04 settembre 2003
Capriati D Schiavone 6-1, 6-3
Q. Pretty good tennis. Challenged you a little bit in the second,
but you won the big points, huh?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah, I played tough. I really didn't know how it was
gonna be, with all the kind of delays for the last three days. I mean, I
didn't hit one day.
Yesterday, I'd hit indoors, so I didn't know if it was, you know, gonna
throw off my timing a little bit.
But, you know, I had a lot of energy out there and I still played aggressively.
Q. So when you've been cooped up all that time, only been able to hit once,
how do you resist just going out there and playing crazy?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Well, I mean, I'm not gonna, you know, forget how to hit
a ball in like two days.
Just the main thing is just to keep the legs moving and not just sit around
and do anything. So, you know, I did some workout and just was able to hit
in the indoors. I think that helped a lot, so...
Once I got out there, you know, I felt the ball well, and then I just got
more confident and just started really picking it up.
Q. It's nice to be back in the semis, I'm sure, after a couple years. You
get a quick turnaround. Now you have Justine, you guys have had some three‑setters.
Just talk about that, your feelings.
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Right. Well, I think this is gonna be the match for me
where I, you know, feel like I just have to play my best tennis. And really,
you know, play the tennis that I've been playing, but expect, you know,
better, much better opposition.
You know, she hits the ball big. I mean, she's moving well. Obviously, she
has a lot of confidence, too. She's come off a lot of wins. So, you know, I
still feel like I don't have the pressure, you know. Even though I am here
in the US Open, you know, she's the one, I think, that, you know, you would
think was supposed to win just by the record, so...
Q. However, you're playing at home. The crowd is obviously
going to be behind you. You're playing at a high level. So even though some
people might say, "Justine could win because she's done so well this summer,"
I think other people would say, "This could be Jennifer's time."
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Well, I got to just see about that afterwards and not
really think about that. You know, I just got to go out there and play.
Q. Even though it's not happening under the ideal circumstances, the rain is
what's causing it, do you think it will be exciting tomorrow night to have
both semis on Ashe tomorrow, prime time?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah, absolutely. I think it will be great for the fans
and great for the players. Just feels like all of a sudden everything's just
happening so fast, you know. It's like, I don't know, the last four days, I
mean, it's just been, you know, in a fog. Now, all of a sudden, you know,
it's like the semis are here.
So it feels like a different tournament almost. You know, just because of
the delays and everything, and playing back‑to‑back, it's a semifinal. So
who cares? Just got to go out there, do the best you can, give it all you
got and that should be motivation enough.
Q. As a native of this country, does the US Open mean something more than
another major, or are they all a big deal? Would this be extra special for
you?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: They're all special to me. You know, they've all got
their own little specialness. You know, here, it's just for me, just being
my hometown, which would make it great for me.
But all Grand Slams, you know, are the same to me. I mean, this, because it's
one of the ones that I've come close to before and haven't won, so...
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