XXVI OLYMPIC GAMES

July 27, 1996

Monica Seles

MONICA SELES: But the fans have been unbelievable, and it definitely pulled me through in the second set, that is for sure, and just all throughout the match. But when it came to big time for me, at least in the second set, in the middle of it, they helped me tremendously. Thinking of all that I had.

MONICA SELES: I think it has been just a long day, just the waiting around. And I walked quite a lot yesterday, doing different things. And I was a little bit more sluggish today, this morning also. And I had to run down a lot of balls. It was a combination of a lot of -- a few things in there.

MONICA SELES: Oh, I got here about 9:00.

MONICA SELES: Yeah, a long wait, long time. And locker rooms are so crowded when it is raining, so just sitting. And that is not the best for your match.

MONICA SELES: No. You know, it is terrible what happened last night, but the president decided to continue with the games, and we athletes have to do our part.

MONICA SELES: I am not going to comment because that is not up to me, so he made that decision.

MONICA SELES: It feels comfortable here as anywhere else, same for me.

MONICA SELES: No, he is from here, from the Olympics.

MONICA SELES: That is the ideal situation, but it depends if somebody else needs him. We are trying not let that not happen, but I don't have exclusivity on him.

MONICA SELES: He has been here from my first match on with me.

MONICA SELES: I think all of us -- I mean, it affected us, there is no question. We walked those areas where it happened, and Mr. Dinkins woke me with the news like 7 o'clock. I turned on the TV immediately. Everybody started beeping me if I am okay and everything, so, of course.

MONICA SELES: No. I am still going to try to go tonight to the track and field and go to other events and go on with my life. That is pretty much all I can do. You know, that is what I did after the stabbing, that is what you do all the time, you just have to go on.

MONICA SELES: I think I was mostly concerned with all my friends from there and my brother. And a few people just beeped because they heard it was in the Olympic Village, and some thought it was actually where we were staying, so a lot of people weren't clear where it was. And of course it kind of disturbed your morning a little bit because of that. But then afterwards, when I got here, I just told myself just focus on the match with the task that you have ahead of you.

MONICA SELES: Yes.

MONICA SELES: Yeah. He heard the news. Because I was sleeping, I had no idea.

MONICA SELES: He just asked me if I am okay. I said, "what do you mean am I okay?" That was pretty much like that, because I had no idea. And then afterwards my mom and dad called me a little while later, and they all said the same. Then I turned on the TV because it happened, I think, at 1:00, and I went to sleep last night at 11:00, so, pretty early.

MONICA SELES: I really didn't have too much time because after all the phone calls and everything, it was about 8:30, and I stretched a little bit, and it was time to get into the car, and when you get here, there are just tons of people, you know, pulling you in each direction. So when you are here -- and I just -- as soon as I walk in, my focus is on my tennis at that point.

MONICA SELES: That I am not supposed to -- I am not going to answer that either way because of security concerns, but I am -- as everybody knows, I am going to keep continuing staying in the Village, so.... Figure that one out. (LAUGHTER)

MONICA SELES: I am losing it today, I am sorry (LAUGHS).

MONICA SELES: I can answer only for myself. You got to ask them. I got to do that, so...

MONICA SELES: In the park? I didn't walk yesterday, no.

MONICA SELES: No.

MONICA SELES: I went to sleep at 11:00.

MONICA SELES: I got the news in the morning. It was like 7:15 or something. I had no idea.

MONICA SELES: No, he is in New York. He is in New York.

MONICA SELES: Yes.

MONICA SELES: I think so. I think there were so many close points, both of us were fighting. I was trying to give everything that I had. Maybe sometimes when you want it too much, you stumble at your own feet. That happened a few times, not just that one time, I felt. And the second set I lost the momentum at the beginning, and I think one of the key games was when she had so many breakpoints to go up 3-Love. And then I had a few chances to hold my serve, so there was a little bit -- unsure then when I held my serve to go up to 4-3, we had that long break, I told myself to stay focused AND that is, I think, when the crowd got really more involved and helped me pull out the match.

MONICA SELES: Played some pretty good tennis. I think she played better since the last time I played her. Her served improved, much stronger but served more doublefaults. It was hard to get the timing because she was going pretty strong even on her second serve, so I didn't know if they were going to go in or out, and her game -- she was getting back a lot of balls, so I probably should have attacked a little bit more because I lost a few points in there. But, for me, my main thing was not to make too many unforced errors which I tried not to do. Only thing that I am not that happy, I didn't get too many free points on my serve and I should have gone more for my first serve.

MONICA SELES: I don't know. I obviously haven't had the greatest summer, and probably not playing the greatest tennis of my life, or any good tennis, but I think definitely improving and I feel I am playing better as the days go by and for me, I think it is important to play matches because I feel that I don't have the matchplay, when it goes down to those key matches against the top players and that is when a match like this today, when it is really close and I play well on the key points and key games, it helps me a lot.

MONICA SELES: I think it was all the events today that have been going on and there were a lot of other things that were happening and I was just like, okay, the day is in some ways over -- I am a person that likes to have a schedule and as soon as something goes in that I kept missing, I was worried that if my friend got in from Sarasota and how it is raining, so a lot of things were going on in my mind today, but she got in and everything, so I was just really glad it was over mostly. And also when you have a close match like this one it is one or two breaks, you are really glad that you closed it out. And plus, in the second set, my stomach was a little bit feeling not so good. I said, just close this out. I didn't want a third set at all today, so I was lucky to be able to pull it out.

MONICA SELES: Well, tonight I am going to try to get to track and field and usually the nights, we have been coming home like at 11 or midnight and they usually hang out with a couple of other athletes. In the Village our TV didn't even work until about two days ago, so this is the longest period, starting from Japan, that I have not watched TV, which is good for me so......

MONICA SELES: I think it is a little bit the dehydration because it was cold and I wasn't sure how much to drink and all of that in there, but it happened to me in practice two days ago and I had to stop, so just have to keep drinking water and I am probably not doing that enough, so......