VIRGINIA SLIMS CHAMPIONSHIPS

November 14, 1994

Arantxa Sanchez Vicario

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: If I'm what?

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: No.

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: That must be your feelings. I don't think I was negative at all. I think she played better than I did and she went more for the shots the important points and she take more risk. I was a little unlucky there and it happens. If you don't go for it in the circumstances, you can lose the match and that's what happened to me. But I was not negative at all, I just think that I tried to come back after not playing so good at the beginning of the match. I came back doing well at the second set and then in the third set, I was up a break and I had my chances to keep going in front and it couldn't be that way and I kept fighting, we went to the tiebreaker, and I make two errors. Two important shots that I was thinking of going one way and at the end, I changed my mind and I make the mistake, and I think she played very well today. And she's a dangerous player and she went more for the shots than I did at the end and that's why she beat me, but I was not negative at all.

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: If I would not keep my concentration, I could not even go three sets. I don't think that I was negative at all. I mean, I keep concentrating and, you know, fighting and I come back doing much better, playing my own game, and I should have start since the beginning, but sometimes it happens that you don't start so well and I'm coming back pretty good, but at the end she play, you know, better than me, you know, certain points and that's why she beat me.

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: I think she's a dangerous player, she goes for the shots, so when she made that shot, she's very dangerous and today, I was very surprise because even though she doesn't serve so well, today she made good serves when she needed since she won a lot of points too. I was surprised she's not so consistent as she was today, but maybe she has nothing to lose and she went for it and she take more risk than I do at the end and even the, you know, point were closer. I was not so lucky as maybe as other matches, and, you know, I lost. But probably she play, you know, more consistent than normally.

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: I'm not disappointed. I think -- I'm a human being. I cannot win everything. I fight, I give my best, and sometimes it happens that even you went for the shots, sometimes you're not so lucky, and you cannot win these matches. Sometimes going in your hand like happen to me some other matches before, but this time was not on my hands, and I think I've been having a great year and I'm not going to be disappointed because I lost one match right now. I mean, it is not the end of the world. I'm a little bit, maybe. It's the last tournament of the year and you wanted to do well, but nothing happened. Nobody can take what I did this year and it is not going to affect me at all. I'm just going to continue working and start all over again next year.

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: Like I say, she's a player you never know what she's going to do. She can play really well or she can miss all the shots. So, like I said before, I was much surprised that today she was much more consistent and she went for the shots and she made the good shots, down the lines, and it happens that I went also sometimes for my shots, but I didn't do so well as she did at the end. I was a little bit surprised because she's not so consistent as today and she play a great match and she -- that's why, you know, she won at the end of the match.

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: Well, it is not obsession. I think, maybe, you know, it's what I look for always, my career, see if I can try to get the number one player in the world, I'm closer than ever, but I will still be number two in the world. Steffi is number one and she's a great player, she's a great champion, so that's why she's still number one. It's something that I, you know, I'm looking forward to see if I can make the last jump, the last step to see if I can get number one, but I still have to improve a couple of things before I get there and I will continue working and definitely, you know, maybe, you know, see if I can make the last jump, but it's the hardest spot to get and -- but I'm closer than ever and I'm just going to continue working and see what happens, but I'm not in a hurry and it's something that is not only on my mind right now. I just keep enjoying play, improve my game, and, you know, I try definitely next year to see if it can be the year.

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: I have to improve my serve, especially my first serve and especially indoor surface, and today I didn't make a lot of percentage of first serve, and that's one key to win more points, with my serve. And then, you know, try to get a little bit more to the net. But that's all I think I have to do slowly and keep putting it in my game and it's really working well so far, but I still have to improve those things.

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: Well, I moved the ball better and I went more for my shots. I came sometimes to the net and I win more points, that's what I did also the beginning of the third set, but like I did make some mistakes, volleys went long or some shots I went for too much and went long and if I -- I think the important game was 4-3, I couldn't go 5-3 up and I lost my serve. So I gave her the chance to come into the match again and she went more for the shots, made a couple good shots on the lines and it's hard to come back again, but even that situation, that I come from behind, I think I fight, I give, you know, a good points when I needed, but the important points at the end she went more for it and she make, you know, very good points and it makes the difference why she won the match.

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: No, sorry. No, I mean, I'm just going to try to think about doubles now and see what happens and it is not that I don't want to see Martina, but I think I have enough tennis so far and I will try to rest a little bit.

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: Well, I think if I should have start since the beginning like I did in the second set, it would be completely different match. I let her, you know, come into the match, but, I think I I could have served better than I did today and towards the end, I take a little bit of risk, but some shots were very long and I think I was also a little bit unlucky, but she take, you know, good points at the end and that makes a difference why she beat me, but she played better than I did and that's why she beat me.

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: Well, I have a little bit of pain, but it was just from hitting a lot of serves and it was bothering me a little bit, but I try not to think about it at all, and I think during the match I was not, you know, something that was hurting me during the match, but I was doing that because it was hurting me, but that was not the excuse why I lost. I think she play, you know, better.

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: No, no, I had it before, even the week when I played in Oakland, when I won the tournament, something that was bothering me and I think it's something from the indoor courts and the balls, but it was just from two weeks ago. It's nothing that started right now. It's something that I have a pain, but it's nothing really very serious. So I can rest now and it will get better, but nothing that could hurt from that match.

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: I tried to mix it up and I think sometimes she just went for it and she make a good shot on the lines. I think she just decides to go for the shot and she makes good points. I tried to mix it up and I think I was trying to start to her backhand and then go to her forehand and her for behind is a good weapon, she hits a lot of good shots she likes to hit that shot a lot. Sometimes I wait too much in case of just going into the ball a little bit more, and I make some mistakes, but I think in the important points, she take more risk than I did, and that was the difference to win the tiebreaker to lose the match.