US OPEN

September 4, 1998

Mirjana Lucic

MIRJANA LUCIC: It was very shocking. I thought I wouldn't be that nervous, but I don't know, the moment I stepped on the court I really -- I felt like I couldn't give enough and my mind was definitely not on the court today.

MIRJANA LUCIC: No, I don't know, just today -- I mean, my mind was -- I couldn't concentrate and come back and start playing well. I mean, I do it a lot of times when I am down, I never give up. I would just go on and play, but today I just -- I don't know, I didn't feel like I could do it today.

MIRJANA LUCIC: Yeah, I mean, Steffi is always tough and all the players at the top, if you are not 100% against them, you know, you can't beat them. I mean, especially if you have day like this, then there is not much you can do.

MIRJANA LUCIC: I don't really know the answer to that question. I don't even know where I was for that 40 minutes or whatever it was, but it was just very, very bad.

MIRJANA LUCIC: Let me see. (Laughs) I won two games. Oh, my God, I don't think there is anything really good in it. I guess I can try not to do that another time.

MIRJANA LUCIC: I don't think it is in me to say that who could. All the players -- everyone is playing and who is in third, fourth round can win. It is hard to say. Everyone is playing great, so it is really hard to say. Everyone can do everything.

MIRJANA LUCIC: Yeah, we are planning to go to Bollettieri's and practice there, get ready for some other tournaments now in Europe and one in Japan.

MIRJANA LUCIC: We are planning an staying away for a little while.

MIRJANA LUCIC: We met, I think, three years ago, two and a half years ago here. I don't know exactly. Yeah, I mean, Steffi was great from the beginning and helping me, telling me what to do, you know, she was very supportive, especially now when I had this trouble, you know, when I had these problems, so she was very supportive.

MIRJANA LUCIC: All kind of little things, I mean, it is nothing -- it is nothing now that I should talk about, but just little things.

MIRJANA LUCIC: Yeah.

MIRJANA LUCIC: Not really. I mean, I had a practice this morning, very good practice. Even though I did feel a little bit nervous just before the match, so...

MIRJANA LUCIC: I guess it is just one of those days when you can't put the ball in and just like a nightmare. That is what it was today for me, I mean, it never happened in my life. I was waiting -- I don't know if it was the last game before last, I totally missed the shot, I didn't even hit the ball. That didn't happen when I was three and a half years old and it happened now, so it wasn't a nice feeling, but anyway --

MIRJANA LUCIC: It wasn't a nice feeling I can tell you that.

MIRJANA LUCIC: We just talked a little bit now in the changing room.

MIRJANA LUCIC: She told me good luck in the future, just hang in there.

MIRJANA LUCIC: Yeah, I mean, I think she is playing great. She won a lot of matches. Her confidence is back, I mean, she is playing great tennis and when she is there, it is very tough to beat her. I think whenever she plays next round it is going to be tough for everyone to beat her when she plays well.

MIRJANA LUCIC: No, not just that. It is so hard to explain. It is just one of those days, one of those feelings when you have -- I don't know, I felt like I had nothing inside me, you know, that I could do something, play, or that I was ready to win that match. I don't really think it is just because Steffi was on the other side. It is just -- just one of those days.

MIRJANA LUCIC: Well, we are going to go back to Bollettieri's now, so I am going to really -- I have, I think, 20 days or something before Japan -- tournament in Japan. So I am going to try really to work hard and just get ready because in last few months I really had no practice at all, no nothing. The whole last year I was without a coach, so it was very hard. So I really need someone now to work on my game and everything because I think -- I am going that way, I mean, I am around 50 now, but if I want to move forward, I need to improve a lot on my game and I don't really think I should have matches like this when I am totally off. I mean, you can lose 1 and 1, it can happen that you lose like that. I didn't really feel like I was trying enough and being -- I was very negative today which was the result of all this.

MIRJANA LUCIC: Could be, I don't know. I mean, a lot of it was going on.

MIRJANA LUCIC: I know they have done, but no, I have never thought about that. I am from Croatia, I am Croatian, but I just had a lot of problems now and I feel like here is a good place to stay for a little while and to practice.

MIRJANA LUCIC: Definitely. I am glad this day is over, don't play today. Whenever I am on the court if it is mixed doubles, whatever I am going to try to win, so....