home jobs contact us
Our Clients:
Browse by Sport
Find us on ASAP sports on Facebook ASAP sports on Twitter
ASAP Sports RSS Subscribe to RSS
Click to go to
Asaptext.com
ASAPtext.com
ASAP Sports e-Brochure View our
e-Brochure

US OPEN


September 1, 2004


Angela Haynes


NEW YORK CITY

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Angela, please.

Q. You seemed pretty comfortable on the grandstand against a seeded player. Did you think it would be like that, as quality a match as you had?

ANGELA HAYNES: I was just going out there trying to play the best that I could. My first-round match was excellent. I was just trying to take that energy and actually play like I did today. I felt I played very well. And just trying to feed off the crowd.

Q. Did you feel any nerves? I think three matchpoints?

ANGELA HAYNES: Oh, God. Yeah (smiling). Every bit of nerves, just it all came. But I know that she was nervous, too, so I was trying to hang in there.

Q. After the way your year has gone, this was like your first main draw, tour win a couple nights ago, did you think, "Okay, well, I'll just come into the US Open and it will come together"?

ANGELA HAYNES: I was hoping that it came together, yes. Because the year has been pretty shaky. But this is the best place to win, you know, get back to where I was and maybe better. So everything is just great. Just take one match at a time and move on.

Q. Do you feel like that's the biggest win of your career?

ANGELA HAYNES: Oh, definitely. It is the biggest win. But I can't dwell on this match; I really have to stay focused here and the week is really just beginning.

Q. Is it hard sometimes to stay patient? You see some young women hit it big when they're 16, 17, 18 years old, but that's the exception rather than the rule. Is it hard to tell yourself just to keep plugging along?

ANGELA HAYNES: Yeah, sometimes. Sometimes. Everybody's different. Everybody peaks at different times. So maybe I am a late-bloomer - maybe. But I just have to stay within myself and play my game, do what I do best.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about your tennis upbringing, your dad started playing with you.

ANGELA HAYNES: Yeah, that was... it was a long time ago. I started at three years old. I have an older brother and older sister. We were very close as kids, and we still are, so my dad would take me to practice every day. I was daddy's little girl. So one day he just gave me a tennis racquet and I started hitting. He was like, "She's okay." But ever since then, I just been playing, playing, playing.

Q. Was your dad a player himself?

ANGELA HAYNES: My dad used to play baseball. He played a little for the Giants, but he got cut, so he took up tennis. I never really asked him much about his history with tennis. But he just trained me, my brother, my sister. My sister gave up. She couldn't stand my dad coaching her.

Q. What's her name?

ANGELA HAYNES: Monica.

Q. Not to be negative, but how come your dad was cut? Who cut him?

ANGELA HAYNES: You know, I never asked. It may be a sensitive subject for him, so ... I don't know what happened (laughter).

Q. Could you ask him tonight, we'll ask you tomorrow.

ANGELA HAYNES: I might ask him (smiling).

Q. Were your brother and sister here today?

ANGELA HAYNES: No, my sister, she actually went to go visit my mom in Arizona because she lives in Texas, she lives in Houston. My brother is going to San Diego State right now. He's in school. So, hopefully, I can get my brother to come out here in the middle of the week or something.

Q. Your bio says you grew up in Compton. Have you ever had any interaction with Richard or Venus or Serena?

ANGELA HAYNES: Yeah, when we were younger, when we were younger, when I was about 4, my brother was 7, my sister is the same age as Venus, they used to hit and everything like that. I was too young to hit with Venus and Serena. They were already hitting huge. I couldn't handle it. Yeah, we did kind of grow up together. Then they moved to Florida. And here we are.

Q. Do you still live in Compton?

ANGELA HAYNES: No, I actually live out in Riverside somewhere, yeah, in the middle of nowhere.

Q. What town?

ANGELA HAYNES: Victorville. I know no one's ever heard of that (laughing).

Q. So much was made of Compton and Venus and Serena, dodging bullets, all these stories. Anything like that ever happen to you?

ANGELA HAYNES: No. I been fortunate. It is tough. It's tough out there. You have to really be focused because, you know, you have people walking around, trying to get in your ear. But it does make you tough; you never forget where you come from. You always like try to take those little advantages when you get in a certain situation. It's just tough. It's life. But everything was okay for me. My dad always tried to give us the better things in life and just keep us focused on tennis. So it was pretty good.

Q. Besides coaching you guys, what did your dad do as a job?

ANGELA HAYNES: He was just my coach. My mom did all the working, and my dad was my coach. It was a big family sacrifice.

Q. What does your mom do?

ANGELA HAYNES: I have no idea. Don't know. She's like a nurse. She went to medical school. But now she works for Honda. I don't know. I don't know what she does.

Q. What's her name?

ANGELA HAYNES: Priscilla.

Q. Are your parents divorced?

ANGELA HAYNES: No.

