THE LIPTON CHAMPIONSHIPS

March 13, 1994

Gabriela Sabatini

Q. She has been recognized as kind of up and coming American star. What did you think of her game?

GABRIELA SABATINI: Yeah, she definitely improved her game a lot. I haven't played her for a long time. I have been watching her. She has had some very good results at the beginning of the year and she hits the ball very hard. She has a lot of confidence and she is a tough player to beat.

Q. What does she need to do to reach the top level?

GABRIELA SABATINI: I think she needs a little bit more experience. I think that is what she needs. She is aggressive. She can play from the baseline. She needs to probably improve a little bit more her volleys. Then, she has a good serve too, so she moves well. She has a lot of good things.

Q. Gaby, do people underestimate how difficult it is for a young player to play on a big stadium court before a big crowd sometimes; could she have been possibly a little bit nervous playing in front such a big crowd?

GABRIELA SABATINI: It could be. I remember when I started to play in big tournaments and I had to play on the stadium, for me it was a big thing to be there. Sometimes people forget that. Probably by now she is a little bit more used to it because she has had some finals and I think she played already here on the stadium. So I think she is more used to that right now.

Q. Did you expect a harder match today?

GABRIELA SABATINI: Yeah, I don't think it was an easy match. The games were-- I thought were close. I knew it was going to be a tough one. I was ready. I played very well. I felt very comfortable with my game and especially serving very well. I think that was the key to winning the match.

Q. How do you like the new stadium?

GABRIELA SABATINI: I love it. It is great. It is looking great. Compared also -- also, you can compare it to Grand Slams tournaments, it is great. Everything is very convenient, also, for the players to have the lockerrooms an players lounge, everything inside.

Q. How much does that mean to you as a player when you are here for ten days and it makes things a lot easier; I would think instead of having to go back and forth from a little small lockerroom as opposed to big lounges, stuff like that?

GABRIELA SABATINI: Sure, it is nice to have that in your mind, knowing that you are going to go to a place where you are going to feel very comfortable. You know, you are going to stay inside all the time, and that is very nice.

Q. How far do you live from here, Gaby?

GABRIELA SABATINI: Just two minutes, I guess.

Q. Did you find--

GABRIELA SABATINI: Three minutes.

Q. When you were home between tournaments, did you find yourself maybe coming in to see how the stadium was going up while it was under construction?

GABRIEL SABATINI: Not really. I haven't been here since August, so I haven't seen much about the stadium. They were starting, by August, so I didn't have the opportunity to see it.

Q. You had a lot of success when you were working with Carlos in the past. How -- I mean, things are different now for both of you. How do you see this evolving now?

GABRIELA SABATINI: Probably it is a new stage. I think we are both different. We both grew a lot and, you know, we are feeling like our relationship is new and he can help me so much and I am happy to be back with him and I think things are going very well, you know, on and off the court, he helps my confidence and that is good.

Q. What about on court, what kind of things are you working on?

GABRIELA SABATINI: You know, we always work on a lot of things; nothing specific, but we try to, you know, to work on being aggressive and those are the things that we work more and then the other part that is very good is I think how to plan every match.

Q. Where did you find that striped grip you are using?

GABRIELA SABATINI: Yamaha.

Q. Did you have it specially made for you or could anybody buy it?

GABRIELA SABATINI: I don't know right now if it is in the market, because it just started this year, but I assume it should be.

Q. Did they come to you and say "you might like this" or did you say "give me something like this"?

GABRIELA SABATINI: Yeah, well, they kind of showed me that one and I liked it a lot. I thought it was matching very well with the racket, so, I say, "yeah, I like this one."

Q. Kind of if it is your personality?

GABRIELA SABATINI: Yeah.

Q. Spanish, please.

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