US OPEN

August 25, 1997

Tara Snyder

Q. How did you feel out there your first ever U.S. Open match, your first ever Grand Slam match? Were you nervous at all? How were you feeling?

TARA SNYDER: Actually before, I was a bit nervous, I mean, normally before I play, I am a little bit nervous, but once I got out there, I felt very calm. And, the thing that I tell myself when I am playing out there is I love playing in New York. It is my favorite tournament. It is almost like I feel like - even though I am not from here - that I am playing in my home. When I am on the court I almost tell myself I am home again because I like the pace of the courts and I like the atmosphere even though it is a bit hectic. I really -- I have always played good tennis here.

TARA SNYDER: Yes.

TARA SNYDER: Definitely. I think my biggest -- of course, my biggest wins have come from the Open, so, maybe it is the city or something, but every time I come into New York I feel like I am playing pretty much my best tennis and going into this tournament, that is why I laid off a week or two just so I could kind of rest my shoulder and get my mind ready to play because I knew that this -- all the tournaments throughout the year, if I could do well in one tournament, this is always the tournament I pick because it is here in the States.

TARA SNYDER: Yes.

TARA SNYDER: When I play Monica I am going to go out and really try and concentrate not on the person who I am playing because it is such a big name, but actually concentrate a lot on the ball. And, I think that is hard to do. Sometimes you get into playing the player instead of just playing the ball, and, seeing what is coming over. But, it is definitely going to be a new experience. I think it will be fun to go out in the new stadium. It is the first time ever playing in front of a crowd that size. I mean, I have never played anywhere close to that size of a crowd. And, I will probably, like today, just leave it in God's hands.

TARA SNYDER: Yeah.

TARA SNYDER: Yeah, because it was kind of nice. It was really nice going out and playing and I kind of felt, like, a little bit of the wind. When you are in the stadium it does a bit of swirl. So I was able to kind of see how the court plays and how the wind is and in the big stadium like that. So, I definitely got to feel the whole atmosphere. You always imagine playing in it. Like when I win my first round, I am going to be playing here. So, when I was out there I was also thinking and trying to kind of take everything in.

TARA SNYDER: It is great being from a small town unlike Houston or where I am currently living you have a lot -- we don't have that many professional athletes. Especially tennis players, so when I go home and I won the U.S. Open, I came home. They had limousines waiting, all three TV stations because we only have like three news stations. So, I have done radio interviews, and news and so I have kind of -- it is really nice because you go home and you do feel like kind of like you are celebrity. But, I also realize that it is -- it is a small town, so, that is why I actually think it is nicer coming from a small town because I know everyone. Like I know the newspaper guys since was like five. (Laughter.) So, it is great. You get a lot of press.

TARA SNYDER: I know. It is funny, he used to watch me play when I was five years old when I was out there with my dad. So, now he loves to come any time I am playing and write articles.

TARA SNYDER: Bob Strattun.

TARA SNYDER: Yeah, but not to that extent. Amazing thing, when I went back to my elementary school to see my gym teacher who was one of my favorite PE teachers, he taught me a lot of eye-hand coordination, juggling and that helps in tennis. I went there every week. He told me -- they feature pro athletes like Michael Jordan, a lot of different sports and one week they had Tara Snyder. They had a Tara Snyder picture. Everyday they would kind of talk about my tennis, so when I came into this school, I was had like -- hundreds of little kids came up for autographs, "Sign my shirt and hand." I said this is my old elementary school. I think everyone knows me there because I have been there for so long that I know -- I am friends with everyone, so I don't have like people "Hey, can I have your autograph" off the street. Going to my old elementary school and having a lot of younger kids that don't know me coming up, it is really nice. So, I just want to set a good example for a lot of kids in Wichita to know that they can do something with their lives like positive, you know.

TARA SNYDER: Yeah.

TARA SNYDER: Yeah, definitely watch Monica and just kind of see what it would be like to play in the stadium and watch Tommy Ho, who is also from Houston, who works with my coach. And, like every night do a lot of praying because I think that has helped me more than anything is the religion part of it. So, definitely do a lot of praying and just relaxing.

End of FastScripts….