WIMBLEDON

July 3, 2003

Kim Clijsters

KIM CLIJSTERS: You just went through it all.

KIM CLIJSTERS: The same. I mean, you know, I felt after that rain break, I mean, she came back stronger. And, you know, she, you know, she started even, you know, with that stomach strain, or I don't know what her real -- what her problem was, but she was still serving pretty hard, 117 and stuff like that. So she was still, you know, hitting the ball very hard. I think even better than in the beginning. And, you know, I felt like, you know, I played a great match out there. I think it was very -- you know, I mean the rallies I think were unbelievable. And just, you know, being a part of it was great, obviously. But, you know, I still felt like I had some chances, I mean, that second set and in the third set as well. Although it was 6-1, I still felt it could have been a lot closer.

KIM CLIJSTERS: No, no, not at all. I mean, you don't really -- you just try to play your game and not really worry about what's happening with her. Obviously, I cannot feel what she's feeling. So it's very hard for me to judge that. But the only thing you can do at that time is just focus on yourself.

KIM CLIJSTERS: I don't even know when it actually happened. You know, I asked her about it in the locker room. She said it was in the beginning of that -- of that first set, and, you know, and I could obviously see that, you know she wasn't serving as fast during that first set. And, obviously, you know, I don't know what happened, you know, during that rain break. But when she came back, she was serving even harder than in the beginning. But, I mean, I think adrenaline as well can -- once you know that it's taped and you're safe, you know, you cannot make it worse - I don't know what the problem is - but then you can obviously go, and obviously on adrenaline you can do a lot of things.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Yeah, well, I think so. I don't really remember it that much, the level that, you know, of all our matches. But I think so. I think, you know, in the rallies she hardly missed anything at the end. You know, we were both hitting the ball pretty hard and, you know, I think we had some amazing backhand, backhand rallies out there. It was just, yeah, she was very, you know, very powerful. And, you know, just dictating, you know, very -- down the line, cross-court, she was really doing what she wanted. And she wasn't even missing a lot of the returns that she was doing in the first set.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Well, I think, I mean, if you watch her at the end, I think she was playing really well. She was serving a lot better at the end. She was, you know, moving very good as well. I felt like in a lot of ways, you know, against almost every other player, except probably Serena, a lot of my shots would have been a winner. But against her, you just have to expect a lot of the balls back. Even the courts are getting a bit worse and worse and there's a few bad bounces here. If you just can make that ball back, you never know what happens.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Sure. I think on adrenaline, there's, you know, you can do so much I think on adrenaline. But I don't really recall, you know -- I think the first time that I've ever called a trainer out on court was in Berlin against Justine where I actually pulled my muscle. So, you know, that was -- ever the first time. So, I mean, I don't -- no, I mean, I just think even with a little bit of pain, I'm, you -- I just don't worry. I just keep playing.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Yes, even that. It's getting very itchy now (smiling).