CHASE CHAMPIONSHIPS OF THE COREL WTA TOUR

November 16, 1998

Dominique Van Roost

Q. How much of a relief was it to win that tiebreaker? You had some earlier chances and let them get away. How did you feel after that?

DOMINIQUE VAN ROOST: Nice. Nice relief, but I think for her it was also something hard because she was the first one having some point in the first set, so I was happy to finish the tiebreak in my favor, so that was good.

DOMINIQUE VAN ROOST: No, you don't expect these kind of things. But I think it was the key of the match because afterwards she was kind of tired and she was making more unforced errors and I was playing very aggressive as well in the second set. I was trying to take advantage as soon as I could. So it was hard for her to stay in the match, especially in the second set. At the end, I think she was very tired.

DOMINIQUE VAN ROOST: I always hit that hard. Sometimes it doesn't stay on the court, but I usually hit hard, yes. This is my--

DOMINIQUE VAN ROOST: Yes.

DOMINIQUE VAN ROOST: This year I have been very consistent so I got a lot of confidence and I think it started last year when I beat a couple of top players, give me the confidence when I was playing them, so, I didn't have that respect that I had in the past and I knew that I had a chance to beat them. It is usually first when you go on court and you know that you can beat them, than when you walk on court and maybe you can make a good match, but that is it. So I think that is why now when I walk on the court I know that I can beat nearly all of them if I play very good and I play my best tennis, I think I have a lot of chances.

DOMINIQUE VAN ROOST: I don't mind. This court is fast, but not too fast. So I think it is for both players kind of advantage. I see she didn't win yet. She has to win a match against Spirlea. And Spirlea is playing well right now. I think she is a little bit tired now. She has played a lot of matches and it is the end of the season so probably for her it is also probably hard to play these Masters because it is tough to play.

DOMINIQUE VAN ROOST: I am a little bit tired, yes. Of course, I played 24 tournaments before I came here, so it is normal that I feel tired. The season is very long and especially when you play well you have to play a lot of tournaments and you have to play a lot of matches. But I am very happy that I am here because I think it is something that I never really expected that I could do; especially now I am 25. So I am very happy that I can compete in these Masters and for me, of course, winning a match is the best thing that could happen.

DOMINIQUE VAN ROOST: I don't know. I have nothing to lose for me coming here. It is a great experience. And I don't know, I have no fear now, so it is like I am playing my match and I come on the court and I try to do my best game and I am very confident at the moment, especially indoor tournaments, that is the best court that I usually play and I can beat a lot of good players as well.

DOMINIQUE VAN ROOST: Probably because I play a lot of matches. But this is not a very big problem. It is minor injuries. It is not that I have to stop playing for months. Maybe I have to stop for one week. But I think that physically I am very strong now because I have been doing a lot, especially during the time that I had a rest between the tournament and I think for somebody playing so much and having this little injury, I think it is not very bad at all. If you see that some players they can get injured for months and they come back on the Tour, so, I think I am not -- maybe I look very skinny and not very strong, but I am, so....

DOMINIQUE VAN ROOST: For me, 25 is not old. I think I am very young. Probably for tennis I am kind of old person, but in my mind, I am still very young. It is important when you walk on the court and you know that you are fresh and you want to win your match and you are confident and I think it doesn't matter how old you are. Because if you see Nathalie Tauziat she is more than 30 years old and she played the final in Wimbledon, so I think it is something that you have in your mind.

DOMINIQUE VAN ROOST: My serve is very good. It is improving compared to the past years. I was doing more mistakes. Now I can win my serve, especially today because I was losing 5-4 and I was down 40-15 and I kept my serve, so, I think it is a strong part. I am getting better. I am not going to be a huge serve like Brenda Schultz or somebody like that. I am still going to be weaker with my serve, but I can hold my serve and I can win some points with it. So I think it is an improvement in my game and I am getting more confident as well. But I always know that it is not going to be the best stroke in my game.