PILOT PEN TENNIS

August 27, 1999

Monica Seles

Q. You seemed to be a bit awe-struck certainly in that first set with some of those shots that she was coming up with. Did you feel shell shocked out there?

MONICA SELES: She just started off playing so well and I gave her the second serves and she didn't flink (sic) at them. She just hits them, clean winners. I think that put a lot of pressure on me and I started serving worse and worse. She just really played unbelievable. I don't think she gave me really any free points in the first set.

MONICA SELES: She is obviously a very good player so, whenever you play a top player you know it is going to be a tough match. If someone is a good player and she is so on, it is tough. I was having a hard time finding my rhythm and the balls were going 100 miles per hour. It is not a fun situation to be in.

MONICA SELES: Definitely helped me hang in there. Not get really frustrated when things just started off so badly for me.

MONICA SELES: I haven't seen Lindsay today at all.

MONICA SELES: I haven't looked at those notes, I don't know. I know I played Venus two times. I don't know how many times Lindsay. I don't know about Lindsay.

MONICA SELES: She has a better record too, I think.

MONICA SELES: About playing Venus tonight?

MONICA SELES: No. Definitely not.

MONICA SELES: I just think Lindsay will have one huge advantage, she is serving a lot better than I am. I think if you don't hold your own games there is no pressure on the server. That will be a main difference that Lindsay is going to serve some aces and that is tough. Lindsay has a different returning style. But if Venus is playing as well as she did tonight, it is a different story. But I think from the past matches they played, Lindsay has come out a better player. But that could change any time.

MONICA SELES: Yeah, I actually enjoy hitting it, but I think at this point in my career it will be hard to go just change it to one-handed forehands all the time.

MONICA SELES: I would have to say Serena is up there. Steffi's forehand definitely is up there and Lindsay's. There are four, five girls that are hitting the ball. Probably Mirjana, I would say, among those four, but athletically, I mean, she is, I think, probably one of the strongest ones.

MONICA SELES: I am happy, I just-- I had really good results, but still it is a tough one. If I want to play better I have to beat the players like Martina and Venus. And it will be nice to do that, but I am happy. I was worried about being too tired going into the Open - it is a tough two-week event and everything, but just look forward now I guess to the Open; have to refocus. It is going to be a little bit of adjustment with the surface and just hope for the best there.

MONICA SELES: Come out playing a little bit better, a little bit better serving, I think. My serve just really let me down, but against a few players, four, five players on Tour, if you are not serving well and not playing well; not returning, they are not going to give you a chance. Venus punished me because of that.

MONICA SELES: Yeah, but I mean, when you start leading immediately 3-Love, that gives you so much confidence. I know as a player when that happens to me it is a different story than when it's 2-1. Once she gets on a roll, she is a player that has all the shots. Physically she is very strong so it is a very tough one to try to change the momentum.

MONICA SELES: I mean, you just always feel close calls, but that is what they decided and you go with it.