U.S. OPEN

September 11, 1992

Arantxa Sanchez Vicario

Q. Are you surprised at how easy that was?

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: Well, I knew that if I start playing very well the first games, she, maybe, going little bit down. So I just play really well the first set. I was having a lot of confidence, and I knew it can be like this. I am glad that I play a great match, and I won.

Q. She is the type of person that if you sort of get a jump on her right a way, she really doesn't come back that way. Is that --

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: Well, I think that she is a tough player. Anyway, you really have to keep going like that all the time. You really have to be very concentrate. I am very happy, because since the beginning, I was really aggressive and concentrate, and I keep going, and, yeah, I mean, she is no easy player, but if you start going the first games and she sees that you are really tough, then she is not so confident and she tries to do something else and she start doing maybe some drop shots. I saw it and I just run and hit a winners. So I am really happy because I played a great match. And I am in the final.

Q. Are you playing the best tennis of your career right now?

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: Well, yeah, I think that I am playing really well at the moment. I have a lot of confidence, and I have very-- confidence on my game, and everything, I do it -- I know that I am doing right, so I play great tennis and I am really happy, because I play my best, and I keep going on in the tournament.

Q. What is your record against Seles?

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: 1 and 9.

Q. Last time you played her is when you beat her?

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: Yes.

Q. Was there something different about that match, other than the fact that you won?

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: This year I start playing much better. I have a very good year since the beginning, and I won Lipton tournament, the same surface, so that gives me a lot of confidence. I knew that I have to play, you know, my own game, and probably, I feel much confidence now that I did the last nine times that I played her, so I play a great match when I beat her. It was the first time. I think that when you start win, then she is thinking more times, and she really have to think more, so I am really happy, because I know that I am playing my best right now. I am just going to fight and continue play my own game and fighting like I did today, and tomorrow.

Q. This last match you had with her, it wasn't a question of anything different you did in terms of strategy. You played the same game against her, you just played it better?

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: Yes, I played my own game and I played a great match. I was aggressive, and I didn't give her many opportunities to hit the balls, so I was the one who start -- start taking the opportunity and the point and that makes a difference why I beat her the last time. I am going to do the same tomorrow.

Q. Do you think she has lost a little sharpness?

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: I think she is playing the same, but we know what we have to do to beat her. That makes the difference.

Q. Do you think she is going to have to add things to her game to get one up on the competition again?

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: Well, I mean, I don't think about her so much. I am just think about what I am doing and I know I am doing everything right, and I have confidence, so I am just -- I know what I have to do to play her, and also Mary Joe. Let us see who is going to win. But if I have to play Monica, then I will know what I have to do. So --

Q. What you are saying is you have to be the one that really sort of moves her first before she can start to move, you have to sort of be the first one to get her going where you want her to go before she does that to you?

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: I know what she is playing. I have to play my own game. I don't have to do anything new or anything different. I play my best tennis right now. I have a lot of confidence. I am very strong, mentally, so I know what I have to do, and I am just going to do it, and fight until the end and try to beat her too, again.

Q. What has been the sort of the key or the important thing over the course of the year that has gotten your game better in terms of coaching or the whole thin, that improved you?

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: Well, I change my coach, and I have a new coach, Marvyn Rose who helps me a lot, so I am really happy because we are a good team, and he probably give me this confidence to play better on hardcourts and my game improve a very big. Right now, I am very strong. I beat the best players on this surface and I know that I can do it probably again. So I am playing really well and I have a great coach. This is the reason why I am playing so well since the beginning of the year.

Q. Do you go into tomorrow feeling like you could beat anybody?

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: Well, when I go to the court, I mean, I always thinking that I can beat everybody. I mean, I have confidence. I know that it is difficult, but I have -- I was thinking positive. Even if it's the number one, I don't have nothing to lose against her. The pressure is all on her because she has to defend the title. I am just going to play my best game. But, I mean, I am going to have confidence thinking that I can beat her also.

MS. REYNOLDS: Arantxa would like to make an announcement.

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: Well, Lipton Company and I would like to help to rebuilding houses in Miami, and try to help the people for what happens, and I am just going to donate $10,000 for them to try to help them and also my company, Reebok Shoes and Clothing Company is also going to donate $10,000, so, it is going to be all to try to rebuilding his houses and try to help them for, you know, for making a new life and try to live again, very well like they did when they have -- before everything happened. So that is it.

(APPLAUSE.)

