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NASDAQ-100 OPENMarch 23, 2002Anna SmashnovaKEY BISCAYNE, FLORIDA THE MODERATOR: First question for Anna, please. Q. Congratulations. It seemed like a hard-fought match. What do you think was the difference in your favor at the end? ANNA SMASHNOVA: No, I think it was a very good match and I played really well I think. I fight until the very last point. I give everything I could possibly give today. Q. Anna, one of the things when normally a top-seeded player gets upset, normally in the first set when the person loses, there's a letdown. What happened with you? I was saying to myself, "You lost the nail-biter, you looked exhausted. All of a sudden you come up with a 3-0 lead." Where did you get that energy? ANNA SMASHNOVA: 3-0 in the third set? 3-1 down. Q. Oh, yeah, that's correct. ANNA SMASHNOVA: I kept on playing. I was not thinking first, second set, second set. I was trying to win every point. Just trying to hang in there until the very last point. Q. What happened with Justine during the delay? Did that distract you? ANNA SMASHNOVA: I went to the bathroom, I took my time as well. It's part of the game. Q. Do you know what was wrong with her? ANNA SMASHNOVA: No, I don't know. Q. Is this your biggest win since your upset at the French Open many years ago of Iva Majoli? ANNA SMASHNOVA: I never beat Iva Majoli. Q. Boy, I'm wrong today. ANNA SMASHNOVA: Yeah. ROB LESLIE: Would you say it's your biggest win? ANNA SMASHNOVA: Yeah, so far, yeah. I mean, for many years. Last week I beat Shaughnessy. She's probably 12 ranked. Justine, I think, is 7. So... Q. You have a really good record this year. You're playing well. What has been the difference for you and how have you been able to have your success? ANNA SMASHNOVA: I worked really well a couple of months in last year, in the end of the year. And I have a very good coach. And most important, I think I'm playing for myself this year from the beginning of the year. I'm not thinking about anything or anybody. I'm just trying to enjoy and play for myself. Q. Is it difficult to focus entirely on your tennis, the way things are back home right now? ANNA SMASHNOVA: I'm not really thinking what back home. It's politics. This is sports. It's two different things, so... I'm just trying to play tennis and to do best, I mean, as I always did - just playing tennis. Q. It was mentioned to me that one of your friends was a victim of the terrorist bombings. Would you like to talk about what happened? ANNA SMASHNOVA: Me, I don't know any friend? What? Q. Okay. You said you weren't thinking of anybody now, but that that was a mistake in the past. Has that been a problem? Have you been thinking of others? ANNA SMASHNOVA: No, I wasn't really playing for somebody else. But there were many things I was thinking - the coach, the parents, what the people think, I win, I lose, too many thoughts around. Maybe it comes with an age, I don't know. It just -- this year has just been different maybe because I'm very happy also in my life. Maybe it's experience, maybe because I work really well and I got a lot of confidence. But I just decided this year that I just want to play for myself and not really think about anyone else, what people will think if I win, if I lose. Q. Is this going to be the year that you do well at a Grand Slam? ANNA SMASHNOVA: I don't know (smiling). I really, really want to, but you never know. It's another tournament, Grand Slam, and you never know what's going to happen. Q. Do you think it's just bad luck when you get to the Slams? ANNA SMASHNOVA: For some reason, I've been losing many first rounds in the Grand Slams. I hope it's going to change this year. I really do hope so. You never know. Q. For us Americans, what happened on 9/11 was such a rarity that it really shocked us. Many of us have not come to terms with it yet. In Israel there's always been a lot of struggle. Is it frightening when you're there? Is it just part of life because it's always happening? ANNA SMASHNOVA: I don't really like to talk about politics. Sorry. I live there, I try not to think about it. When I go home, okay, obviously I will not go to places maybe might be something happening, but I try not to think about it. I go home, it's my home, that's where my parents live. But I train in Italy a lot, so I don't actually go home that much anymore as I used to before. Q. Where in Italy? ANNA SMASHNOVA: Two places, one place is in Rome. That's where I spend a lot of time. Or near Milan0, it's in (inaudible). Q. Why did your family decide to move there? How young were you? ANNA SMASHNOVA: I was 14, it was 12 years ago almost. Because we were Jewish. So we just went to Israel because that's a state for Jewish people. Q. From Minsk, no? ANNA SMASHNOVA: Yeah. Q. How will you be celebrating Passover this year? ANNA SMASHNOVA: I am at the tournament. Hopefully I am going to have a match (laughter). Q. In a couple of weeks you go to Amelia Island. Can you talk about the clay court tournament up there? ANNA SMASHNOVA: Like what? I think it's a very nice event, Amelia. I haven't played in Charleston last year, but I played Amelia once before maybe, or twice. I enjoyed it very much. That's why I decided to go there again this year. Q. Real different setting up there compared to down here? ANNA SMASHNOVA: It's just women's tournament but it's still big tournament and it's really beautiful place because it's on the beach, by the ocean. So... And it's a clay court, so also makes it little bit difference from a hardcourt. Q. You like the idea of the clay? ANNA SMASHNOVA: I like clay, yeah. It's a green clay. It's not as slow as the red clay, but I do like clay very much. Q. Aren't you practicing on that mostly in Italy? ANNA SMASHNOVA: They have both in Italy. They have indoor fast courts, they have clay, and they have hard. So basically everything. But I grew up on clay when I was little in Russia. Q. So how's your Italian? ANNA SMASHNOVA: Not very good. Q. The WTA note says that your coach also happens to be someone that you have a romantic relationship with? ANNA SMASHNOVA: He's my boyfriend. He's been for one and a half year now. But he's not -- he's my full-time coach, but he's got two more players he's coaching who are men players. One is Sanguinetti and one is Suzuki. So he's not always with me. Q. Do you think Justine's feeling a little pressure from having shot up so high in the rankings so quickly? ANNA SMASHNOVA: I don't know what Justine feels. I think she's a great player, and I don't know what... Q. Obviously, you won today. But people have problems with that backhand. How tough is it? ANNA SMASHNOVA: People have problems with the backhand? I was not thinking about the backhand, the forehand, I was just playing the game. I was just trying to win every point out there, that's all. Q. A lot has been written in the last week about women's tennis not having enough depth after the Top 16. Your performance today seemed to indicate someone in the lower rankings could upset someone in the Top 16. What do you think of that? ANNA SMASHNOVA: All the players are really good players, all the 96 and the qualifying. You never know. You can play Top 10 and beat them or you can play No. 200 and lose to them. Every day is a different day and it's a match that starts from 0-0. So you never know what's going to happen. Q. You were looping the ball to her backhand a lot, especially the first set. Was that a strategy or your normal game? ANNA SMASHNOVA: I think is my normal game. I don't think I was looping all the time. Maybe sometimes. Maybe part of it as well, but I think it's my game. I don't actually play flat, I play topspin. So... Q. How long have you been training in Italy? ANNA SMASHNOVA: I started last year. So over a year now. A year and a half basically. But I still go home, so I'm not always going back there. Q. (Inaudible)? ANNA SMASHNOVA: I play Sarasota. Q. You are on the list for that tournament. ANNA SMASHNOVA: No, I'm sure that I'm playing Sarasota unless there is a mistake. I have to check. End of FastScripts…. |
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