US OPEN

August 29, 1997

Corina Morariu

Q. How are you doing?

CORINA MORARIU: Better.

CORINA MORARIU: Obviously I am not the best, but I am definitely feeling much better. I am still a little bit tired and a little bit weak. But, after my match today, fine, which was surprising. Plus, pleasantly surprised about that.

CORINA MORARIU: Well, I couldn't walk after my match for about a day, so.

CORINA MORARIU: Yeah, I was really weak. They had to wheel me out of here.

CORINA MORARIU: Oh, yeah, they had to wheel me out of here. I left at 9 o'clock. I couldn't walk until the next morning or eat.

CORINA MORARIU: Yeah, I had four and a half liters put in me. So, I was very, very dehydrated. On-court I was getting so nauseous. I was -- and, I couldn't drink, so I didn't even finish a bottle of water in my match. When I got in there I was so dehydrated they put four and a half liters. I still wasn't -- it usually perks people up, but I was just totally gone. I was close to being hospitalized.

CORINA MORARIU: Oh, yeah.

CORINA MORARIU: No, I have just seen these doctors here. We know what is wrong with me. So, it is not a question of what is wrong with me. It is more of just getting my strength back. And, anytime you have an infection, kidney infection, it is difficult to do anything, really. It drains you and it makes you weak. So, I had a long match on Tuesday and then Wednesday I had a tough first set and I was just so tired and weak. I couldn't go any further. I mean, I went another set and a half, but after the first set was when I really started feeling bad.

CORINA MORARIU: Well, I mean, I was treated. I was on antibiotics, but only for about a week. And, you usually need to go three weeks of antibiotics to cure the infection. So that is why I came back. And then I had -- I was in the hospital last Monday getting a test done and they saw what was wrong with me. They figured it out. Then they -- I started taking antibiotics maybe last Wednesday, but it still takes a while to get over it. And, if you are not resting - which I wasn't - I was kind of trying to play a little bit here and there. I was at a stalemate, kind of just staying the same. I wasn't getting any better. So, it just -- you just need rest and antibiotics and playing isn't really conducive to getting better, to getting healthy.

CORINA MORARIU: Yeah.

CORINA MORARIU: No.

CORINA MORARIU: No.

CORINA MORARIU: Yeah, I mean, we are friends, yeah, she stayed at my house for the Continental Cup in December, so, yeah. I couldn't talk to her after the match, after our singles match, obviously, because I wasn't really talking to anybody. And, I haven't really seen her. I saw her coach there morning which was funny.

CORINA MORARIU: It was just funny because he said something funny during our match which was -- it was 3-Love in the first set and -- no, sorry in the second set. She was up 3-Love and I was really tired at that point. He was telling her that I couldn't handle it. He was going: "She can't handle it." I thought that was kind of funny.

CORINA MORARIU: I was really sick. No, I saw him this morning, I didn't say anything. I just thought it was funny. I don't know him, so, I mean, if I knew him, I would probably have said something. But, I don't know him, so, I didn't say anything, but it was kind of funny.

CORINA MORARIU: Right.

CORINA MORARIU: Yeah. No, there was definitely something wrong. It was just hard because I asked to play on Tuesday and then I asked again to play on Thursday, to have a day off; at least play doubles, and it couldn't -- they couldn't because I was on the bottom half. Then I had a tough first set and I was just feeling nauseous the whole time and I couldn't drink which was a huge problem. Just getting weak and dizzy and I was so weak I honestly couldn't get up off the chair. I was thinking in the last game I just-- I barely had the strength to serve and I was just trying to keep going and try to put as much effort as I could into it. But, it was like I was spaced out and I was a million miles away. Just when you are feeling that bad, it is more survival. I was fighting not to pass out and then trying to fight to win the match. But, that was lost.

CORINA MORARIU: Oh, I didn't even think about that. I really didn't think about that. I mean, now -- I didn't even know she was playing until you told me. (Laughs) So, I can't think about it. It is just something unfortunate that happened and I had a good chance to win and it was a tough match and -- but it could have gone either way, I think. It was just unfortunate and I was -- I was lucky actually to get through my first match really because I was feeling really tired in the second set. Somehow, I dug down and relied on my reserve. And, pulled through that. But, I was feeling twice as bad the next day and I just had no energy. I was trying to say, "It is the U.S. Open," but there is nothing you can do. Your body is telling you to stop and there was nothing else I could do. It was difficult for me to play today, period. But, I was fine. I actually felt better than I thought I would. I was feeling good and feeling pretty healthy and it was cloudy too, which was nice, doubles you don't have to move around so much so, that helped me out a little bit too. Probably helped me out a lot.

CORINA MORARIU: Yeah, I am going to rest, yeah, for, you know, as long as I can -- as long as I feel that I need to.

CORINA MORARIU: Who knows how long that could be.

CORINA MORARIU: I am scheduled to leave in about two weeks I think.

CORINA MORARIU: To Tokyo and Surabaya. So, hopefully I can rest and now, I mean, I think I should start getting better because I have been on antibiotics longer and hopefully I am going to start getting healthier.

CORINA MORARIU: No. I knew there was a slight chance that it could possibly happen because I had practiced maybe like five hours in the past like ten days or something ridiculous like that. And, it had happened to me before, so I knew that it was a possibility. I didn't think it would. I thought -- I was feeling pretty good. And, pretty healthy, but it was just unfortunate that I had to play two days in a row and had like I played those three tough sets, both all tiebreakers, and then after that against Lilia, I just conked out. But, I was lucky to have that extra day of rest because any to play tomorrow -- I mean, yesterday, I wouldn't have made it. . There is no way. But, luckily I had an extra day and doubles is a lot easier. I was thinking if I was playing singles, there is no way I would be able to be out here. But doubles is a little bit easier and my partner was good. She was running around for me. It was nice.

CORINA MORARIU: Yeah, in Croatia, in Bol.

CORINA MORARIU: She is -- it is hard for me to find words to describe it. She is an unbelievable player. She is really, really talented and so young and so strong and hits the ball so hard and deep and we had a really close match. But, I think she is going to be a great player. I think top 10, for sure.

CORINA MORARIU: I don't know. But, I think she is the best -- besides Hingis, she is probably the best young player I have seen. I think -- yeah, I think she is one of the best young players I have seen. I have never seen somebody at 15, 5' 11" hit the ball so hard.

CORINA MORARIU: 7-5 in the third set tiebreaker. So, it was just a couple of points difference. Her presence on the court is -- I mean, she is very calm and very mature. And, I was surprised. I thought when we were playing in Croatia maybe she was young, immature, might crack a little bit here and there. But, she dealt with the pressure so well, and I think she maybe doesn't have has many dimensions to her game as Hingis does. She is more of just a baseliner. But, she hits the ball so well and so hard that she just does it so consistently that it is hard to say that -- she snows where to put the ball or it just seems like she just hits and hits and hits and it just goes in all the time. (laughs). It is just hard to compare her to Hingis. As far as court presence, yeah, she resembles Hingis in that manner. But --

CORINA MORARIU: She probably hits the ball maybe like Mary Pierce or somebody like that. She is just a heavy, heavy hitter and what else can I say? I mean, she is just a phenomenal athlete.

CORINA MORARIU: Yeah, I have spoken to her a few times since then. Sweet girl, speaks English really, really well. I think she has got a great future for sure. She is already 16 in the world and she has played like three tournaments or something so, that is a pretty good indication.

CORINA MORARIU: Thank you.