Q. When you said --

ANGELA HAYNES: They separated for a while because my sister went to school in Tucson, but there's no tennis in Arizona so we... We moved to California. So they never really got back together. My moms loves -- she hates California so...

Q. So she lives in Tucson?

ANGELA HAYNES: Uh-hmm.

Q. How did you end up in Victorville?

ANGELA HAYNES: I like to be -- I like the quiet, you know. I need some tranquility when I go home. I don't really like the fast life. Like I'm dying out here in New York. I'm dying.

Q. It's too fast for you?

ANGELA HAYNES: Yeah. The people are pushing me out the way every day. Something serious.

Q. Talk about that great metropolis of Victorville. Is it in the desert?

ANGELA HAYNES: It's in the desert. It's hot as ever. I rarely go outside. It's just me and my dogs. It's nothing out there, really.

Q. Where do you play and who do you play against?

ANGELA HAYNES: Actually, I train in Florida. I train at Saddlebrook, Tampa, or I go to the stadium, the new stadium in Carson, the Home Depot Center.

Q. Did you play the junior circuit at all?

ANGELA HAYNES: No, I didn't really play many Juniors.

Q. Why not? You just weren't into it?

ANGELA HAYNES: No, I wasn't really into Juniors. I didn't feel it could do anything for me. I wanted to just play pro. I already knew what I wanted to do.

Q. Was there ever any discussion of playing college tennis? Were you recruited?

ANGELA HAYNES: Oh, yeah, every college sent me a letter just trying to get me to go to their school but you know you could always go back to school. That is something that's important to me. I still consider going to school after tennis, though.

Q. Did you graduate from any school?

ANGELA HAYNES: Yeah.

Q. Which one?

ANGELA HAYNES: It's called City of Angels. It's like an independent studies for kids like me and a lot of actors, Brandi. A lot of other actors went to our school.

Q. You talk about training in Carson. Can you talk about your involvement with the USTA Touring Program.

ANGELA HAYNES: My dad is just my coach. I'm not really affiliated that much with the USTA.

Q. What's the biggest stadium or court you've played on?

ANGELA HAYNES: That one (laughing). Grandstand, the US Open.

Q. That was a pretty cool experience for you?

ANGELA HAYNES: Yeah. It's very nice. Very nice.

Q. You just said you're not really affiliated with the USTA program. Have they not sort of made overtures to you? Do you feel a little like...

ANGELA HAYNES: (Nodding).

Q. Do you feel you've been left out of the loop a little?

ANGELA HAYNES: Yeah, basically. I mean, until last year really, I'm just starting to get into the USTA. But, you know, I got to do my own thing. I got to stay with where I'm happy, and right now I just -- me and my dad are just focusing on each other. We're a team. So whatever happens, happens.

Q. You talked earlier about focus and your strengths. Do you think focus is one of your main strengths?

ANGELA HAYNES: Yes. That's my number one focus right now, my mental game. I'm not focused with physical or talent-wise. I mean, I think that's what my downfall was my whole career; I think I could get to No. 1 by my talent alone, and that's not going to help me at all.

Q. Ten years from now when we're talking to you, what do you think you will have accomplished?

ANGELA HAYNES: Ten years from now, I actually think I'll be done with tennis. I'll have a family. I would like to have had been No. 1 or maintain Top 5. Tennis will be done and I'll be living somewhere in the islands.

Q. Have Venus or Serena helped you at all? Do they talk to you about life on the tour?

ANGELA HAYNES: Oh, yeah, Venus and Serena also -- actually, I just saw Serena this week. I haven't seen her since really I was four. But I saw Venus several times. She always talks to me, gives me advice. Richard also gave me some advice a couple of years ago. They're awesome. I mean, they're down to Earth. They're always willing to help me out.

Q. What did Richard say to you?

ANGELA HAYNES: I actually went to his house two years ago after Miami and he helped me out like on my technique and stuff like that. I stayed there for about five hours just practicing. And we did a lot of drills. He's just telling me how it was on the tour. He was trying to get me ready.

Q. Specifically, can you remember one or two tips in particular?

ANGELA HAYNES: Just my basic footwork. Like how to minimize the court from like running from side to side, and how to like use my legs more, staying down, stuff like that.

Q. Smaller steps?

ANGELA HAYNES: Yeah.

Q. This summer in Palo Alto, Richard said he thought you could be Top 25 pretty soon. What's going to get you to that point?

ANGELA HAYNES: Just staying focused, being smarter out there on the court, having more heart, determination. That's really all it is for me. Fighting, giving blood, sweat and tears for every match.

Q. Some day on the final Sunday, on the Saturday, rather, will you lift the US Open trophy?

ANGELA HAYNES: I hope so. That's all I could say. That would be my dream.

Q. Why did you get the wildcard here?

ANGELA HAYNES: 'Cause I asked. I don't know. I have no idea. I don't know why I got it.

End of FastScripts….

About ASAP SportsFastScripts ArchiveRecent InterviewsCaptioningUpcoming EventsContact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297