US OPEN

September 2, 1999

Sandrine Testud

Q. I'd just like to ask you: Five French woman in the Top 16, how do you feel about this? How proud you are of this? How you can explain it?

SANDRINE TESTUD: Well, yeah, I am proud of this. I think France is proud of having five girls in the Top 16. And way to explain it, I think that we are doing everyone has his own coach, and the Federation, the French Federation is also helping a lot the other ones, younger ones, and it's paying off, I guess. And then after this, there's a lot of work, and it's good to know that, you know, the older ones are still playing pretty good and the young one are coming out; so, we don't want them to be passed us, so we try to keep training hard and I think it's good for all of us.

SANDRINE TESTUD: A center by it, yes. For young, for junior and older one, also. Any players, any top players in France can go there and practice. There is a coach. There is a facilities, there is doctors, anything.

SANDRINE TESTUD: It has been built like I think maybe ten years ago, at least. At least ten years.

SANDRINE TESTUD: Yeah, we do. But tennis, it's a tough -- it's an individual sport, and everyone has is more or less his own coach, and we are doing -- I mean, I'm going doing any my own life on the Tour. It happened that we practice together, of course. We go out for dinner. But more or less, you know, everybody has his own life on the Tour.

SANDRINE TESTUD: Oh, sometimes, yeah, sure.

SANDRINE TESTUD: Yeah, yeah.

SANDRINE TESTUD: No, I really don't mind. It happened to be, you know, in New York, I mean, it's US Open. I mean, the French Open I play in, all of the time, and it doesn't really bother me.

SANDRINE TESTUD: I don't really -- it doesn't really matter to me. I'm -- even if I'm seeded in Paris or not seeded, I might play on a big court. And I can be seeded here and not playing in the big court. That doesn't really make any difference.

SANDRINE TESTUD: Who?

SANDRINE TESTUD: She was giving encouragement? For Fed Cup?

SANDRINE TESTUD: Well, yeah, I don't think she stayed that long in France that it could happen, but for sure, I mean, she plays for France a few years, and it's always good to have a great player like Mary. She's a very good player. She's been in the Top 10 for so many years, and it's good for sure for the younger one to see, you know, the way she plays.

SANDRINE TESTUD: Well, it happened that it was maybe just the match. You know, I just couldn't make it today. I was just tired. Nothing was going in and I didn't feel mentally, you know, that I could get through today. Just felt very tired and I really needed a lot of energy, I feel to win this match today. It was just too much for me.

SANDRINE TESTUD: Well, I guess because I've been playing in the last six weeks in a row. I didn't stop, so I feel like I -- it was a little bit too much for me.