WIMBLEDON

June 23, 2003

Kim Clijsters

KIM CLIJSTERS: Definitely. I mean, I played pretty well at the end of the Rosmalen. I was happy to let my game get into this week and have that level, the same level. That's always tough in the beginning of a Slam to be right on your game. You know, to have a match like this is obviously great. I was feeling the ball very well. It's always nice to have one of those, yeah.

KIM CLIJSTERS: No, I wasn't.

KIM CLIJSTERS: No, not more or not less than any other match would have been in front of me, no.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Well, it all depends on the time that you have. Of course, I -- I think -- I didn't have a big gap between the French and Wimbledon here. But I felt like I needed some matches. I think Rosmalen is the perfect tournament to get a few matches under your belt before getting into the third Grand Slam of the year. But it all depends on how much time you actually have and how many weeks before. At the French, I didn't do it, I didn't play a tournament before, because I played Berlin and Rome. But here I felt like it was necessary to have those first few matches on grass, yeah.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Well, I'll work as hard as possible. There's not more than I can do. I'll definitely fight as hard as I can and I'll do everything a hundred percent. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, you know, I can't blame myself for not trying or not trying hard enough.

KIM CLIJSTERS: I don't know. You know, there's a lot of players at the moment that are playing really well and that have a big chance, I think. So it's just a matter of being professional. I think a lot of the details count I think once you get further into the tournament.

KIM CLIJSTERS: I do. I think you play well in places where you feel well. And definitely Wimbledon is, you know, a place that means a lot to me, and I love coming here and I love the atmosphere, because I played Juniors final here a few years ago, three or four years ago. So that was obviously very, very nice, as well. And that made me sort of like enjoy coming back to Wimbledon even more. So I definitely feel like this Grand Slam means more to me, I think, than any other one, yeah.

KIM CLIJSTERS: I don't know. I think, you know -- last year I think it was a matter -- I mean, I hardly practiced since I had my shoulder injury, coming into Wimbledon, and the French then, as well. It's just a matter of the preparation that wasn't good enough. I think the year before I lost to Lindsay, who is obviously a good grass court player, as well. I don't think I've definitely played my best tennis here, you know, so far, definitely not in the last few years.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Well, you know, I mean, of course I would love him to win. But, you know, tennis is tennis. You go with two on the court. If your opponent is better, there's nothing more that you can do, just give yourself a hundred percent and keep fighting until it's finished. I'm sure that's what he did, as well. So it's hard. Of course, like I said, I would have loved him to, you know, win that match. But there's a hundred other players who, you know, also want to win their first matches. So, of course, it's not nice for him to go through this now, but I'm sure he'll get over it.

KIM CLIJSTERS: No, no. Of course, you know, I would rather see him win, but I'm not shocked. I think as a tennis person you know how hard it is to be out there and to play those first rounds. You know, maybe not for me today, but I think in some other occasions I've had pretty tough matches as well, and other occasions there have been a lot of top players who lost in early rounds. So I don't think it's a matter of being shocked. I think it's a matter of understanding the game I think a little bit.

KIM CLIJSTERS: I think it was pretty good to have that doubles the next day, as well, because I could sort of focus towards that a little bit more and not really reflect on what happened. And then when I went home, the next thing I was going to Rosmalen and practicing on grass. It was sort of a completely different view, different circumstances, as well. So I don't think I really had -- sometimes it can be a good thing in tennis, you know, to not have that much time, and sometimes, you know, it can be a negative thing, as well. You win a tournament, you don't have that much time to enjoy it as much. But, no, I mean, I don't -- if -- you know, I felt great about the way my clay court season has been. You know, I couldn't have done much better. So if, you know, the results at the French would come the same as here, then, you know, of course I would be super, super happy I think, yeah.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Oh, I don't care. I really don't care. Any would be nice, of course. I don't really have a preference. They're both 50/50.