U.S. OPEN

September 4, 1995

Monica Seles

MONICA SELES: I think in the second set when I broke her, Anke, to go up 1-Love then I had -- I just did a very weird service game. My mind wandered off. I still had a lot of chances to hold on and I saved so many breakpoints, but I still let that one go. Then the same thing, played 1-All, I had Love-30, so many breakpoints and lost that game. And I felt I let the momentum slip away from me a little bit. That made the second set much harder than if I had won that second game.

MONICA SELES: Oh, definitely.

MONICA SELES: I think Toronto -- I think-- I definitely the hardest against Anke. I would think so, yeah. Pretty sure. I played pretty well against Gaby and Amanda. I was attacking more than against Anke, but Anke is a player that attacks so much too. It is very hard to always keep attacking, so I would think so, yeah.

MONICA SELES: Physically, I have been fine. The heat is not bugging me. At least today it wasn't. Didn't feel it was that hot out there. I was just a little bit frustrated that I had such a great momentum going; started pushing the ball and my mind wandered off. It could have been a very tight match which could have been holding my serve there and trying to close it off.

MONICA SELES: No, it is nothing and the humidity, wow, I didn't practice much at home, but still, it is nothing.

MONICA SELES: It felt fine. Wasn't tired, didn't even cross my mind, not at all. Felt great out there. I think I was more preoccupied with the thought of that second game.

MONICA SELES: I think today's match was a tougher one. I had to work hard to win every point in this tournament. I think they are going to get tougher and tougher. Definitely, between Toronto, the week that I had and the amount of practice that I really got before all this return started, very surprised. But this time, this Grand Slam, for me, is just happy to be playing in it, is great to be out there in the stadium and running around and just having a fun time, which I never really had a chance to maybe when I was 15 years old. But after that, when I started playing, it was always, you know, different type of an attitude going on court. Now it is attitude of having fun, that is the priority.

MONICA SELES: This one is five different colors, but somebody just gave it to me at the hotel, left from our company, all these nail-color samples. I didn't know what to do last night so I just colored them.

MONICA SELES: Probably. I usually never wear nail polish, but there is no no other way for me to try, because I don't wear nail polish, didn't bring nail polish remover, so I never had a chance to take them off yet.

MONICA SELES: This one is, I think, red and this one is. . .

MONICA SELES: Oh, of course, sure. One is silver, so it is kind of -- it was really nice of him to do that.

MONICA SELES: The other hand is zero because I don't know how to paint with my right one.

MONICA SELES: Against Jana, I have some very tough matches. She will be, I am sure, she is going to come in serve and volley a lot. Her serve is very strong. So she had some great results, I think, here in the past, and always played her a very close match. I am just going to go try do the best I can; hopefully have a great time.

MONICA SELES: Jana against me has played pretty well on big points. I know when she played Steffi that she had -- she was up I guess 4-1 or 4-Love and she lost it so she is known for that. But then again, Gaby did it a few times. I don't think you know -- I don't know. I am not going to let that enter my mind. I am going to take it point by point, and then try to play my game and let her do her own thing.

MONICA SELES: I pretty much hit with my father the whole time. I mean, believe it or not. I am hitting with him this week also. So well, I mean, when I decided really that I am going to come back at that meeting when I had with Mr. McCormack, I slowly started getting back really playing again, more regularly. It was very up and down emotionally. And then I played for a few weeks, very hard and then my knee started and then after that, I really never had -- compared to the practices that I had before, I don't call these practices at all. I mean, there are no constructivness to them. Still, to this date, I still have a hard time some days to go out there and practice and do the things, but I told myself just keep it a day at a time; that is what I am going to do, but practicewise, it is, I think, after the -- after my knee is going to be better, I am going to have to go back to the same thing that I did before, because maybe I am getting by a little bit because I am really very excited to be playing, but I think later on the consistency will not be there if I don't play day-in/day-out.

MONICA SELES: No, I am terrible. Very bad. I have no talent at all at that part, no.

MONICA SELES: I think when I left the game I was playing pretty well. So I was already -- I mean, not to -- I didn't lose too many matches when I left, so I was playing in a very few selective group that maybe Steffi, Martina and Chrissy were beforehand. So Capriati, once or twice, but averageswise I think pretty much it was Steffi and myself later on and then Martina. I just pretty much told myself, when I decided to come back; try to do the best I can and play like you did before, because it worked for you, so there is no reason for you to change now. And that was my philosophy.

MONICA SELES: I look at it -- I like to play both. Really does not matter. I mean, because that is a fact the way she plays, so I have to say, I like the way she plays. And the only serve and volley player that I played was Martina in Atlantic City, and so -- and Jana and Martina play similar games. And just try to remember when Jana used to play against me -- I haven't played her in a long, long time, so it is going to take me awhile to probably remember, but as long as I go out there and do the best that I can, I am very happy at this U.S. Open.

MONICA SELES: To me, what has been pretty amazing to me because I watched Andre when he was young at the academy and through the years the focus that he has, in his eyes, I mean, I think it was the third round at the U.S. Open last year, I told my dad just going to win it because he just felt it in his eyes that he is so focused and wanted to do so with the -- I really felt that his serve is maybe the only thing that -- but I think he has improved that also, gotten a lot stronger, so maybe come in more, but I think he is good from the back; that I really think he is playing almost -- almost -- you can never play perfect, but something very close to it.

MONICA SELES: Oh, yeah, I see that focus. You see that he is all out there to win.

