U.S. OPEN

September 1, 1996

Linda Wild

LINDA WILD: I just felt that going into the match I knew I had to play first rank, go after her. If I got into a rally, and I didn't get her moving before she got me moving, then I was dead. I thought the key was that I was playing more of a first-strike match for her.

LINDA WILD: Well, I was going to lose if I didn't. Again, you know, I had to keep going for it. If I didn't go for it, I was going to lose anyway. I might as well keep going for it. I felt like I was pressuring her serve right off the bat, putting a lot of pressure on her getting her first serve in, which helped. So I was able to take those second serves and just keep attacking. That was all I was thinking out there, just keep attacking.

LINDA WILD: Yeah, it was. Also, too, I was up 3-Love and I couldn't let up. Against the good players, you let up one second and you're like, "Wait a minute, I thought I -- You start thinking too far ahead and wind up losing the match. I just kept -- it was good that I had a lead because then I could relax, be not as forceful. I guess I was a little more relaxed, because if I missed a couple shots, I was okay, but again I was going to keep going for it.

LINDA WILD: Lots of times.

LINDA WILD: It's just a different kind of match, you know. Like I feel like I didn't even play a match because it's not as, like -- it's not as tiring if you play someone like a Sawamatsu or someone like Gaby. With Gaby, the score is 1-1 and you feel like you played a five-set match. Doesn't give anything away. Lindsay, it's almost like a grass court match, real explosive. I've done well against those players throughout the years. Martina I beat on grass. I've had good wins on indoor, fast surfaces, growing up on those. I was just comfortable with that.

LINDA WILD: You know, I played Fed Cup in Tokyo with her. I've gotten to know her a little bit. But again, you know, with Lindsay, you just -- she's either going to hit winners and hit you off the court or, you know, she's going to have those days where not everything is going in. I think today was one of those days where not everything was going in. I think, to give her -- she's had a -- she went from Wimbledon to Fed Cup, and then right after that she had like three days off, when I had a month off. She went and played the Olympics, did awesome in the Olympics. Then she went and played LA, won LA, beat Steffi. I mean, she's got to get tired eventually. She's human.

LINDA WILD: Maybe, yeah. Maybe because she's playing well. I mean, maybe she's had some good results now. You know, I mean, I think she was a little tired and I was able to take advantage of that, you know. I don't know. I mean, beating a seed at a Grand Slam, it's good any way you look at it. No matter who it was, I think it's a good win.

LINDA WILD: You know, I think the women's game, I don't want to be hard on the press, but it seems the women's game seems to be a lose-lose situation because the TV ratings is like, Linda Wild, who is that? She's in the quarters. If we don't get knock-offs, I don't know how many seeds are out now, is it ten out of the women's game, and if we don't knock them off, it's like women's tennis has no depth, negative press with that. Seems like the men's game, it seems to always be positive. Seems the women's game is the best it's ever been as far as depth. I think on any given day, anybody can beat anybody. Back ten years ago, and I think even Tracy will say this, it was just kind of a given. Even when I first started on the Tour in '90, it was given that you were going to win maybe one or two rounds in a Grand Slam. You hear of some of these people, might be claycourters or whatever, just the game is so much tougher now. You have to go out there and be playing your best every day.

LINDA WILD: I'm not sure. The changes? I'm on the board now. There's no changes.

LINDA WILD: Yeah, there's a lot of new people in there. I think, you know, a lot of the players wanted some different faces and different ideas. I think maybe that's why the board has different people.

LINDA WILD: No. I think just new faces and just fresh ideas, different things like that. I mean, I'm not sure. I'm not sure what the players think.

LINDA WILD: No. I think all the players -- I don't know. I mean, they voted, so. And I think -- my understanding, just talking with players, just seems like they wanted, you know, fresh faces, some change. They were hoping that maybe we could do something. But I don't know what's going to happen, so.

LINDA WILD: Uh-huh.

LINDA WILD: Actually what happened is I got hepatitis when I was there. There was like 80 cases or so. It was kind of a blessing in disguise. I came home, was in the hospital for a couple days. Just being at school, I kept telling my coach that I wasn't happy. I was getting a lot of pressure because I was playing the professional Tour as an amateur, playing for the school, trying to go to school. There was just a lot of stuff going on in my life. I didn't know anybody out there. I'm glad I went because it was a great experience. Looking back now, I can say, "Yeah, I went to school for three months." I'm glad I went. I didn't miss anything. I was mainly out there drinking beers and partying, not learning a whole lot. I came home. I recovered for about a month or two months and turned pro in 1990, qualified for the Chicago tournament, beat Arantxa in the first round. That's kind of like that's where I was meant to be, so.

LINDA WILD: Is your question is Lindsay going to keep fighting or just give up?

LINDA WILD: Yeah, definitely. I mean, she's the player, though, that -- Sanchez and some of the other players, Sabatini, is the type of player that's not going to give you a point, where Lindsay is going to go for her shots. Like I said, she's either going to make them or she's going to miss them.

LINDA WILD: No. I heard a few cheers. He was on my side.

STEVE WILD: We figured it was a fair fight.

LINDA WILD: Was I shocked?

LINDA WILD: No. I wasn't thinking a whole lot out there, which is best. No. Again, at any moment, you know, I knew Lindsay -- in the second set, she did, she just started smacking stuff, down the line winners that were just unexpected.

LINDA WILD: Like how I prepare before a match?

LINDA WILD: I try to get a little game plan, a little bit how I'm going to play, kind of an A Plan and a B Plan. I just go in and try to do my best, if A is not working, I switch to B. You know, not a whole lot. Just trying to feel comfortable with everything. I guess also, too, just getting in my own world, just staying focused, either on my strings, not looking around too much.

LINDA WILD: Yeah, yeah. You know, I had an idea of how she was going to play. I felt, like, physically good. I didn't feel tired or anything. I was in the hotel most of the morning, came over to the courts around 3, hit about 5, had a little something in my stomach, and off I went.

LINDA WILD: Sorry?

LINDA WILD: I think I play Martinez, don't I? You know, that's going to be just a totally different match. I think it's going to be a lot more physical. She's going to be mixing it up a lot, slice, lobs. You know, again, I think I'm going to go out there and play my game and hope for the best.

LINDA WILD: No, probably not. There, she's not going to give me any points.