US OPEN

September 2, 1999

Monica Seles

USTA: Okay, first question.

MONICA SELES: Definitely. I didn't want to have a repeat of that match. I got a little bit -- my mind left me at 5-1. So I was just happy that I toughened it out there, that 5-3 game.

MONICA SELES: Well, I just think it was, you know, 5-1, I thought this is going to be it, I'm serving with the wind, this is going to be too easy. It was really windy out there. It was very good to see me this early on while I can still pull out a match as the rounds go along, those things can't happen. It's good that it happened today.

MONICA SELES: I'm really happy, yes.

MONICA SELES: Hmm? Yeah, I'm feeling fine. I've been playing two hard weeks. I've gotten to play a lot of matches, both singles, doubles, I feel fine coming into this tournament. I have no injuries. You know, just look forward to playing here.

MONICA SELES: I think definitely -- there's a lot of focus on Martina, Lindsay, Venus and Serena. They totally deserve it. They played better tennis this summer than I have. I only got to play really two tournaments. So definitely they're more favorite than I am. But as always, it's a two-week event. I think as all the players know, anything can happen. I just look forward to the next match.

MONICA SELES: No, it does not matter. I don't care. Doesn't matter.

MONICA SELES: I just love to play. I mean it's definitely not matches. It's nothing like that. I just love to practice. I think I enjoy it more than probably a year ago, because I think probably the last four weeks of this summer for the first time in my life I really have no outside problems. And it's been really nice. I've really enjoyed the last four weeks of my life. If I can just have this for the next two years, I'd be really happy.

MONICA SELES: Just to have no other problems in my life. Just to really be able to play and focus on my tennis fully, like every other player -- not every other player, but the majority of the Top 10 players right now.

MONICA SELES: It's one of the toughest Grand Slams just because of the wind. For whatever reason, since they built the new stadium there's just so much wind there. You have to be playing smart tennis out there, which if it would be a neutral court it would be a lot better. The courts are playing fast this year, which I like, but it took me a little while to get used to coming from a very slow court last week. And everything else is fine, I mean it's a Grand Slam and you have to like everything about it, at least you try.

MONICA SELES: It is. It's just constant. You talk to every player. One side, you're just so much wind to wind. The other side you're so into the wind. I've never played on a single court in my life that has this much wind.

MONICA SELES: Totally different. It's really weird, if you open the doors down where the level is, then there's no wind. But if the doors are closed, the wind just gets stuck and it's terrible.

MONICA SELES: Definitely. I think if they would do that -- but I think all the players need to get together, but all the players are just complaining right now and doing nothing about it. So we just have to depend on that.

MONICA SELES: Uh-huh.

MONICA SELES: I still do. It depends which ones, obviously my dad's death is totally different than that and other things. So I try it. I mean that I definitely do, because that's a different type of memory for me. But my father passed away, that's a little harder. I truly miss him at the tennis court and at my practices. It's just really hard, kind of. It's been hard to find direction, where my tennis game should be leading, where my dad would lead me. Like Martina, her mom in Wimbledon, it was hard for her. I lost him for the rest of my career. That's a little tougher.

MONICA SELES: We have been on the same track in some ways, some ways not really, too. But I was, you know, I just think it was terrific she retired on her own terms at a great point in her career. And I just felt you could see that she was so much content with a lot of things at the French, even before she won it. It was just great to see that side of Steffi. She just did what you can do in tennis. There's not much you can do. She has a fantastic life ahead of her. I just think that's great.

MONICA SELES: Well, I think my condition was very different. It was one of those matches that I hate to look back upon. Silvia is obviously a very tough player. She's a Top 20 player. And obviously she and I had some weird matches or very easy or very difficult. And I think she played very well today. It's hard for me to compare to her to Antonia, that was just a very painful match for me to be in.

MONICA SELES: I think my next match will be similar to Farina, it's going to be with a Top 25 player, either Habsudova or Sugiyama and both like to play on the surface. That should be a really good match, a very difficult match for me.

MONICA SELES: It is, but really before Fed Cup I beat her on clay 6-Love, 6-1. What happened there was difficult. I just had all those hand problems. But definitely, still it's always good to come out against a player that you've lost to and you're playing in a stadium and it's really high stakes, just to know that you could play well, the key points.