MONICA SELES: Well, going into today's match, I mean, playing in the Canadian Open, Anke, I knew I was going to have a tough match. I am going to have to play some great tennis, but pretty much I don't think the level of my game is the same as it was before. That is my view, gamewise because I was much more attacking and much more steady. The one thing that I do have now that at that point maybe I didn't have, was my first serve. But I just knew today I had to play some good points and run around a lot and that is what I tried to do. So... That first set when you said your concentration went off a little bit when you got broke and I mean, in the second set, I am sorry-- and then when you came back, did that make you more confident that you were -- did you know how you would respond in a situation like that? It was important games and you were -- how did you manager to get the focus back. The one thing that -- if I would like criticize myself today, which I am not going to do at this tournament, but if I would, the only thing that -- the second game I was thinking way too much about it. It was bugging me so much that I felt I had the control of the match, and suddenly I let Anke back and anything could have happened. And as a tennis player, you can't let that happen. As soon as you have the lead, you just have to keep going and I started being very hesitent and I had so many chances to break and I saved a lot of breakpoints, but I think I was up 3-2; I was down Love-30 and then when I won that very hard game, I said now just go for it, Monica, that is what I tried to do. Which I didn't do really too well, but on the key points, I did it better.

MONICA SELES: Well, it is really -- for me, like when I go into the lockerroom a few times even the professional women or the juniors when they lose, they come in and they are crying. Like today, right before I went on, I saw the girl that was crying, and I thought about it a little bit because the time that I had off I was maybe thinking before I was okay, she is crying, wow, I used to cry also when I lost matches. But you shouldn't really cry over losing a tennis match. Tennis is a sport. You start playing tennis because it is fun, but not to be crying, or being sad and what I try -- I try to find the balance that win or lose, tennis is something that I Love to do, but it is not going to affect my life or my personality - if I had a good day at the office, kind of, or a bad day at the office. That is kind of my theory on it.

MONICA SELES: Mr. Dinkins.

MONICA SELES: No, Mr. Dinkins, I mean, through like in '92 when I was playing the finals against Sanchez, and I think against Martina also, he was my biggest supporter. He was telling me during the match, "go Monica. Hit to her forehand" He has been really very supportive throughout the stabbing. He stayed in tremendous touch. He is just a really nice person. I mean, so -- and we played tennis a few times in the past before, so -- and obviously, I was just very glad to see him because after the surgery we were planning to play at the Arthur Ashe Day and then I saw he came out Monday night and he has been at every one of my matches and he was in great health, so it is really nice when you hear him saying "go for it, Monica." I say, wow, I guess I better go for it now.

MONICA SELES: I am sorry.

MONICA SELES: I just think, you know, it was just so hard to go into lockerroom seeing somebody so upset that is really crying. I mean, she was crying because she lost a tennis match. I mean, you know, if you lose a mom or a dad or a dear friend, it is different, but I think tennis is a game. And I think my outlook on it -- at least this is just mine, that I think you would, you know, you are 20 -- you are doing something that you love to do. I started playing tennis because I loved; it, not for nothing before, you are making amazing amounts of money and then -- but it is still -- it is a sport. It should never go beyond that. Your habit should never depend on tennis; that is what I try -- that is, for me, what was really hard when you see a 15 year old or seeing one of the top players after she lost a match crying. And I used to do that also in the past, but it is just so hurtful because I am thinking "why should this person be so sad." At home I have never ever played a set against anybody and I hate 'til this date to do that.

MONICA SELES: I saw actually before I came on-court I talked to this one girl that she was crying because -- she was, actually, from Hungary, she just lost her match. I told her, you know, I mean, life is not over that you lost one match. I mean, I told her I lost matches and I cried, but, you know, you lost, you forget it. You learn from your loss and go home now and try to work harder and do better. But it is only a tennis match. It shouldn't affect your life or your outlook on life or your happiness. I know it is easier said than done because when you are in a match and you felt you had chances, it is hard.

MONICA SELES: I don't know her name. She was from Hungary. Two lady players from Hungary.

MONICA SELES: I had a collapse at Dallas in 1989 against Bunge. I was playing a night match. I was up 5-1. I lost the first set 7-5, but luckily I won 6-2, 6-2 after that, or something, but that was the only time up 5-1; probably my biggest comeback I have done was Steffi, French 1990, when I was down 6-1 in the tiebreaker or 6-2.

MONICA SELES: I just hope that -- tennis is a game, that is what it should stay. For me, after Hamburg, it became a lot more and now, hopefully it many never become more than that ever in my lifetime or to anybody in any sport. I just think when you have a little girl who is 15 or even younger and they are crying over something that is -- I mean, tomorrow she won't -- one week she won't even know, but so -- I still -- I think I am still very young for that. I think more people should look up to Chris or Martina. They are more of examples right now.

MONICA SELES: If I could have, I would have come back, but I just couldn't. I was not ready -- see for me -- for me, the emotional stuff is very real, and I just wasn't ready. It is that simple. I had to feel inside that I am ready and that I can do this, because I do not want to step on a court knowing that am I ready or not. I didn't want to have those doubts in my mind. There is still some days that are very hard. I am still fighting. I am sure it is going to be until -- for a while, until it doesn't become such a routine, if it ever will become a routine, I don't know that.

MONICA SELES: I started really enjoying it after the Australian Open in '93 because I was -- I accepted, okay, I am No. 1 and if I don't get to the finals every tournament, hey, no big deal. And then I had a really good time in Chicago and Paris and everything and then everything what happened in Hamburg kind of changed that. I think it came at a time when I was just feeling very happy and very comfortable with everything, but just because it came at that time, it doesn't mean that you can ever be again happy because something again terrible is going to happen to you. Thank you.