US OPEN

August 25, 1997

Lilia Osterloh

Q. Were you up? Were you down? Obviously you lost the second set.

LILIA OSTERLOH: I won the first set 6-3, and then got a little nervous. You know, thinking that I could win this. Then I lost it. Went down 5-Love in like 20 minutes or less than that. Then I lost the set 6-1. In the third, it was going back and forth. Then at 4-3, I mean, I just dug down really deep and broke her to go up 5-3. Then at 5-3, I held, 40-Love, ace, won the match.

LILIA OSTERLOH: Yeah.

LILIA OSTERLOH: Mentally, you know, just one point at a time; you know, really take my time in between the points. I just had to go for it, and difficult.

LILIA OSTERLOH: I'm pretty excited. Even though I won my first round last year as an amateur. It's different now that I'm playing as a professional. I'm really excited.

LILIA OSTERLOH: This is my first tournament.

LILIA OSTERLOH: No, no, I didn't. It was a really tough decision. Right after the NCAAs. I thought about it, I thought it was time to move on after Stanford.

LILIA OSTERLOH: I mean, Stanford was a great experience. I mean, there's the team aspect. I got to mature a little bit, a little bit stronger, pull out a NCAA title for Stanford, then the following week to win the individual title. That was exactly what I wanted to do. I did it. I mean, you know, they embraced me there as family. Then, you know, playing here. I mean, you know, a lot of my friends and family came. I'm from Columbus, Ohio. They can come right over. I mean, it's a little bit different. Maybe a little bit noisier crowds. But that's okay, I don't mind it. It's great to be out here.

LILIA OSTERLOH: Both my parents play. My older sister played for De Paul University in Chicago. I started -- I actually did gymnastics when I was three years old. I started when I was six years old, just like at the high school courts, just hitting around. And then I started with my coach, Al Matthews, when I was eight. I've been working with him ever since.

LILIA OSTERLOH: Just the fact that tennis-wise I accomplished everything that I wanted to. I felt that I needed to go to the next level. That was it. I mean, I had a great time there. I want to continue to study there in the future, maybe take some correspondence courses. But, I mean, I'll always remember my first year there.

LILIA OSTERLOH: Well, if I wanted to continue, I would major in international relations.

LILIA OSTERLOH: I don't know. Maybe an agent or something.

LILIA OSTERLOH: Well, the thing about Stanford that's so great is even though you're some -- if you're a sports figure or famous figure, they treat you like as normal as anybody. So, I mean, I think she'll fit in great there. I don't know, maybe the secret service agents might get in the way. But no, I mean, I think she'll fit in great there.

LILIA OSTERLOH: No, not really, because everyone -- even though I'm a good athlete, I mean, I still -- everyone treated me just the same as any other regular student.

LILIA OSTERLOH: No, I really couldn't think about that, the injury. I just felt, you know, "I'll take this time out right now." But after I'm done with this injury, you know, recovered, you know, I mean, I've just got to train harder. I can't really worry about getting injured.

LILIA OSTERLOH: The most nervous feeling that I've ever had was during the team competition. I mean, there's so much pressure on you. Everyone's -- you know, if you lose, the other person loses. Everyone's counting on you to win. I mean, the Finals of the NCAA, that was the most nervous feeling I've ever felt. You know, it's easier when you're just playing for yourself.

LILIA OSTERLOH: No. Just when I was playing. But watching Julie, it's fine watching the other girls. Just me playing out there, everyone's counting on you.

LILIA OSTERLOH: I called him. I think it was a -- it was like a month or two now, month and a half or something. I told him a long decision, had to think about it for a while. But, I mean, I told him I had a great year there. He was very understanding. He's had lots of other players who turn pro after a year. He said I'm always welcome to come back there. Had a really good time. He was very understanding.

LILIA OSTERLOH: Oh, yes. Right away. I remember seeing Chris Evert playing at Wimbledon. I think she was playing maybe Martina Navratilova. I was watching TV. I was like, "Mom, I want to play there someday."

LILIA OSTERLOH: She's like, "Good, Lil. Someday you will."

LILIA OSTERLOH: I'm 19 years old.

LILIA OSTERLOH: Yes.

LILIA OSTERLOH: No, not really. This is my timetable for me, you know. I want to play for a long time. My game is, you know, to play for a long time. I like to come in. I'm an aggressive baseliner. You know, I finished high school, got to go to the senior prom. I had a really normal teenage life. That's exactly what I wanted.

LILIA OSTERLOH: Sure. I mean, I don't know, I just felt like I didn't want to jump right into The Tour right away. I mean, I played a few tournaments here and there. But I mean, I was just getting my feet wet. I wasn't doing it full-time. I wanted to mature a little bit, get stronger, experience college life, take some courses, make some really good friends. That's exactly what I did.

LILIA OSTERLOH: Yeah, definitely. I think that it really helped me a lot. I don't regret going there at all.

LILIA OSTERLOH: Yeah, definitely. I mean, I didn't think she was going to go there actually. I thought she was going to go somewhere on the east coast. I'm glad she chose Stanford. Yeah, I think everyone's going to like it that she's there.

LILIA OSTERLOH: No. Pine trees.

LILIA OSTERLOH: Yeah, I mean, definitely working with the USTA helped me out tremendously, playing international events, you know, having the training center down there in Key Biscayne helped me a lot. I mean, it was great working with them. I think in the future we will definitely continue working together.

LILIA OSTERLOH: No, not really. Maybe it hasn't hit me yet. But I mean, you know, I'm just having fun. Just play one match at a time and we'll see how it goes.

LILIA OSTERLOH: I'm not putting any pressure on myself right now. I'm just having fun, working hard. You know, hopefully the hard work's going to pay off someday. I mean, I'd like to win some Grand Slam titles, but I think I'm just going to take one day at a time, one step at a time.

LILIA OSTERLOH: One.

LILIA OSTERLOH: Right. It's basically the same. I have my friends and family, and the USTA, and my coach. They're all supporting me. So it's pretty much the same.

LILIA OSTERLOH: Yes. His name is Beau Delafield, he's with IMG.

LILIA OSTERLOH: I'm not really thinking about years from now. I just want to play for a long time.