CHASE CHAMPIONSHIPS OF THE COREL WTA TOUR

November 20, 1998

Mary Pierce

Q. Can you tell us about the ice, what the problem was with you today?

MARY PIERCE: I wish I knew. Well, I don't want to make any excuses for myself. I just have to give Martina credit. I haven't really seen her play that well in a long time - since beats her last year and I played her again in San Diego, beaten her there. She really stepped up her game. She played really well - hitting the ball; playing aggressive. I don't know if she has a new racket but definitely hitting with more power than the last few times I played her. Martina played a great match. But definitely I wasn't very happy with the way I played, so I know that I need to learn from this match and work on a few things.

MARY PIERCE: No, it wasn't because I told you I don't want to make any excuses for myself. I wasn't feeling well this evening, that is all.

MARY PIERCE: Thank you.

MARY PIERCE: I should have come into the net more. That is something I have been working on, coming into the net. But I definitely didn't do it that much this evening compared to like I have done this year earlier. I think I need to try and do that a little bit more next year; come more in, even though I have been doing it more than in the past, but definitely I still could be working on that.

MARY PIERCE: You noticed?

MARY PIERCE: Yeah, I really don't know. I could have eaten something before the match that didn't really agree with me. But yeah, I just definitely wasn't -- I felt heavy, my legs felt really heavy like I couldn't really move very well. Just light-headed, dizzy. My heart was beating more than normal. I was breathing harder. I feel like I was tired for some reason, but I am not.

MARY PIERCE: I guess it is something that I really didn't know that I was doing until I really watched myself and, you know, I just try to eliminate any unnecessary waste of energy; that is even including technique in my shots, so, any energy I can save the better so try to eliminate all of that.

MARY PIERCE: It was just to help me cool off, because my body was very hot, so....

MARY PIERCE: I actually felt very lucky to be at 6-All in the first set. Feeling the way that I did, this match could have been very easily won by Martina and, you know, I get like -- I had my chances, set point in the first set; made a mistake on my forehand. I am very disappointed about that. If I was going to lose a point, I should at least have it that she would have won it, instead of me missing. But -- I forgot what I was going to say.

MARY PIERCE: I have about six weeks, I believe, until I start playing in Australia, so I am going to take a little bit of time off and just let my mind and my body rest.