Q. Specifically where is it going to?

MR. BUCHHOLZ: I might help her answer that. The former chairman of the Knight-Ridder Corporation is heading up a private sector contribution or a fund raiser to go back and try to rebuild our business community, our farms; the agriculture that has been devastated, the small businesses. It is in conjunction with the Chamber. The organization is called "We will read build Miami." And there is, you know, obviously a lot of need right now. There has been a great deal of generosity in terms of the emergency needs, but we don't need food anymore. We don't need clothing and when the funds from the government run out, we are still going to have to be able to make some contribution to our businesses and build our community back up again. So we couldn't have a better spokesperson than our defending champion this year. We really appreciate, Arantxa, what you have done for us.

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: Thank you.

MR. BUCHHOLZ: I will tell you that Cliff and I have been up here for almost two weeks, my brother, and we are amazed at the depth of which people want to help, the WTA is helping; the ATP is helping. We have talked to a lot of -- your organization, I understand, is going to put something in. My brother and I are putting in $10,000 also. So we are hoping to try to raise somewhere between 50 and $100,000 from the tennis community that is here. So we are greatly grateful for what you have done, and again, we couldn't have a more appropriate spokesperson for this very needy cause.

Q. Is it for the general fund or specifically Key Biscayne?

MR. BUCHHOLZ: It is for all of Dade County, and the people that are on the committee are -- it is primarily made up of the different mayors and city managers who know the pockets of the community that need the help.

Q. Please identify yourself.

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: Butch Buchholz from the Lipton Tennis Tournament.

Q. Arantxa, how did you get involved in this and what is your feeling why you would be the one to step forward and do something?

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: Well, because I think that I really know what happens and I always like to give the nations. I also given Spain many times, so I was really happy to try to help them, and so there is a lot of Spanish people and South American people in Miami. I just want to try to help them, because my heart is also feeling a little bit like I have everything and now they don't have everything, but I feel great that I can help him and try to, you know, give my $10,000 from my prize money today and I am really happy and I hope that if everybody collaborate and they can really live again really well. It was my decision. I really tried to help them.

MR. BUCHHOLZ: This is actually an ongoing effort. We will be doing things during the tournament and all year long, so--

Q. This sounds very good. Clarify who is giving what money. She is giving the money out of her prize earnings or Lipton Reebok are doing it in her name or--

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: No, I give $10,000. He give another 10,000 and Reebok give another 10,000.

Q. We are talking total of 30?

MR. BUCHHOLZ: We did 30 in just the last few--

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: I did the first one. They collaborated.

Q. Butch, you approached her and you asked her?

MR. BUCHHOLZ: She volunteered. I did not ask her.

Q. Didn't you say just today this came about?

MR. BUCHHOLZ: I think in the last 24 hours, 48 hours she had mentioned to her representatives that she would like to do something. Obviously, I have been sort of a pain in the neck asking for money from a lot of people, so--

Q. Have you been down there at all, Arantxa, to see what happened?

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: Well, I saw it on TV, and I mean, I was not there, but I know it is horrible, and I think that this is why I tried to collaborate because I think it was a lot of people who, you know, lost a lot of things and this is why I am giving my help.

Q. How has it gone this week in terms of raising money here for you?

MR. BUCHHOLZ: I am very encouraged. Obviously, there is a great deal of sympathy, and, you know, I think people are aware of the disaster and the destruction. I mean, it is not an exaggeration to say this is the worst catastrophe in our country's history. It will be year and years and years before our community will even look the same. Probably, certainly not in my lifetime.

Q. I know you had the problems with the Lipton earlier. Are you confident that you are going to able to stage this event?

MR. BUCHHOLZ: The tournament is fine.

Q. What is the status of the stadium?

MR. BUCHHOLZ: The stadium right now, we won our case.

Q. I mean, physically because of the hurricane.

MR. BUCHHOLZ: Everything is fine. There is -- there are some good things that happened out of this. If the judge had not had stopped us, we would have been very far along, and at that point the building would probably be a lot more fragile and so we were fortunate that it probably would have been destroyed.

Q. You mentioned that ATP and WTA earlier. Can you be more specific what they have contributed?

MR. BUCHHOLZ: I don't know. I am meeting with Steve Meister on Wednesday, I have not spoken to--

Q. You have a commitment from them to do something?

MR. BUCHHOLZ: Yes.

Q. At this point you just have this commitment from Arantxa and Reebok and yourself?

MR. BUCHHOLZ: And ATP and WTA.

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