U.S. OPEN

September 9, 1992

Steffi Graf

Q. Tell us what happened, Steffi.

STEFFI GRAF: She played a very solid match. I mean, she didn't really give me any points. I think when it was really important, especially in the first set in the tiebreaker when I had my chances, I just -- I don't know, I just didn't take them. It was difficult to do anything, because I wasn't playing good enough to really hurt her.

Q. How is your health?

STEFFI GRAF: My health is perfect.

Q. Steffi, 5-All in the tiebreak, you thought that ball was good?

STEFFI GRAF: It was a very close ball. I mean, it is very difficult to say. Difficult to tell.

Q. She said in here-- she said she plays aggressive. She thought she surprised you. Do you believe she plays aggressive?

STEFFI GRAF: She has played more aggressive against me than she did today. But she played awfully solid. I think that was definitely her biggest strengths. She really kept the ball in play and really ran down some great shots.

Q. Tell us about her being a hardcourt player.

STEFFI GRAF: She moves much better on it than she has done before, and she plays the points a lot smarter.

Q. You seemed annoyed at questions regarding your shoulder throughout the tournament. You also said earlier in the tournament that shots coming in an unorthodox angles could cause --

STEFFI GRAF: I have no problems at all. I have no pain. I'm perfectly fine. Nothing that hurt today.

Q. Are you tired of tennis right now?

STEFFI GRAF: Tired of tennis?

Q. Yes.

STEFFI GRAF: No, I am not. I am just disappointed the way I played this tournament. I think I played not up to the standard that I wanted to play. So I was really disappointed.

Q. Did you feel yourself losing confidence in your forehand in that second set?

STEFFI GRAF: Well, I just didn't feel comfortable about what I was doing. I mean, like everything, at times I served well, sometimes I served bad. Like everything was on and off, really I didn't know what to rely on.

Q. Is that this match or the entire tournament, Steffi?

STEFFI GRAF: The entire tournament.

Q. When you go into a match like this, sort of feeling a little unsure; how did that affect you today?

STEFFI GRAF: Well, I think at times you don't go for the shots that you want to go to. You don't want to hit them too hard. You just put them in the court, which then you miss some easy shots. You don't really follow through into your shots anymore. That is what happened.

Q. Do you know why you didn't play as well as you wanted?

STEFFI GRAF: I have no idea. I practiced hard before the tournament. I mean, as hard as I could, and I don't know why it didn't get together.

Q. Do you experience-- when you have had an injury and then it is better, is there ever a psychological leftover, like if you had to change your emotion? Is it hard if get back into your game, even though you are healthy?

STEFFI GRAF: Actually, it is true what you are saying, but I don't think it has really affected me.

Q. Is there a need to, say, play differently, as opposed to basically the way you have playing in terms of tactics?

STEFFI GRAF: I definitely didn't use good tactic today. Some important shots, I approached her backhand; played a little too much on her backhand in the beginning. I definitely made some wrong choices today. I realize that I just couldn't do anything.

Q. Steffi, the last when you played Pam Shriver, she said that it seems to other players that you are happier. She said at Wimbledon it seemed to them like you enjoyed it more than any other time, she said, when you were winning everything; you didn't seem as happy as you did this summer. And I don't think we asked you about that then. Do you agree with her? Is it true?

STEFFI GRAF: Well, it definitely, it is true. I mean, as long as I play well, I am definitely feeling happy and enjoying things a lot more than I have done in the past. But I can't say for this tournament.

Q. Where was the last tournament that you felt this way where you didn't really like the way you were playing?

STEFFI GRAF: That is a good question. I think it was earlier this year when I wasn't too happy about my matches; was Boca Raton, Key Biscayne, these tournaments,.

Q. How did you get over it? Did you see it as a slump, or very temporary, or what?

STEFFI GRAF: I mean, it happens, I mean, you just -- I think tennis is a very difficult sport in that way, because it is just-- you can play great; then you can play bad for a few days and then things don't get together. That is what happened. Next time it will be all right.

Q. Steffi, there was a time you were working on your backhand to see if you can change it a little bit, become more offensive. Does a match like this tell you maybe you should go back to it again to see if you can work on it again?

STEFFI GRAF: The last few months show that my backhand slice was actually-- that is a very strong weapon, and if it works well, like it did -- like the last, four, five tournaments, it is good enough. But if it works like this when I don't really step in, then I definitely should have taken more possibilities to go ahead and go for the shots.

Q. This is the last major, Steffi, would you reflect back on the three that you have played, how did you like them; what is your feelings about the whole year of the Majors?

STEFFI GRAF: The Majors. I mean, definitely the one stands out is Wimbledon other than -- that is the best I played for a long time. French was incredible finals, which -- I don't want to look back.

Q. Forgetting mistakes and strategies today, were you more nervous than usual? I saw in the tiebreaker mistakes?

STEFFI GRAF: Yeah, just more nervous, I don't know, at some point I actually-- I really have to say, I mean, I didn't felt nervous, but just didn't -- I didn't really know what to do really. I mean, I just -- especially my serve, I mean, like get it inside, or I was trying to kick it up. I was trying to do things instead of just playing the points, and on some points I really have to say, especially in the tiebreaker when I was leading 4-3, then I made a doublefault. I think that was -- I wasn't nervous then, but it is just -- it was a bad point to play that time.

Q. If this were her game, how far would she go, like, say, this game of Arantxa against a usual Monica game, how would you look at the rest of the tournament?

STEFFI GRAF: I think Monica is going to win it now, that is for sure.

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