U.S. OPEN

August 29, 1994

Arantxa Sanchez Vicario

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: Well, I am playing well. I think first match is always tough. Normally, you know, new experience for me to play the first day because Steffi is always the one that plays first. I think you are always not nervous but you always start the tournament it is a very -- the beginning was a strange feeling but then I get into the match and I start playing my own game and she is a dangerous player. I mean, she can come to the net; hit very good volleys, and at the beginning I have some trouble to get into the match. And finally, you know, I start thinking what I did wrong. And after 4-All, I just start playing much better and finally, you know, my shots came in and I finished the match.

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: Well, I think I always had confidence, but maybe now I have much better results on hard courts than I did in the past and I beat, like you say, Steffi a couple of times. So I am coming stronger and playing better and definitely I have much more confidence and that is helping me come to this tournament and, you know, going one by one and see what happens.

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: That is what I say, starting the first match of the Grand Slam. I mean, normally I always have to wait until Tuesday because Steffi is to play Monday, so that is why I say. But at the beginning it cause me a little bit coming to the Center Court again after a year, bigger stadium and a lot of wind on that court, so takes me a while in getting to the -- into the match. And, you know, always first match is tough, but always is very nice to play well and win.

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: Well, it is completely different because everybody is moving around and so you are normally used to everybody sitting, and there is a lot of movement going on on this court, so it takes you a while to getting concentrated and thinking, "okay, this is happening." But I like the City. I like New York and that is part of the tournament, so you just have to be ready. But definitely maybe it is the hardest one to play on.

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: I don't say years. I think you have to be ready every year you come because something new can come and can happen, so you have to be ready and that is New York. I mean, you have to expect it to be like this and you have to just concentrate and don't try affect you at all what is happening outside.

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: She said that?

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: Well, I don't know what to say. I think right now everybody is playing, you know, with more power rackets, so I don't know what will happen if we will have to come back and play with that racket.

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: Yes, I did.

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: Until I was maybe 12.

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: Maybe you can go back but it will be a big difference because you just do it for the power and the new ones, the graphite, and everything, so it will make a lot of difference, but it would be a nice feeling to come back and remember good times you have with that one.

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: I mean, I don't know how bad her injury is because I didn't talk to her, so she knows better than anybody. But I just think that she plays her best because she is definitely, you know, been there playing very good tennis and I think she is, you know, in very good shape and I don't know how big question mark is her injuries, but playing, she is playing really well. I can tell you that because I have to play my best to beat her in Canada. I think she is playing very well.

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: She maybe want to have a rest; that is all. I think she is in shape to play here.

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: I think it makes more interesting because it makes all players -- it is not only dominated by one like it was in the past. There are many other names. Everyone is playing well. There is more competition. I think it is who plays the best and who plays the best tennis is the one who will win the tournament, but I am just thinking myself, you know, one by one because it is a very long week and Grand Slam, it is always very long, so I just take it slowly one by one and see what happens.

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: I think it is much interesting for women's tennis because there are other players and that means that tennis is growing and it is the future, many other players who play better and definitely is much more interesting to watch and makes, you know, more competition and different winners, so it is better for the game, you know, and not only winning everything by one person and it makes, you know -- it raises the tennis; the level goes up and it is more interesting to watch.

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: We will see. I don't know. We will have to wait and see.

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: No, I just think I am still the same person, maybe as a tennis player I am growing and I try to improve and get better as a player, but I don't put any pressure on myself because otherwise I am not here or try to do something here -- I just think I am doing the right thing and I don't put, you know, any pressure on myself. I just think that I am there and I am doing good job and I am trying to do my best always and it is working really well so far.

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: Well, I think if I am where I am at right now I think I am not only a specialist on clay because I won tournaments on hard court and I beat the best player in the world, so I don't think that to be in the place where I am right now that I am still only a clay court player. I think that change now, you know, I am a better player and I can win on any different surface, that is why I am No. 2 in the world and I am doing so well. I am glad not to be only clay court player.