XXVI OLYMPIC GAMES

July 29, 1996

Monica Seles

MONICA SELES: I don't think so, I just had too many chances, I didn't take advantage of them. Obviously I couldn't hold my stroke the key times, and that was it. But I didn't feel tired, no.

MONICA SELES: Quite big. I think -- because I had so many chances in the first set and the third set, way too many chances. But she played better when it came crunch time than I did.

MONICA SELES: Well, a little bit, yeah. But, as I say, I had many chances, and I didn't serve it out. And my serve let me down a little bit today when I was hoping it wouldn't. But otherwise I feel I played a good match.

MONICA SELES: No, some I think were almost impossible. But I didn't feel tired -- or I don't feel tired now. But it came down to one or two close points, and it went her way today.

MONICA SELES: No, it was the same as before. I think it's just the timing wasn't there. And that's been the inconsistency that I know. Some days my serve will be there and some days it won't.

MONICA SELES: I don't know. It felt in to me, but that's hard to say. That's what the judges are there for.

MONICA SELES: I still think after the U.S. Open and after Fed Cup. I committed myself to that before the French Open, and I don't want to change it.

MONICA SELES: It's the tear of the labrale, so it's torn. It's just there. For them to make it where it was before, at the Australian Open, they need to reattach it. That's my understanding.

MONICA SELES: Each time you put through a serve, because it's hurting there, yeah.

MONICA SELES: No, I didn't. But I got a chance to see Gail compete and win the hundred meters. But I didn't get a chance to talk to her yet.

MONICA SELES: I think always, yeah. I'm no different than they are. Tennis players in general, because it's a well-known sport. When they come up in the Athletes Village, wow, why did you do that? I did the same with Mohammad Ali, I do some of the things they're doing. But it's really nice to know that other athletes think so highly of you.

MONICA SELES: Not really, no. I was trying to put in my first serves more often, and that key game at 5-4 when I held the very tough one before that, I told myself to put your first serve in. But a lot of times when you want to do that you just keep missing them. I started well off that game at 5-4, I was up 15-love and I think I made a little bit of first error that I probably shouldn't have at that time. And it was gone pretty quick after that.

MONICA SELES: Yeah. Not on clay, but most of the time on every other surface.

MONICA SELES: Yeah, it sunk in right after the match. I was still kind of hoping I'm going to be able to pull it out at some point in the match. But when she broke me 5-All it was, wow, quite a few chances, how many more do you need to close this match off? But I'll just watch Mary Joe and Lindsay who are unfortunately going to play in the semifinals against each other.

MONICA SELES: I try not to compare them. After every loss you're not too happy, but you try to learn and just move on, that's all you can do.

MONICA SELES: I haven't decided yet. I kind of haven't planned it out. So I'll just play it by ear.

MONICA SELES: I wasn't planning to go to basketball before this, because my dad was a triple jumper before, so I think the competition of finals are tonight, and Carlos is in the finals, long jump, so I was planning to go there.

MONICA SELES: First I'll have to qualify. And if I do qualify, yeah, I'll be there.

MONICA SELES: Oh, yeah, for me this has been a great experience. I think for the whole U.S. team. It's been -- it would have been nice to do well here.