XXVI OLYMPIC GAMES

July 27, 1996

Gabriela Sabatini

GABRIELA SABATINI: Yeah, I felt I had a lot of chances, probably more in the first set. I thought the match was really close. I mean, the whole time, a lot of -- just very close, I felt. For moments I felt like I was in control of the match. You know, I just -- I wasn't very lucky on winning them. I hit the top of the net a few times and -- but, you know, I think I was preparing the point very well, making her move quite a lot. I mean, I am pretty satisfied. This is my first tournament after a while, and I just -- I just need to play a little more. But I am very happy with the way I am playing; the way I am hitting the ball, you know, this is, you know, what I wanted, so.....

GABRIELA SABATINI: Ummm, yes and no, you know, I would have liked to have played Monica, sure, probably not too early. But, you know, I wanted to play some top player, so, you know, it doesn't matter that I had to play Monica right away.

GABRIELA SABATINI: I only played once with her in Canada last year, and I thought she -- her ball was moving a lot faster and she was making more winners. Today she seemed to have problems to finish the points. You know, sometimes she wasn't moving that much as fast as she used to, and I guess she is having problems to move around a little bit too.

GABRIELA SABATINI: Well, it is upsetting. I mean, it affects you quite a lot because nobody feels secure anywhere, and those innocent people -- I mean, anybody can die today in planes, and you are just watching this special event, the Olympics, and I just can't believe that there are people that can do that. So, you know, it changes a little bit how things are. You know, people won't feel as free just to watch a game or to go to anyplace.

GABRIELA SABATINI: No, not really. I mean, you know, we are not too far away from here, so we just did the same thing as we planned.

GABRIELA SABATINI: So you mean because of what happened, it made me --

GABRIELA SABATINI: No, it didn't -- I didn't go to one way or the other. I just went there and tried to play. I mean, of course, I was thinking about it. I kept thinking about it this morning, so, you know, to what point that bothered me, I don't know.

GABRIELA SABATINI: Yeah, just when I woke up.

GABRIELA SABATINI: I don't know yet what I am going to do.

GABRIELA SABATINI: No, no, we didn't. We didn't talk about it.

GABRIELA SABATINI: I would think so. Even harder for her because of what happened to her. I would think so. I mean, it affects just everybody, so I could imagine, you know, for her too.

GABRIELA SABATINI: Well, like I said before, you know, her mind is always very determined, you know, that is what is so good about Monica. Her game, I think she is having a little more problems, you know, compared to before to move around a little bit and, you know, I just felt like I was -- it was very close, I mean, I was -- I could have won that match. I feel like I was in control of the match, you know, which is something that didn't happen the last time I played her.