TMS - THE ERICSSON OPEN

March 21, 2001

Iva Majoli

IVA MAJOLI: Yeah, it's been very difficult time for me. I had a lot of injuries, one after another. And of course with my shoulder, I had the surgery. So it took me almost a year and a half or almost two years to recover and get over with all the injuries, stress fracture in my ankle for three months. So I really had not the greatest luck, and in that period I just tried to play one or two tournaments. So because of that, I lost my special ranking, which meant I had to start, like, right from the beginning which it wasn't easy to play qualifying in the small tournaments which I probably never played. But maybe in a way it also helped me. I got some matches behind me and my confidence is coming back, and I still feel at 23 I have many more years to play. And I feel much more mature than I did like maybe when I was 17, 18. I'm feeling very happy to play again and I'm really enjoying it.

IVA MAJOLI: Well, it was that maybe, and nobody expected - even me - I didn't expect to win it. I still played well at Wimbledon, first time winning a match and getting to the quarters. So even '98 wasn't as bad year but I wasn't winning tournaments. Then all the injuries came, so it was difficult. I just wanted to play again and in this period I saw how much I really miss tennis and how much I love playing and I have really few of the great friends on the Tour. So I was missing them and hanging out with them. So I'm happy to be back.

IVA MAJOLI: Me?

IVA MAJOLI: I wasn't really able to practice. I was going from one country to another, but this time for hospitals not for tennis. So you really see how lucky you are when you have no injuries and no problems. Yeah, I'm trying to work now a little bit more on my game, and I try to play as much as match as I can and hopefully get my ranking back to the top or as

much as I can by this summer, by the French Open.

IVA MAJOLI: No, my main goal is to be healthy, but of course you always play to improve. I want to improve my ranking. I want to start winning more tournaments. You always have to have a goal when you're playing; otherwise, what are you playing for?

IVA MAJOLI: That was always my favorite tournament. I won it. But winning any tournament right now, it's becoming so hard because all the girls are playing much, much better each week. So there is lots of young girls coming. So really every tournament you win, it -- you have to appreciate it.

IVA MAJOLI: It will be nice. Any Grand Slam. (Laughing.) Yeah, it will be great. It's my goal, so I hope I can do it again.