NASDAQ-100 OPEN

March 26, 2003

Meghann Shaughnessy

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: Yeah, I was actually frustrated through most of the match. Just was difficult, when I knew I had the chance and I didn't take it. So that was what I was upset about.

MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: Of course, I went out to the match thinking I could win. I do that before every match. The first set, we had quite a few momentum changes. I was a little bit lucky to pull it out there in the end. In the second set, I had a couple chances to break that I didn't convert. In the tiebreaker, you know, I just played too defensively. That was the problem. I had some chances and didn't go for it.

MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: I don't feel any differently emotionally playing her or playing anyone else.

MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: That's what I'm saying. I don't have -- I don't feel personally different playing her than I do playing anybody else.

MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: Yeah, of course I'm going to walk away from this tournament with a lot of positives. I played a great match the other night, played a good first couple of rounds. I just need to learn from it, you know. This is what it's all about, is having these experiences and learning from it and getting better every day.

MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: No. I mean, goes both ways. There's close calls both ways, so that has nothing to do with it.

MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: I think having the opportunity to win it sooner depends on how I'm playing. In tennis today, you have to step up and play aggressively to get a short ball, and that's what was my problem today. I was kind of waiting for things to happen. Playing against a great player like Jennifer, I've got to make it happen.

MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: I think, you know, she came back out on the court in the beginning of the third set all fired up, played a couple really good points. I lowered my level a little bit. So just between those two factors, that was the break.

MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: Yeah, I prefer not to think about that. Yeah, it was a little bit sloppy with my feet there. If I would have put a little more intensity, there's no way to miss that shot. But it happens. All I can do is laugh about that now. But I may have some bad dreams about that one.

MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: I was running kind of diagonally to the outside of the court. All I had to do was just put it right there. Can we change the subject (smiling).

MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: I'm going home now and I'm going to start again in Charleston.

MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: She said, "Tough match."

MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: Yeah, definitely. Like I said, I'm going to walk away from this tournament with a lot of positive thought in my mind, but I have a lot of room for improvement. That's the good thing. I feel like I have so many errors still to work on. I'm going to go home, do that, continue to work hard and it's just going to get better.

MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: Valrico.

MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: A lot. I think, mentally, I've matured a lot in the last year. I'm learning to enjoy myself a little bit more, practicing and playing. Physically, I've gotten a lot stronger in the last two years. It's slowly, you know, it's all starting to come together. So I'm happy about that.

MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: Yeah, definitely, that's an area I'm working on. My instinct is to stay on the baseline a lot more. I'm trying to work on going forward a little more and finishing points at the net. That's a key thing I need to do to take it to the next level.

MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: Yeah, definitely. I think playing in big tournaments like this, having big opportunities to play the best players and have victories is the best thing you can do. Like I said, I'm just going to -- that's not what I like to focus on. I just like to focus on myself and getting better every day and I know those type of things are going to come.

MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: I'm going home now for a week and then I'm going to start in Charleston, then go to Amelia. Then I have Fed Cup the week after that. Then I'm going to start in Europe, over in Berlin.

MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: Well, I wouldn't just specifically say Venus and Serena. I think more players are beginning to believe that they can beat the top players. The level is so close these days, it's really just a matter of who believes that they belong there. It's not always about tennis, it's usually not about tennis. It's who really believes that they're the best and who really believes that they're gonna win the match.

MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: I do. I'm beginning to believe, and believing more and more every day. But I still have some hesitations and that's what showed today; in the tiebreaker there, I had a couple returns that I hesitated and just didn't go for it. But I believe a lot more now than I used to and it's getting more every day. It's something I'm working on and I know that when I do believe in myself 100 percent, and I know that is gonna happen, that that's when I'm going to reach my potential.

MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: Yeah. It's kind of a strange match. There were a lot of momentum changes, so it's hard to just pick out one part that was, you know, the best part of the match because there were so many changes.

MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: Yeah, sure.

MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: That question keeps coming up every day. I wouldn't say that's true. Right now, Serena's playing better, she's having the better results. But Venus is capable of the same thing that Serena is, I believe. There's other players capable of the same thing. So I wouldn't -- they're playing better than everyone else right now, but I wouldn't put them at another level from everyone else.

MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: I just love the opportunity to represent the US. I think that's such an honor. To be on a team like that is just great. I'm really excited. Last year, I had the opportunity to twice and I had a lot of fun with Billie Jean there. I don't think I've ever met anyone who loves the game more than her. We just spent a lot of hours on the court, just trying to get better. That's what it's all about.

MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: My physical program?

MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: Yeah, for two years now I've been training at Athletes Performance in Tempe with Mark Verstegen. Like I say all the time, he's just pretty amazing. He's changed me entirely. I've gotten so much stronger and so much faster and more durable, everything. But I love it, you know. The physical aspect of it, for me, is not even an effort. I love to go to the gym and work out. It's something I've enjoyed doing since I was eight years old. So it's a lot of fun for me and I'll continue to do that.

MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: Training day diet? I'm a pretty healthy eater. Little bit too much chocolate, but I watch what I eat and...

MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: Yeah, putting on weight is hard for me. But I am, I'm putting on weight, working out quite a bit and putting on some muscle. So it's working.

MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: Well, it varies a lot. It depends on what part of the season it is, how much I'm training, how healthy I'm feeling. But typically, I'll go in there and spend a good four or five hours, you know. It's not four or five hours of just weights, but it's two or three hours of a lot of intense, all kinds of explosive work, weights, then it's an hour of stretching and all kinds of things to make sure I stay healthy. So it's a good half of my day when I'm there at home.

MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: Yeah, we do a lot of -- monitor the heart rate while I'm working out to make sure that it keeps to improve (sic). Different, sometimes do the treadmill, sometimes versaclimber, sometimes I go outside and run. We just keep it a little bit of variety, keep it exciting.