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WIMBLEDON


June 29, 2001


Lina Krasnoroutskaia


WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND

MODERATOR: Good afternoon, everyone. Lina Krasnoroutskaya.

Q. I noticed when you were playing, you have something on the side of your arm. Could you explain what that is?

LINA KRASNOROUTSKAYA: It's just a (inaudible) tattoo. I decided to do especially for Wimbledon because I wanted to do something special. That's why I did it.

Q. It's not a proper tattoo?

LINA KRASNOROUTSKAYA: No. It's a stones, and you just stick it.

Q. How do you feel the game went today? Were you pleased with your performance?

LINA KRASNOROUTSKAYA: I was, yeah, feeling really great when I played today. I was trying to do my best. Especially the girl which I played, she had some good results. She played good on the grass. I was very concentrate because, you know, you never know how your opponent is going to be this day.

Q. How important is it for Russian tennis to have more women players coming through?

LINA KRASNOROUTSKAYA: I think it's very important. We have a lot of Russian girls, like seven in the main draw. I think that very good for the country because we have a lot of fans. It makes tennis, you know, the most popular sport in Russia. So I think that's really good.

Q. How difficult is it for you to push your game forward with Anna Kournikova dominating tennis headlines?

LINA KRASNOROUTSKAYA: I mean, Kournikova, she's a great player. She's in the Top 10. I don't have anything against her. She's really good. For me especially. Of course, I think everyone tries to do their best. I'm also trying to do my best. But, you know, Anna is a really good player. I don't have nothing about her.

Q. Do you think it's good for the sport?

LINA KRASNOROUTSKAYA: Yeah, it's really good that we have Anna, especially for the woman's tennis. She makes the beauty of the tennis. She made it. She started. You know, now tennis is very popular. I think the important thing - one of the important things - that Kournikova is playing. She has a lot of fans. I think the people coming to watch her, so she makes the tennis more popular, I think.

Q. She helps you in a way?

LINA KRASNOROUTSKAYA: Yeah, yeah, she helps anyone, everybody.

Q. Do you think the image side of the women's game is quite important then? You buy into that?

LINA KRASNOROUTSKAYA: Yes, I think it's important because, you know, the woman has to be a woman. You know, I really -- I mean, I don't like like womans they playing like men's tennis. Woman has to be a woman. That's nice that we have a lot of beautiful girls playing. I think that should be a difference between woman's tennis and men's tennis.

Q. A new feature in some of the lists, they list the pretty women in world tennis. Do you see any of those lists? Does that make you happy?

LINA KRASNOROUTSKAYA: Of course, it's nice for me. I'm not really paying attention on this. If you will paying attention on everything, you know, you will forget about tennis. Of course, I'm paying attention, but not too much. I know that, you know, somewhere like I'm on top places of the ranking. But, you know, first thing for me, it's tennis.

Q. Do you think about the financial side of it? Anna Kournikova has made a lot of money from her image, hasn't she?

LINA KRASNOROUTSKAYA: Yes. But, you know, I don't really -- for me doesn't matter.

Q. Would you rather make lots of money from the image or winning the tournaments?

LINA KRASNOROUTSKAYA: I think for me it's from winning the tournaments.

Q. The draw seems to be opening up for you now. Do you see yourself going sort of further to maybe the semifinals?

LINA KRASNOROUTSKAYA: I'll try to do my best. But the next opponent is Conchita Martinez. I never played against her. She was a winner of Wimbledon. I'll try to do my best. We'll see what's going on. Each game is going to be more difficult.

Q. Are you slightly intimidated by facing Conchita?

LINA KRASNOROUTSKAYA: I mean, I'm not like -- I'm okay. I have nothing to lose because last year I played -- I lost first round here. This year, it's great result for me just now. If I'm going to do better, it's going to be like better for me. I have nothing to lose against her.

Q. In today's game, you seemed to be a little bit affected by the rain break when you came back. Is that a fair comment?

LINA KRASNOROUTSKAYA: I mean, when we left the court, it was 5-1, and I was feeling great. But I started to feel that she is catching her game. When we came out again, I mean, she just played a few good points, so that's why I lost like two games. Then everything was okay. It's like I had 2-1, five or six time advantage. I just lost it. But doesn't matter.

Q. You seem a fairly emotional player. You were very pumped up today.

LINA KRASNOROUTSKAYA: In normal life I'm never like that. I have to be, you know, more aggressive on the court because I'm that kind of people who sleeps on the court if I'm not making, you know. Some of the players, they like getting nervous or something. But for me, I never get nervous. So I have to, you know, make myself aggressive, to wake up.

Q. Are you going to play in Fed Cup against Slovakia? What do you think about this match?

LINA KRASNOROUTSKAYA: Yes, I think I'm going to play in Fed Cup because Larisa told me, the coach of the Fed Cup, she told me I'm in the team. But who knows. I'll try to do my best and play for the Fed Cup. But against Slovakia, I think it's going to be really tough match because they also have pretty good players, like Hantuchova, Nagyova. But we will see what's going on. We also have good girls. I hope we win.

Q. What is your plans in this Wimbledon?

LINA KRASNOROUTSKAYA: Before the Wimbledon, I didn't have plans. I mean, I wanted to do my best. Now it's already good result. I will be happy to do as good as I can. So I'll try to play more.

Q. Silly question. You can give a silly answer. Do you have lots of attention from male fans to speak of at all?

LINA KRASNOROUTSKAYA: No, I don't.

End of FastScripts....

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