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US OPENSeptember 1, 1997Jackie TrailFlushing Meadows, New York Q. You have a court in your backyard? JACQUELINE TRAIL: I have a court in my yard since I was about born. Q. Did you feel like you were kind of behind some of the other girls when you got to the academy because of the court situation? JACQUELINE TRAIL: What do you mean? Q. Did you feel like you just fit right in? JACQUELINE TRAIL: I just fit right in. My dad coached me before and this other guy named Mel Purcell. He is a good player. He used to be on the Tour, professional Tour. He got to the quarters of Wimbledon, so, I mean, I had a good -- I got to hit balls with him. There are a few men players that I would play against in my area too. Q. Who did you use like as a practice partner? How did you find somebody to play up to your level? JACQUELINE TRAIL: I would play with -- there is a college called Murray State. There is a few guys from there. Mel Purcell would play with me and my dad and that is about it. Q. Where is Mel from? JACQUELINE TRAIL: From Murray, Kentucky. Q. Did you beat the college guys? JACQUELINE TRAIL: No. They are good. They have got good serves. Q. Before you started travelling with tennis, had you traveled much or had you pretty much stayed in Kentucky? JACQUELINE TRAIL: Well, I have been travelling all my life with tennis since I was about eleven years old. But, before that, it was like we would take family vacation to like Florida or something like that. Q. How long does it take to you get to the airport? JACQUELINE TRAIL: We have to go to the airport in Nashville. It is about an hour and 45 minutes away. Q. That adds some travel time when you are heading to Europe? JACQUELINE TRAIL: Yeah. Q. Somebody told me a rumor that you are staying at Motel 6 here; is this true? JACQUELINE TRAIL: No, not here. (laughs). Q. You heard this before, I take it? JACQUELINE TRAIL: What? Q. You have heard this rumor before? JACQUELINE TRAIL: But, I stayed at Motel 6 at the Nationals. Q. Where was that? JACQUELINE TRAIL: San Jose. Q. Here, you are at the Hyatt, though? JACQUELINE TRAIL: Yeah. Q. How do you compare and contrast the two? JACQUELINE TRAIL: It is a lot different, but at the Nationals every hotel was like $150, like 125, so, we couldn't afford to stay at place like that for eight days. The tournament is paying for the hotel here. Q. How much funding have you gotten from the US junior Program, USTA programs? JACQUELINE TRAIL: Not much at all. This is really the first tournament that they helped me out a lot. I mean, I have wanted to go like South America and they couldn't for that. And, they don't give me a lot of money. I mean, really because we are the family that needs the money the most and the other families they live in like rich, -- like rich, rich neighborhoods. And, I mean, they drive nice cars and everything and they don't give that much to me. Q. Have there been quite a few tournaments that you just have been unable to go to? JACQUELINE TRAIL: Yeah. Q. Flat out? JACQUELINE TRAIL: Yeah, we are spending our last penny and there has been a lot of tournaments that I haven't been able to afford to go to. And, just like San Jose, we couldn't stay in the hotels out there that everybody stays in. So, I mean-- Q. But you still flew; you didn't drive? JACQUELINE TRAIL: No, we couldn't. Q. That is far. JACQUELINE TRAIL: Yeah, but I had to play in a tournament, an intersectional. It is like a tournament before that. Then my section pays half of my plane ticket there. So I had to go to that tournament to help play for the plane ticket and -- but that was like a pro tournament at the same time and the ticket was just too expensive. I had no choice to play in that tournament because they paid half the plane ticket. Q. I assume you have petitioned for money to the program. What explanation did you get? JACQUELINE TRAIL: I have won six national titles and four runnerups and I asked -- oh, 7. And, I asked them that is more than all the National Team has had put together. I have asked them for help and they just kind of just blow me off. It is just like they tell me that nobody played in the tournaments that I have played. But I really wanted to play like in the Australian Open and French Open and Wimbledon. I mean, I can't afford to go by myself because of the plane ticket to Europe. And, so we asked them and they just