U.S. OPEN

September 6, 1994

Gabriela Sabatini

GABRIELA SABATINI: Yeah, I think she started to play much better the second set. She was putting those first serves in, and it was hard for me to return them. I don't know, I just tried to stay on the match, and, you know, sometimes she could be -- she's very much up and down and she started to make a lot of errors and I just tried to stay in the match and that's the reason why I came back.

GABRIELA SABATINI: No.

GABRIELA SABATINI: Oh, nice. I will be very happy to. I don't know, I thought -- well, first I missed the first backhand volley. I had it right there and, you know, it was kind of hard to hit it. I don't know, I was getting a little bit tense too at the end and I rushed a little bit, too, with my serves. I wanted to finish the match and I was rushing a lot and -- but the good thing is that at the end, 30-All I just went for the shots and I went for my serve, I put those first serves in and it was just good. I played -- I think I got out of it very well.

GABRIELA SABATINI: It's very hard to play Gigi because she's not very consistent in any -- it's hard to play with someone who is like that, doesn't give you much freedom. I played very good the first set, but I wasn't still feeling like I was playing tennis. I was really doing a lot of things. She doesn't give you chances to really play a lot, and the second set she started to come in very much on every single ball, and she does that very well. That's her game.

GABRIELA SABATINI: I don't think that would be the reason at all. You know, like, could have been a little part of it, but I don't think it is a big reason why I haven't won a tournament.

GABRIELA SABATINI: Well, because I wasn't happy or, you know, -- yeah, it wasn't probably what I needed-- exactly what I needed, or I wasn't happy 100%.

GABRIELA SABATINI: Get a lot of things. I know him from before, actually, last year, we practiced together for a week, and I like him a lot as a person and I think he knows very much about tennis on the court. He knows very well, what he's doing. He has a lot of experience and he's very determined. He has a lot of good combinations, everything.

GABRIELA SABATINI: I think I'm hitting the ball better, more aggressive. My shots are more in balance and I'm moving better and I'm just hitting everything better, being more aggressive.

GABRIELA SABATINI: Yeah, it has a lot to do. I start to have a lot of confidence in the last few weeks, especially with my game, with everything. I'm feeling much more comfortable.

GABRIELA SABATINI: Yeah, I'm going to have to be very aggressive and fight a lot. It's going to be a different match, you know, I'm going to play more tennis and, you know, just be aggressive and be consistent.

GABRIELA SABATINI: Yeah, I guess you have to go back to your basics, like say, okay, take your time and, you know, this is how you're going to hit it. And just be focused. Because you go away, you lose your concentration, you go away and you forget what you have to do.

GABRIELA SABATINI: I don't know. Maybe I think about some guy or -- no.

GABRIELA SABATINI: Yeah.

GABRIELA SABATINI: Yeah, in a way, yeah. In a way, I was kind of -- I would say more frustrated with, you know, losing to people that I shouldn't be losing to, and that was very hard. I had some very tough moments and sometimes I thought of maybe stopping for some period of time, you know, because it was really frustrating. It was hard.

GABRIELA SABATINI: Yeah, I believe I can. I feeling very good, and I'm just going to have to take a lot of risk.

GABRIELA SABATINI: This was during French, after the French.

GABRIELA SABATINI: Yes, uh-hum, fortunately, because of my shoulder, I had to take some time off. I took about a month, maybe more. I didn't play tennis for like 20 days, so that helped a lot.

GABRIELA SABATINI: I need a big victory. I don't know what could be -- it could be against the player or it could be a tournament. I'm here to win the tournament, and I'm feeling good now, so, I'm going to try to do everything I can. I have nothing to lose.

GABRIELA SABATINI: Yeah, mentally, I think everything is getting together, because sometimes if you only play technically or physically, feeling well, but not that mentally it is not 100%, you're not there. I feel everything is there, mentally, I want it, and I'm eager.

GABRIELA SABATINI: Yeah, I probably had moments where I wasn't feeling that way. Definitely I had moments like that.

GABRIELA SABATINI: Not when I'm playing there. I don't think I need to think like that, because -- well, I have it, I have it inside, it is not that I need to go back to something when I won here. I have it there. It is a matter of just, you know, thinking about it and just, you know, just do it.

GABRIELA SABATINI: Technically, I think so, yeah. Much better.