U.S. OPEN

August 31, 1995

Monica Seles

MONICA SELES: I think today it was so windy out there. The wind was swirling around and I just felt I wasn't attacking, was like I played pretty well. I think the last game, I was playing my game. The whole other game, I was like pushing back a lot of her returns. So -- but it was just great to just get it out of the way. I felt that I was running down quite a lot of balls pretty well. I think that was a good part of today's game, but it was just great to be out there. It was fun to play. So I am not going to get too critical of myself.

MONICA SELES: I have been volleying so well in practice, that I felt I am going to try to come in a few times and I was just really kind of getting tough on myself, because I felt all I was doing was just pushing back to Erika's balls, and she was the one who was attacking. I felt, wow, that is not the way I want to win or lose this match. I said just go in, and a few times I got, I think, mad at myself and I just went in. And one was a pretty big point. I think it was like 1 --- 4-2 and it was a deuce and she luckily missed her passing shot. But I just wished I attacked more; even come in, because I am doing it so well in practice; that there is no logic why I shouldn't do it in a match.

MONICA SELES: I think so. I think they can compare that really every Grand Slam tournament; how much they improve or not. I mean, two and a half years is a long time to try and to compare-- you have to improve like something major or probably you are not going to do it in your lifetime if you are not going to do that. But I felt in Canada most players went out with -- they are just going to play and nothing to lose and play hard, and I am sure that is the same attitude here. But both of us are out there to do the best that we can and make better moments on that day.

MONICA SELES: Well, honestly, I was very surprised with the Davenport and Garrison match because Zina won the first set. I said, I am sure it is going to be three sets; suddenly it was 5-3, and I was just -- I just have, like, not much time to really warm up. Didn't have too much time to think and go through my routine. Then to me, I wasn't as nervous, nothing to -- not even maybe 20% of what I was on Monday night. The only thing today that was really bugging me was the wind because it was swirling, so I felt I couldn't control the ball; where to go or the ball toss or everything, but it was a good match. We had, I think, like four, five great points in there and I had to work very hard to win every point.

MONICA SELES: I don't know. I think my serve is definitely harder. I do feel that. I can control my serve pretty well. I think I was returning probably better and probably was more consistent, but that is just I haven't played for how many years? I mean, not just tournaments, but tennis, period. So that is going to come with going back home and after my knee is fine; going back though that routine of playing day-in/day-out to have that consistency. And probably being, I think, running and getting back into the shape that I was in 1992, or early '93.

MONICA SELES: I have to train myself. I go through a routine like I do before a match. Today I couldn't do that. I was hurried into it. The one thing I didn't really notice before is how noisy it is. Today I was like, wow, it is noisy. I said, just focus, focus on the points, but I do have this routine that I try to go through before every match.

MONICA SELES: Pretty much just try to concentrate on what it is I'd like to do when I go out there and that I am going to feel comfortable and I am not going to get nervous or anything and just go out there and do what I am supposed to go out there to do, and have fun out there. And stay relaxed. Pretty much, those are the few things, just go over and over in my mind over that, and that is pretty much it.

MONICA SELES: I think -- no, even in '89, where did I play -- I lost to Chris in the third round -- fourth round might have been. No, I played in the grandstand and I played on stadium, but singles matches I have never played on court -- sorry, 16, I did play, I am sorry.

MONICA SELES: No, I think -- I mean, accessibilitywise probably the one -- you can't even say it because you have to walk from the lockerroom to the stadium court, so I would feel the same probably, walking to Court 16, or stadium; the only difference in stadium, as I said, it felt much more windier when I practiced a little bit late in the morning than the grandstand, but both courts are great.

MONICA SELES: I try not to let that thought enter in my mind, but no, I never really thought. I had -- going into the match I don't think I am going to lose, but I don't think I am going to win either. I go in play point by point and I think whatever happens, happens.

MONICA SELES: Focusing on the tennis, I really think. Like I felt today she served some first great serves. She would serve like a 66 second serve, and I would be standing back like two feet and just pushing it back. A lot of times when she was serving, my attention wouldn't be on her serve; looking back up at all the people. After a few points, I look up there and I realize that I am here actually playing. My mind is wandering a little bit which beforehand it was 100% and now it is 70.

MONICA SELES: I always look at my next match, that is the one that I am just looking forward to now. I haven't seen Steffi or Arantxa, or Gaby play, because right now at this point, who knows if I will ever play them at this tournament, so it is not really in my mind. It is my next match.

