WIMBLEDON

June 27, 2000

Kim Clijsters

MODERATOR: Good afternoon. Kim Clijsters.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Well, it was a tough call. I mean, I tried to get myself over it, but it was not very easy. I lost my concentration there a little bit maybe. I lost my serve game. Yeah, I started to like focus really well at the beginning of the third set, so that was good.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Well, playing Tauziat on grass especially is always a tough draw. But I've made some good results on grass. If I would have played good tennis, I mean, everything is possible. I mean, it's not that she's not beatable. She's a normal person. She's beatable, as well, yeah.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Yeah, well, it was a little bit tough here for me. I've had some tough draws this year already. You have to beat them in the first round or maybe later. You just go for it, yeah.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Well, I'm just focusing match by match, then we'll see. I mean, I don't know who I'm playing. One of the opponents are still playing. It might be Laurence Courtois, or Myskina from Russia. Every match is tough. Yeah, I've beat a seeded player now, but it doesn't mean anything. I'll just focus on every match and then we'll see.

KIM CLIJSTERS: I was really happy with my level today, especially for not really the second set, but the first set. Then the third set, I played really well. I served well in the first and the second. I was returning quite well. She started to serve a little better in the second set. Yeah, it was okay. I'm quite satisfied with my match today, yeah.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Not really. Not that I know of. I've been reading a little bit about it in the newspapers. I haven't read it yet. Maybe I'll read it, yeah.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Not really. Maybe in the top players or something. Maybe they will talk about it. But I don't know.

KIM CLIJSTERS: I love to play here. I've been playing well since I've been playing Juniors here. I really like the grass. I like the atmosphere here at Wimbledon, the people and everything. Yeah, we'll see what happens.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Yeah. Well, not today because he's playing at the moment. It's a little bit tough.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Yeah, I'm trying to hurry up (laughter). It's good support to have him here, and helps me a lot.

KIM CLIJSTERS: It's not easy because, like yesterday with the rain, he was scheduled late. I don't know, he got called off at seven o'clock or something. I just had dinner already. It's quite tough with two tennis players. Yeah, it's going well.

KIM CLIJSTERS: No, no.

KIM CLIJSTERS: An apartment.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Last year I stayed in a hotel.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Well, I think that one of the big -- I sort of think that I believe more that I could win than her. The crowd was behind me, so that helped me a lot. That helped me through the match, as well. I think at the exact moments, I was returning really well. I think that's what made a big difference.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Nothing. Just start all over again, just try to focus on the first game, try to win it, then you're already a step ahead if you win the first game.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Well, I mean, one of the big advantages against her is if you can let her run. I think that's quite a good thing to do. If you're playing everything to her, she can come to the net, I mean, she comes with the slice, deep slice through the middle, and you can't pass her. It's hard to pass her when she's coming to the net, to interlope her. I'm trying some dropshots, but I'm seeing she was running very fast today.

KIM CLIJSTERS: I don't know. I don't know.

KIM CLIJSTERS: I mean, I'm in the second round now. I have to focus on the second round. I'm not really focusing on that at the moment.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Not really, no.