't think it really makes a difference
of, you know, how I'm going to do here in this tournament, if I won or not
last week, whatever.
Q. If you play Sharapova and give her pace, that's what she loves. How does
that fit into the way you play? If you play bang-bang tennis, she might
start to feed off it?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah, well, I just have to
believe that that's my strength also, and my strength is better than her
strength. You know, I'm definitely not going to change my game. But that's
not all I do either.
Q. Is she seen as a real threat, Sharapova? I know she's only been out on
the tour for a little while. She's had some pretty big wins. She's pushed
some good players. Do you see her just as another young player or do you see
her as someone who can really do something?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: You know, to tell you the truth,
I really haven't watched her play that much. I just kind of have been into
my own stuff, haven't really paid attention (smiling). I'm sorry I can't
answer.
Q. Talking about changing some of the age eligibility rules, she's one of
the persons that have had them consider changing the age eligibility rule.
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: To play more tournaments?
Q. Let more people play younger.
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I mean, I've said this before.
I think, you know, she's not playing tournaments and getting to the finals
of the first tournament. You know, it's not like a bunch of hoopla. You know,
she's not already beating... I think that's what the case was with me.
You can't -- not everyone's going to be like that. It's an individual. It's
like, you know, let her play, you know. That's all.
Q. Trying to take a little more time between serves now?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yes, I am (smiling).
Q. Has that been good for you? Of course, you used to move very quickly from
serve to serve.
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah, I think so. Or maybe
that's the age thing. I'm slowing down a little bit, so I can't go as fast.
Q. Seriously, is it good for you to take a little bit more measured time
between serves?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah. I'm more conscious of it,
of trying to slow down. And now I think it's just become part of my routine
and my pace now. You know, taking the second ball, whatever, really thinking
about what I'm going to do.
Q. When you say "let her play," you mean because she's not having to handle
the pressure of playing late in matches, it's not a big deal if she plays a
couple more tournaments a year?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah.
Q. If the rule exists, somebody like yourself, who is a prodigy in every
sense, would be brought forth to play more tournaments because the rule is
going to apply to everybody.
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I don't think a rule is going
to stop anything from happening, you know. That's just, you know, where you're
coming from, your family, your support system. Those are the things that are
going to keep you grounded. You know, I just think it's going to be a rule.
Q. Are you confident that your pec problem, rotator cuff isn't going to come
back at this tournament? Do you think you have seven matches in the shoulder
and the pec?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah, I think so, yeah. I hope
so. I'm doing everything I can to take care of it. You know, I've done a lot
of rehab exercises. You know, I think that's probably what's helped, not
only in my serve, but my forehand also. I think it was just really overused
before, and probably it was letting me down.
Q. Are you laying off serves in practice now?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah, I don't hit as many
serves, but just because of that reason, I don't want to aggravate it.
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