wouldn't take me because my ITF ranking wasn't high enough and because my ITF ranking isn't high enough because they wouldn't take me to tournaments. That is how the other girls get their ITF ranking up high. Q. So you can't get it up unless you go and you can't go unless you get it up? JACQUELINE TRAIL: Yeah, you have to be, more or less, one of the favorites. Q. Obviously Brie has gotten a lot of support from them. Is that motivational for you? JACQUELINE TRAIL: Yeah, it really motivates me. Just winning will take care of itself. I mean, I have to win more than others, but I mean, just -- that is just the main thing just to win and maybe there will be somebody else besides the USTA supporting me financially or something. Q. Because if you have something like that, you can use it in a positive way during practice? JACQUELINE TRAIL: Yeah, I mean, just try not to discourage me. I mean-- but, I mean, it is just -- we have just -- when I play like a girl like somebody that has got a lot of help from the USTA, I really get fired up just knowing that they like them and just I just want to -- I mean, just beat them like worse than any other. Q. Is that how you felt today, I assume? JACQUELINE TRAIL: Yeah. Q. When you do win, it is pretty amazing, I would think; it is a great day for you? JACQUELINE TRAIL: Yeah, it is exciting when I win. Q. That is going through your mind when you are out on the court out there? JACQUELINE TRAIL: Yeah, quite a bit, yeah. Q. Have you had to travel without your dad anywhere to save money? JACQUELINE TRAIL: Yeah, I have traveled a lot of places without my parents to save money. I stay in housing not for the hotel bill, but I mean, in housing, I can't really get focused in that much because it is like a new environment and it is just hard to stay focused in housing because you are not staying there -- you are staying with strangers and I mean, just -- it is just a lot different than staying in a hotel something that you are used to. Q. What do your parents do? JACQUELINE TRAIL: My dad, he is an operator at Lucky Martin. It is a nuclear plant. And, my mom, she works at a health club and she is activities director out there. Q. How he is able to take time off to travel with you? Most jobs won't let you do that. JACQUELINE TRAIL: My mom and my mom's work is real good about letting her take time off because they understand. My dad just spends a lot of time, just vacation time, and they take turns taking me to each tournament. But, luckily, they have let him off in this tournament, both of them get to go here. Q. When you are walking around looking at the lockerroom this week, Monica walks buy, or Arantxa walks by, what goes through your mind? JACQUELINE TRAIL: It is exciting. It is just something that nobody sees everyday. I mean, some people never see them in their life, and it is just a good experience to know that you are like in the -- like, you know, like you can do the same thing as Monica or someone like that. Q. Have you ever had the opportunity to sit down and talk with any of the pros? JACQUELINE TRAIL: Not really. But, I mean, none of the big pros. But, I play with -- I play with a couple of girl pros, but none of the big names. Q. How is it to play in the main draw, I mean, a Grand Slam tournament, your first match, I mean, that must have been a little overwhelming and to win? JACQUELINE TRAIL: Yeah, it was fun. I played really good that match. I was just trying not thinking about the name "U.S. Open." I was just trying to stay focused and just -- I mean, just like it is another match. I mean, which it was, really. Q. As far as turn turning pro goes, what are you thinking? JACQUELINE TRAIL: Well, right now it is going -- I am going to go to college, but it could change at any time now. But, I mean, just depends on who -- I mean, like how the tournaments go here, next couple of years. But, if I turn pro I want to make it big. I don't want to be like a mediocre player because we just can't -- I can't afford. I need to win the money and stuff. Q. I mean, you are a junior now or -- JACQUELINE TRAIL: I am going to be a junior. Q. Two more years of high school? JACQUELINE TRAIL: Yeah. Q. You don't see yourself turning pro? JACQUELINE TRAIL: I am going to try to finish high school just get it out of the way just in case something happens or anything. End of FastScripts…. |
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