US OPEN

August 29, 2001

Monica Seles

MODERATOR: Questions for Monica.

MONICA SELES: Not at all. I think we're just both anxious to come out here. We had to wait like an extra 15 minutes after we warmed up. You know, I never played her. I never played a person that hits one hands both sides. Going into the match, I didn't know what to expect. I played so well in the first set. Second set got a little bit closer than I probably would have liked.

MONICA SELES: Yeah, I had a lot of errors today, both on my serves and groundstrokes. At least hopefully errors in a match like today are acceptable. Hopefully, I can improve upon them and not have them for my next match, that's for sure.

MONICA SELES: It felt really great. Last year, you know, I finished so high up in the rankings, I had some good tournaments, but I never got to break through those couple players. It was nice to be able to do that this year so soon after being off the tour for a long time. So, it just shows that I have a lot of hard work to do ahead of me, to try to stay healthy, and really pick tournaments smartly. You know, each time you beat all those players, it's a tremendous thing for your confidence.

MONICA SELES: I don't know. Probably a combination of not making as many errors as I used to, moving better in most matches. You know, some matches you can't do it. Like tonight, I definitely was not at a level that I would want to be against a top player. Hopefully, I'll pull it together.

MONICA SELES: It's very different. She can hit two hands, too. She chokes up on the racquet. She's a player that has nothing to lose, coming through quallies. You never know what to expect out there. Obviously, center court has a lot of wind, between the two sides, it's different. It was just a little bit hard for me to read her shots tonight.

MONICA SELES: No, this would probably be it.

MONICA SELES: Yeah, definitely. Take some of my own medicine a little bit (laughter).

MONICA SELES: For me personally, really not. I truly just look at part of the draw that I play next. I don't like to look too far ahead. In a Grand Slam, anything can happen. Throughout my career, I learned that the hard way. Just taking it each match differently. But I do want to be much more up and everything for matches if I get that far. They're going to be really difficult for me.

MONICA SELES: My agent Tony Godsick at IMG got in touch with Mike. I'm really happy. I played against him in mixed doubles, Team Tennis. Obviously, I've known him. He's just fantastic. He's obviously a fantastic player, a great guy. I'm really happy.

MONICA SELES: No, I really don't. No. Maybe that's good, it's not, I don't know. I really don't. I just go in, play every match the best I can, practice hard in between. To win a Grand Slam, I have to beat three or four tough matches really at least. Now it's probably four with the way the seedings have gone up to 32. Makes the first few rounds a little bit easier. But that's been kind of my attitude in my career. I mean, in the beginning, you didn't really get tough matches till the quarters, but now they're starting from the Round of 16.

MONICA SELES: In some ways I like it, in some ways I don't. It does protect the players out of those few players not playing in the first round. It does take away the excitement of having upsets at the same time. I'm kind of torn between them.

MONICA SELES: Yeah, definitely. I mean, yeah, for sure. I hate to go back and create controversy. I'm not into that. For sure, it was. It was also tough. I was at that point on the Player Council. I didn't hear about it from anybody that it was even being talked about. But that was a decision they made. I've made my own decision. What can you do?

MONICA SELES: Right now, I'd never say never. I don't plan to go.

MONICA SELES: Don't plan to go, huh-uh.

MONICA SELES: Nothing to do with that. It's just a lot of things that have happened, that for me just made the incident very complicated. It's a very complicated issue.

MONICA SELES: Definitely I'm going to lose a lot of points. I'm going to have to try to make up for them. It was good that I played well in California. That would be the toughest. Also winning, it's almost like the fifth Grand Slam really. You know, that's there for the next three years. For me, that doesn't exist in my head at least.

MONICA SELES: Yeah, which hopefully I can use for my benefit. I'm going to take two months off, if not more, at the end of this year, just be fresh physically and mentally for Australia.

MONICA SELES: No, not being able to train. That's why I'm kind of looking forward to it. If my body stays healthy, it will be really good. It will a good way to start the Australian Open, too. Make the most of it, what you can't change.

MONICA SELES: I just really needed three days of a break just to be safe for my foot. I've learned from my past mistakes that when I get healthy, I want to play everything, then I get injured again. So this time I was on the borderline of that. I decided to take three days off and then started training two days. We got up here Friday.

MONICA SELES: I think about it often. Where I came from, there were a lot of tragedies happening even to my classmates. I'm very aware of that. Gosh, I'm so thankful for that really for my family, you know, not every day, but I have a sense of that, very thankful for where I am in my life. You know, a lot of things could have been very different for me.

MONICA SELES: Yeah, some very sad stories.

MONICA SELES: Really, truly I've just been practicing mostly because I feel I have to keep practicing. But I do come up to New York on the weekends. I have some friends that live here, so I do come visit and do stuff. During the tournament, like I used to do, I can't do that anymore. I've really got to stay a lot more focused.

MONICA SELES: He's been a terrific supporter of mine, not just now, but since my early days of my career. That's meant a lot to me, that he has just been so great throughout the time I was away from the sport and everything. He is just such an amazing person. I've learned so much from him when we have breakfast or dinners or stuff like that. Just been very lucky to have known him.

MONICA SELES: I did talk to him on the phone.

MONICA SELES: He just says to enjoy life really. Sometimes I take things very seriously. He says, "Just enjoy it." That lightens me up.

MONICA SELES: I haven't even looked into at all who is running. Sorry.