MONICA SELES: Yes. Well, after Monday night, we got home by like 11. I came back to practice early in the morning and then I went home and I wanted to go out to New Jersey to a friend's house to maybe hit later in the afternoon and I just said, I am going to take like an hour and a half nap. I went to sleep like at 10; I didn't wake up 'til about five o'clock. It is the same thing that happened after Martina's match. That was much more longer of a sleep. That was great. It was something like it felt something was let out of my body. That was my feeling. Yesterday, a neat thing happened to me. We went to this department store to eat dinner. At the end, this one person asked me for an autograph and then the whole restaurant, like, people just like started clapping and everything and I was like, and it was just one of the nicest things, I mean, in New York, you just don't imagine that. They are just so sweet and we were walking out and everybody -- that was really -- but otherwise, I went to Barneys for the first time; never been in there before. It was quite a unique store. And that was -- I just walked in the park which I love to do. So that was it.

MONICA SELES: Yes.

MONICA SELES: Downstairs. It is quite amazing stuff they have in there. Foodwise and clothingwise and shoewise. But everything -- I was waiting for my person who I was having dinner with, and the person was a little bit late. They were playing music. I think it was Frank Sinatra because early in the store they were also playing Frank Sinatra, and -- but at this store and it was about 8:30 and the music was playing. I am in this hat department. There is absolutely nobody there. It is almost closing time. I am, like, trying on all these hats, 100 hats, that I can try on without a salesperson ever coming to me and this music was playing. I just felt like it is out of the movies like when you see Audrey Hepburn like wow, I mean, but it was the best.

MONICA SELES: No, it was such really neat. It was, I mean, it was just an unbelievable feeling. It stayed with me, a few things.

MONICA SELES: No, I didn't. No. I never wear hats. I just collect them.

MONICA SELES: No, I like my hair long. I am going to stick with it. This is my natural hair color and I am fine. It is okay.

MONICA SELES: Nike pretty much came to me with this idea and I loved it. And I loved this dress. It is very young and it is very me, I felt, and it is kind of also very New York, so they came to me, would you like to wear it, and I said, yeah, I mean, I would love it.

MONICA SELES: Yeah, you could have a black or white shirt. I didn't think coming out wearing a black shirt would be a good idea today. But at night I am going to wear the black shirt, but I like it. I like the shirt a lot.

MONICA SELES: No, they leave me after the courts. I shouldn't say that.

MONICA SELES: Thank you.

MONICA SELES: I can't jog or do any weights or anything. I mean, that is -- but I am just doing therapy on it and what I tell myself kind of is that after this you are going to have some time off and it will be okay. Now just try to get through it day by day. I think I am taking this anti-inflammatory which is very strong; keeps at least as much of the inflammation down; hopefully, I won't do too much to damage it. That is my only concern. It is sore. Sometimes you touch it; it is very sore.

MONICA SELES: I think -- well, I think most of the players -- I don't know. I think the players were maybe -- well, I think they are more nicer, I think, to me, than before. I think some of them -- most of them are really nice to me before, but some beforehand would be kind of okay. They were really nice to me now and that is really nice because just go on from the beginning and forget whatever-- I don't know -- happened there from my point, I don't know, but it was just really nice to see, for me, everybody I kept in touch with, one or two of the Tour directors from the WTA, it was really nice to see her also again and it is really nice when I look at a few players who have wrote to me all along. And to actually see them -- I saw most of them in Toronto and it was really nice. That has been the fun part. Even like the simple thing like Saturday when I went to the lockerroom and seeing all the ladies that help us out through the weeks and they start hugging me and all the stuff that they say, it was really sweet. I told my mom and dad when we had dinner Saturday because they asked me "who have you seen." I said well, I don't know, because I have seen so many people and they are all so nice. I just -- but it is really nice, I mean, it is weird being in the lockerroom, but I guess it is for everybody a new lockerroom because I was so used to the other one.

MONICA SELES: Helena Sukova kept in touch for a very long period. Then Elise Burgin wrote to me a few times. Andre Jaeger has been really quite amazing. Martina has been in touch a lot. Betsy, of course, has been tremendous, the most in touch. That is about it. I might miss one or two like Atlantic City. I don't know, I missed somebody, and probably as I heard before, a few people wrote and I never got their notes, which I said, but --

MONICA SELES: You see, for not doing so much and from one day working out, like so much, and then going from the other day of not doing as much, my body went through a lot of changes, but otherwise, no, I mean, yesterday I was more worried about this cut that just appeared on my hand out of, I think, no where, more than about that, and I feel I am moving pretty well. So -- and today is why I was very happy. I was moving very well. I think after this is over I will have a chance to start back running again or -- I probably will not do running because I promised myself, but I will do fast walking, so hopefully get into shape with Steffi and Mary, so... One day.