	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

US OPEN

September 5, 2000

Nathalie Tauziat

Flushing Meadows, New York

MODERATOR: Nathalie has a doubles match. If we could have questions in English quickly.

Q. Your tactics seemed to be just right. Maybe your approach shots let you down late in the match. What do you think?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: Yeah. I don't know what to say about the match. I have the feeling it was the match. I have a chance first set. I didn't get in. After, for two set, I didn't have any pleasure to play. I mean, it's tough to play against her because it's in, it's out, it's not regular tennis, you know. It's tough to play.

Q. You spent one changeover talking with the chair umpire. What were you saying to her? Did you feel you were really getting the bad line calls the whole match?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: Well, in the first set I have the feeling in two point the ball was outside the line, and they say good in the same game. I just asked if they could play ten centimeters behind the line and you say it's good. That's it.

Q. You absolutely had to win the fourth game of the last set. You were down 3-Love. You hit what looked like two pretty good volleys. She made great plays. Is that really the difference between the two of you in this match, her athletic ability?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: Yeah, I mean -- yeah. You put me just to side you can see, we're completely different, physically different person. That's it. Sometimes I hit some good volley and she was there. Maybe some other players didn't get this ball. But she take it at the end. She fight good at the end. The last three game was good. We have some good shot, some good volley, but she was there.

Q. When did you stop enjoying playing this match?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: At the end of the first set, I didn't -- I was very, very frustrated after the first set. I broke her in the beginning of second set, so that give me some confidence, and I play better. But third set, I mean, it's tough when you lose your serve at the beginning of the set like in the third. After 3-Love, it's tough to come back.

Q. Does she seem vulnerable to you? She had a lot of double-faults.

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: Yeah, she is.

Q. It's going to be difficult for her against Monica or Martina.

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: Yeah. I mean, I don't know if I can say that, but I think if she win the tournament, she need to improve her level. I don't think she going to win if she play like this.

Q. Many people are talking about a possible Williams versus Williams final. Could you compare the games of Serena and Venus? Which one do you think has the stronger game?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: No, I can't do that. I can't do that. They play different tennis. I don't know if they going to play each other. You don't know. They have different tennis. You see them play. When they play each other, I think in Wimbledon this year?

Q. Semifinal.

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: Semifinal. Is different tennis. Venus, she hit the ball. Serena, when I play against Serena, I have the feeling like I can play some rallies sometimes, have fun with her. With Venus, no.

Q. She hits much harder than Serena?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: Not really, no. She miss more, I think. She miss more ball. She made more mistake than Serena.

Q. Did the windy conditions today help you? You have a soft slice.

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: It should help me, yes.

Q. Did it help your slice today?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: It should help me. When I practice this morning at 10:30, it was more windy than when we played the match. It should help me, yes. It didn't too much.

Q. Do you think she had difficulty finding a rhythm against --?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: With the wind or with my game?

Q. With your game.

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: Maybe, yeah. Ask her. I don't know. I don't think she play -- I mean, I'm really frustrated right now because I have my chance and I didn't get it. I didn't play my best tennis so far in this match. I play much better against Sanchez or against other players.

Q. Did you notice Venus getting frustrated with herself? Did you think that would be an opportunity for you to take advantage?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: Yeah, and I didn't do it.

Q. What did you see her doing?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: She missed the chair when she had the changeover.

Q. Did you laugh to yourself?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: Yeah, I couldn't stop laughing. Any kind of players can do that, I'm laughing either, it's the same thing. But it was funny. When she missed the first serve, she was frustrating, too. She get the ball from the ball-boys, and I saw her frustrating, yeah.

Q. In the third set after you missed a point, you screamed out something in French. For those of us who don't speak French, can you share with us what you said?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT:I just say, "Play tennis, be concentrated on your tennis, not what she do." The thing that's frustrating when you play Venus, you don't know, like in Forest Gump, you don't know what you going to get. It's in, it's out. You concentrate on that, instead you concentrate on your tennis, on you, what you have to do to beat her.

Q. Nothing more colorful than just, "Play tennis"?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: Yes.

Q. Have you been in matches with her where she's played so well that you just couldn't win? Is that what was different today?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: I saw her play better against me, yes. I don't remember which match I play her. In Zurich, I play her in Zurich, I think two years ago, I don't remember exactly when. I mean, I enjoy. I was enjoy the match. But today, no.

Q. Because you didn't take an opportunity you felt was there?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: Yeah. I didn't take the opportunity. I didn't play my best tennis, but she didn't play good, too.

Q. Did you get too frustrated yourself with the line calls?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: No, no, no, it's not the line calls. You discuss for two minutes, and after you have to play. I get frustrated because I didn't take my chance. I have really my chance today.

Q. And they don't come that often against Venus, a chance like that?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: Well, you don't play her every day. Especially in the quarterfinal in a Grand Slam, you have to take your chance, and I didn't.

End of FastScriptsâ€¦.

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297