MONICA SELES: That's so hard for me to compare. Sorry, it's hard.

MONICA SELES: (Laughing.)

MONICA SELES: I usually travel with my hitting partners, Elton (ph), and then the last two weeks I had Jim Arias with me. It's been really great. You know, to have someone who can help me with my game and everything. You know, we'll see after the Open who I have but I definitely need somebody.

MONICA SELES: I think it's terrific to see how well Jennifer is playing and how focused she is. A lot of credit has to go to her coach, Harold, who's done a terrific job with her. I've got to see her play in Toronto, two weeks ago, and she's just playing better and better.

MONICA SELES: Uh-huh.

MONICA SELES: Yeah. I mean Jimmy's hit with me when I was a child at Academy and he has hit with me when my dad was coaching me. He's hit with me when I came back and he hits with me a lot when I'm home. He lives close to me. It's been great he could come to the next few tournaments, he's playing the over-35s, and he's played last year on the Tour. I've been lucky with that. It's great to have that insight, what I need to work on my game, what the other players are doing. I didn't have that really for quite some time, and it's nice that I have that right now.

MONICA SELES: Just some really great memories. It was such a tight match, to finish in a tiebreaker and go to the Finals was really big for me because I never kind of thought I would do well at the US Open, especially the year before when I lost in the third round, and I kind of didn't like the tournament. And to win that match, when I lost to Jennifer the week before, was terrific. And it was a very hard hitting match and all that stuff.

MONICA SELES: Wow. Wow. I didn't know that. Wow. It's hard, because I can't relate to Jennifer. I mean it's hard for me. I've never had those problems, so I don't know. But I just think it's terrific that she's trying to put her life back together. She's still so young. And even, you know, once her tennis career is over, it's great to see that in general her life is going the right way. She's a very tough competitor and she definitely has the game. I think it's terrific that she realizes she needs to do things now and not wait too much longer.

MONICA SELES: I truly just love to hit. I really never enjoyed playing matches, even as a youngster. I just loved to practice and drill and that stuff. Off the court, I mean I like the same things as everybody else. I love to go to movies, spend some time with my friends, my dog, and just really being home. It's so nice when I get to be home. A couple of my friends have babies, and just spend some time with them. Very simple things.

MONICA SELES: It's really the same. I've done the same thing when I was 15, 16, maybe it got a little bit difficult there at 17 when I had to deal -- when I withdrew from Wimbledon, suddenly that whole hoopla thing there. But next year I got it back. It was same. Probably only things that were not same for those two and a half years, maybe then it was a little different, my life.

MONICA SELES: No. I just hate the whole thought that one is better than the other. It drives me nuts. But I just, you know, never liked it. So..., yeah.

MONICA SELES: I don't know (laughter.) Maybe as a child that's how I was brought up.

MONICA SELES: No, no, no. It's survival out there. If I don't, then the other person will so you go into that automatic mode that you have no choice.

MONICA SELES: I sometimes am and I've been working on that (laughter.) But it's a hard one.

MONICA SELES: I don't know. I want -- I don't want to get to that. I just want to be able to say "no" more to people and "I don't like this," not I like this just for them to be happy. I really don't want to do this, or just be able to say to certain people that even are close to me, that I just don't like this, I don't want to do this. And just part of growing up, I think, and not be such a pleaser.

MONICA SELES: I didn't read today's papers, I played my first match at 11. I really don't like to read the paper before I play.

MONICA SELES: I like it. I know Steffi and I would love it. I do. Some players don't. Martina does not like to play them. I prefer them just because then you have the day to yourself. Or then you play your doubles match. But I just think it's better.

MONICA SELES: I love night matches, too, though, by the way.

MONICA SELES: The difference here, there's a lot more pressure. You're more nervous if you play at night because all day you're just sitting, waiting to play. You come out here, when you play a Tier 1 or Tier 2 event, there's little bit less pressure and you're more relaxed during the day.

MONICA SELES: That would be an unbelievable match for sure. But I don't like to go there. I just like to look forward to my next opponent. Thank you.