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TMS - THE ERICSSON OPEN


March 24, 2000


Nathalie Tauziat


MIAMI, FLORIDA

WTA: Questions for Nathalie.

Q. There are always days when you wonder, "How did I win that match?" Is this one of those days?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: Yeah. Maybe God was with me today. I don't know. But I think she had many chance to win and she didn't take it, so I take it, you know.

Q. One shot was a fairly easy backhand at the net. Did you think, "It's over"?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: I was thinking it's over. But when she miss, I say, "Okay, if she don't want to take it, I take it." She have some match point after this one, but I think on the match point I play smart. She miss one or two passing shots very close. I mean, that was my day. What can I say?

Q. When you made it to the finals of Wimbledon a couple years ago, people thought that was a good result for you. You've continued to play well since then, actually having some of your best results as you've gotten older. Any explanation for that?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: Well, since my final in Wimbledon, my tennis is there. I work hard. I continue to work hard. Okay, I'm 32. I have a good tennis right now. Okay, today I didn't play really well, but you can't play well every day. I think also my experience helps me a lot. Mentally maybe I'm tougher and tougher, you know. I get more confidence because I win some tournaments. Now I'm Top 10 since three years. I get confidence. If I'm there, it's not a mistake; it's because I work hard and I'm there with my game. That's true, my game has matured late, but it's there right now. I try to do with that.

Q. How much of your game is here (mental) and how much of it is in here (physical)?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: Today I think it was more here (pointing to head). Depend on the day. When everything is together, I'm pretty good.

Q. The heat plus the wind today?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: The wind bothered me a lot. The wind was tough. On my game, the serve is very important. With the wind like this, is tough. In one moment of the match on my side I have the sun, too, so it was tough. But I try to stay focused on the match, you know, and don't be mad every point. When you play bad, you play bad. You try to fight, to fight. I just try to fight, and I made it. That's it. That's the only thing I do good today, I fight.

Q. The one double-fault you hit, that was so wide. Have you ever hit one that badly before?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: I don't think so, no. Oh, yeah, when it's windy, you can do that. When I do it, I say, "Okay, that's the wind. It's not really my serve, you know. That's the wind." But you have to play with that. She miss some serve, too.

Q. Anything you have to do extra in terms of training because you're 32 now to get ready for matches?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: No. I need more to have some time off and try to play well when I'm playing. I just practice like I do since three years when I'm home. When I am in tournament, I try to work on my technique and my tennis, play some set with some girls. When I'm home, I try to work what doesn't work during the match. That's true, I practice less than five years or six years ago.

Q. You play less tournaments or just practice less?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: Practice less.

Q. Have you ever in your life ever thought about retiring?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: Yes.

Q. Is there a point in your career where you thought about it?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: Oh, yeah, five years ago. Five years ago I almost stop playing. I wasn't qualified for The Championships, you know. Maybe just in doubles, maybe I was qualifying in doubles. I just said to my coach, "Maybe that's the end now." He said, "No, no, that's not the end. That's the beginning of your career, because your game start to change, you improve some part of your game." I'm pleased he say that (laughter). We work hard for two months and a half, three months. When I come back on the tour, the result didn't come right away, but like six months after, I played pretty well. We win the Fed Cup, and I think that was the start a little bit of my new career. When you win a big thing like this, with the French team, I mean, I know I win something very nice, very good. After, when I play during tournament, I said, "Okay, maybe that's the beginning; you can win." I was in the final in Wimbledon after that, six months later or seven months later.

Q. There probably are more very good French women players now than ever. Why?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: Well, I think right now we have a good motivation between all the players, emulation. Everything play pretty good. When you saw somebody like Mary play well, I mean, we want to play well, too. The young players saw me play well. Right now I'm 32. They say, "Why not, she have 32, she play like this. Why didn't we do the same thing?" We fight each other, but a good fight with a good spirit, you know. I think that's one of the reasons. Some players practice harder and harder. Now we have the result, too.

Q. But the girls come from different places, not all from the French Federation.

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: Well, everybody also take their responsibility. They said, "Okay, if I want to be a good player, maybe I have to take responsibility to have somebody with me all the time, practice hard all the time." Everybody made that choice. Julie is with Arnaud, Sandrine with Vittorio, my coach too since long time. They work hard. Everybody know what they have to do to play well. That's it. I don't think it's a problem with the Federation or not the Federation; everybody take responsibility now.

Q. Does it alarm you that someone as young as Amelie Mauresmo could have back problems at her age, considering all the training she does to stay fit?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: I don't know exactly what she's doing, Amelie. I didn't see her often. Yeah, it's tough for her to be injured. Everybody who is injured, it's tough. She's young, she have a back problem right now. But I'm sure she's going to work hard and maybe put away that kind of thing. She's only 20 and she have to learn. When you're injured, I think you learn a lot. Maybe she's going to change something when she practice or maybe she's going to practice more. I don't know. But right now, she have a tough position. When you're injured, it's always tough. I hope she's going to pass that and play well again.

Q. Can you remember the last time you had a match like this where you played poorly in places and won the match?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: Bad (laughter)? Yes.

Everybody said was 5-1 down in the tiebreak. I was 6-Love down in the tiebreak also one day.

Q. Do you remember who it was?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: It was against Tanasugarn.

Q. Which tournament?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: It was in Birmingham. She have six match points. She won the first set. We were 6-All in the second set. She was 6-Love up in the tiebreak, and I won 8-6. I won the match.

Q. Was it a match where she played well or you really didn't play very well that day?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: She play well, and I didn't play very well. I was very lucky also to win that match. Today I didn't play well, but I just fight. Sometimes in the match point, I play well. I serve good. I volley good, too. But the one she didn't have to miss is the one she miss, you know, with the big backhand.

Q. There's so much money out there for young women in endorsements. Can you compare that to when you were that age, 19, 20, 21, what was out there for you?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: You have to talk about which players because I don't think all the young players have a lot of money right now. Some young players, Americans, have a lot of money. In France it's very tough today to have a lot of money on endorsement.

Q. Someone like Anna whom you see on TV.

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: Well, Anna - what can I say? She have a good body. That's it. I mean, you know, it's not -- for sponsor, it's very important to have someone like Anna Kournikova. I understand why they pay, you know.

Q. Does that bother you at all?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: I don't care. I really don't care. I have my money for myself. That's enough. I don't care what Hingis, Davenport, whatever have like money. I don't watch that. I really don't care.

Q. When you fall behind like you did today, did you think back to the 6-Love, that you always have a chance?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: That's true. During the match, I think about that match. When I was 5-1 down, I say, "Okay, you have to play each point." In tiebreak, you have to do that. When I do 5-2, she make two big mistake for 5-3, 5-4. I said, "That's it, you have a chance." I did it.

Q. Did you ever think you entered a tournament where you would be the oldest player in the tournament?

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: No, you have all those players in the tournament, they don't play singles.

Q. I'm talking about singles.

NATHALIE TAUZIAT: No. I mean, when I saw the clock during the match, 2 hours, 2 hours, 30 minutes, I said, "Oh, my God, you're still there." I fight and I win. I don't think the age is important. It's when your head is here, is ready to fight.

End of FastScripts….

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