CHASE CHAMPIONSHIPS OF THE WTA TOUR

November 15, 1999

Anna Kournikova

Q. What happened in the third set?

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Well, I think that I still don't have too much match play -- I don't have too many matches under my belt. I play only six matches or something coming in here. And it's always tough to come back after an injury indoors. She had a pretty good season indoors and she won some tournaments, and I think I just have to, you know, get back my focus, trying to concentrate, and it's a long time not playing, you know, for three months. I think that was the problem because I didn't have any problems with playing or anything. Just mentally, just kind of left the court.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: I think 5-2 I was still in control.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Like I said, I haven't played too many matches. She had obviously a good season indoors. Just, you know, I have to get mentally back into match playing. I have to get back, you know, in playing the matches really try to finish it off. I think that was the problem.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: I don't think I have to prove anything. Two years in a row I'm in the Top 16 players. It's not bad. I'm just going out there trying to play. Next year, I'm going to start in Australia and I'm going to be very strong.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Because everything is much faster. You get much more rhythm playing outdoors. Here you don't have much rhythm, mistake, winner and if you don't have your reaction, coordination, the timing, it's just much more difficult to get it indoors.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Definitely, you try to go on and keep on going like this. But it was tough.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: That's right. I had to put in more first serves. She returned well that game. It was just, you know, a very unlucky game for me, I guess. I was too defensive.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: No.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: No, like I said already, it was completely mental. It had nothing to do with the physical part. My shots were great on the first, second, whatever. Everything was good. I was feeling the ball. Mentally, I just couldn't get, you know, over that -- just I need some more matches. That's the end of the story.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Well, you know, like you write every day, you know what you're writing. If you're following the story, you know what's going on with the story. If you jump in the story, you don't know what's going on; so you don't know what to write. You have to go and do research. Same thing here, you have to practice and the way to practice is to play matches, you have to play matches.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Definitely. Every match is different. You can't just say last time I beat this person or last time I lost to this person. Every match is new, and anything can happen.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Like I said again, I think it was the mental part. I think that I didn't play enough matches, and that's the problem.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Definitely. He's helped me a lot to come back, and it was good and we're going to work hard, and like I said, next year, I'll be strong.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Why?

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: I think it's normal for tennis players to try and play with different partners, and there is nothing personal or whatever. You just try to work out your schedule and everything. That's it.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: It's a not like a split, you always make it like it's a split and we're the worst enemies. Like I said, all players try to do what's the best for them and we just figure out we're going to do something else and that's it.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: What's the question?

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: I don't understand. I made my mistakes when?

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: When? I don't know, I won the set. I was up 5-2. I don't see any problems, like I said, with my shots, actual shots or anything on the court. I just think that I wasn't there mentally. You know, I should have focused more or tried to stay, you know, play the same game that I was playing when I was winning, and that's it. That's what happened.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Thank you.