FEDCUP- USA vs. SLOVENIA

April 25, 2004

Lisa Raymond

THE MODERATOR: Lisa, talk about the match...

LISA RAYMOND: What a match. It was an unbelievable atmosphere out there. You know, I think both Kat and I felt the pressure. Her pressure was to stay in the match, you know, in front of her home crowd. That was just amazing out there. You know, for me it was to try and win it without having to take it to the doubles. I had to redeem myself a little bit from yesterday, you know. I mean, you know, conditions were tough. You saw at the end Kat threw in a couple double-faults. It was tough for both of us out there. We just fought, fought till the end. I think I just got a little lucky there at the end.

LISA RAYMOND: I've got Zina. I've got that whole support crew right there just telling me, "Hang in there. Hang in there." Again, when you play Fed Cup, I'm not playing for Lisa. It's not Lisa out there. I'm playing for the US, playing for my country and a bunch of people who are supporting me. That's what I'm thinking. I'm thinking, "Come on, just hang in there." You never know what can happen. Kat could get nervous. The conditions were tough. You just never know in Fed Cup. I just hung in and played some good tennis at the end. That was the difference.

LISA RAYMOND: I mean, sure, it crept in. But at the same time, you know, I was hearing Zina, I was hearing Billie, hearing everybody saying, "Hang in there, come on, just guts this through." Again, you never know what can happen. This whole weekend wasn't an example of my best tennis, but at the same time I just competed, competed till the end. You certainly can win matches, you can win titles with just that type of heart. I think I proved that today.

LISA RAYMOND: It feels pretty great, it really does. Again, to come back the way I did today, it was a great, great atmosphere out there. We've had a great week here. The people here have been so hospitable, so nice. The fans were great. You know, they weren't rude fans. They were partial, obviously. But, you know, a lot of fun to play in front of. This is certainly a memory. This is certainly a week that I'm glad -- I'm going to look back on and cherish, definitely.

KATARINA SREBOTNIK: This particular match?

KATARINA SREBOTNIK: Lisa already said the atmosphere was unbelievable. The crowd was just getting into it. Until the very end, it was not over, you know. It was just great playing in front of such a nice crowd, especially for me. Lisa must have felt a bit different. But, you know, it was great. We both played great tennis. It's just fun to play when you're playing good tennis.

LISA RAYMOND: Again, it's such a different atmosphere from when you're playing an individual tournament. You feel the weight of your entire country on your shoulders while you're out there. At the same time, I'm sure for Kat, if she hit a winner, the place would just erupt. I don't think there's any sort of greater high, more of an adrenaline rush than feeling that and hearing that. You know, when you win, it's an amazing feeling because you're winning for a team. You just can't compare it to an individualized sport or match. It feels great once you get through.

LISA RAYMOND: It's getting there. Again, I think I just dug deep. It was a lot more heart out there than (inaudible), I think.

KATARINA SREBOTNIK: I think Venus was too mean to me and to Tina (laughter). She injured me in my singles, then she injured Tina. Actually, Tina injured her before. I'm kidding. It was still bad luck. Very disappointing yesterday with this injury. The team, our physios, they were great. They worked on me four hours yesterday, two hours today. They taped me good. I felt comfortable. The injuries, you just have to cope with it. Every player has something wrong. Even if it's a blister, it's a small thing, but it's annoying. We just have to cope with it.