19 marzo 1999
Graf D Capriati 6-1, 6-0
Q. You don't look too exhausted, kind of fresh coming back from the showers.
How do you feel? Did how did you feel on the court?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I felt fine. I mean, it wasn't that long of a match.
There were still some good points. You know, it wasn't like a long two-hour
match or anything. You know, I'm fine.
Q. Was it kind of frustrating because I think she didn't miss too many points?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: No, she didn't. I mean, I haven't seen her play much, but
I think that's the best she's played in a long time. I mean, she played
unbelievable. She played a great match. It was frustrating because I didn't
play that bad myself. I just didn't have a chance to get into the match
really. I mean, she gave me no openings. I had a few openings, but I had to
make those shots. There was no room for error on my part with the way she
was playing.
Q. Right after the finals in Indian Wells, she said compared with the former
years, in these times she isn't far as good as in former times. I doubt that.
Would you doubt that, as well?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I doubt that today. I mean, that's probably the best she's
ever played. I mean, I played against her. That's like when she was playing,
you know, her No. 1 days, better.
Q. Even better?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Uh-huh.
Q. What makes the difference? You say "Even better."
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: She didn't miss anything, you know. I mean, her shots,
that court isn't that fast, and her balls were coming pretty hard and pretty
fast. Her slice. It was kind of always more floaty, but they were really
sticking. The movement, that's always there, you know.
Q. What is your brother Steve doing and how do you do when you play him?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I don't play him. He's just in college right now.
Q. What do you want out of tennis these days?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: What I want out of tennis is not necessarily just winning.
But, you know, I just want to play well and have fun playing well. Just have
fun playing tennis. I just want to get to the level where I can say that
that's my level, just try to play well, get up there.
Q. How far away do you feel from this level that you want to achieve?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Well, I feel in a way I just kind of started getting
back. I know I've been playing for a while trying to come back. Right now I
feel the best that I've felt in a long time. I feel more confident. Still
like yesterday and today, even my practice, my practices are the best I've
ever done. I just feel a lot better. This could be the start, almost like
starting again. I do still have some of the experience from playing, but it's
been so long since I've been out in those quarters, semis, finals, the
important final matches, just against the top players. Mentally I still have
to get all that back, if I ever get there. It's like starting from scratch.
Q. I've read some quotes that you said you're playing for yourself. You
obviously were in a mode where you didn't want pressure, and rightly so
because from the outside looking in, you had a lot of pressure, now you don't
want pressure. Where is the common ground? How do you get to the happy
medium that equates to making a decision that equates to making a commitment
to doing it or trying your best? Do you see what I'm saying?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: That's a good question. That's kind of what I've been
trying to figure out is what my happy medium is, where is just the middle,
not too much. I don't like too much. Too little, I mean I'm finding out that
I don't like that either. I think it's just right now I've got to
concentrate on one thing, and that's my tennis, just working hard and trying
to improve my tennis, just forget the rest, forget the mental, forget all
that stuff, just work on my game.
Q. How close is Steffi to getting back?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: If she keeps playing like the way they did today, she's
pretty close. I think she would beat anybody today the way she played. If
she can keep it up like that, for sure.
Q. Kind of the same old Steffi in your mind?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah. I think that's the best she's ever played, ever,
against me. We had that match at the Olympics. She played great. I mean,
that was different, different surface, clay. I didn't play that bad. I feel
I just had no chances. She was just like she kept the pressure on.
Q. When you talk about finding that happy medium, there's commitments once
you find it to get there. Does that mean a schedule, a nutritional program?
You said to forget the mental, but tennis is a mental game.
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Well, I know it is. Right now I have a lot to work on in
my game. My movement, even just strategy. Have to remember how to really
play. I had an instinct before and maybe now I don't have that instinct as
much as knowing what to do, what shots to hit, where to place the ball,
things like that. It's hard, too, with the commitment. It really has nothing
to do with the wildcards and all that. I have to think about that, but it's
all a matter of how committed I am. It doesn't matter whether I qualify or
wildcards. Just because I qualify, I can't let that part get that down.
Q. Are you going to have a full schedule on the tour?
JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah, yeah. Yeah, definitely. Just by playing here, how I
feel, Harold has been working with me. Already that's going well. Hopefully
that will continue. Already he's made me feel so much more positive about my
game and myself. I think he's going to encourage me to do a full schedule.
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