US OPEN

August 29, 2000

Lisa Raymond

MODERATOR: First question for Lisa, please.

LISA RAYMOND: My feelings? Well, I think I've pretty much stated how I felt about the decision. But I have to respect it. Obviously, I still feel like I deserved to be on that team. But the arbitrator's decision is what stands. I just have to deal with that decision.

LISA RAYMOND: Well, I think, again, it goes without saying that the rules need to be -- I mean, they're very vague. They certainly need to be a lot more black and white than they are. Yeah, I guess you could say I was a little misled. You know, I was misled, but at the same time I feel like as the No. 1 doubles player in the world, I deserve, you know, to represent the United States in the doubles discipline. You know, this isn't about singles, this is about doubles. Maybe I based a little bit too much of what I was feeling on what happened in the past, you know, that they always did take the top doubles player to represent the country for doubles.

LISA RAYMOND: Well, I think he definitely took it to the USTA a little bit. You know, he said that their procedures and their rules and procedures are very, very vague. But at the same time he thought that Billie was allowed to have the discretion to pick whoever she wanted. The bottom line is Billie put on the team who she wanted to put on the team.

LISA RAYMOND: There's definitely an irony to that. Again, it's just -- it's very difficult to look at the rankings and to look at it on paper, to see that I'm No. 1 in the world. It's one thing if I was No. 3 and I was fighting for the spot. You know, I certainly earned it. You know, I thought Billie would really take that into consideration. She's always picked a doubles player in that doubles spot. Whether or not I'd played with an American before, I don't think that has anything really to do with me getting that doubles spot.

LISA RAYMOND: I don't think in general. I think it's great. I think it's great that we have the Williams sisters. I think it's great that we have the Kournikovas, the rivalries with the Williams and Lindsay and Martina. You know, you would hope when you're making a decision like this that that would be put aside, that that really wouldn't come into a decision. Yes, it is their Dream Team. Billie got her Dream Team. Whether or not that was in the back of her mind when she was making this decision, I can't answer that.

LISA RAYMOND: I have one victory, but it was two years ago, with Rennae.

LISA RAYMOND: Mixed? I think I've lost to both of them in mixed.

LISA RAYMOND: No losses to them in women's doubles.

LISA RAYMOND: We said hello at the arbitration. The last conversation was about ten days after Wimbledon when she told me that I wasn't on the team.

LISA RAYMOND: She was sympathetic. You know, Billie and I have always had a very good relationship. I think that that makes this even more difficult. You know, Billie has helped me a lot in the past with my game, both on and off the court. That also hurt a little bit. But, you know, she basically just said that I didn't make the cut, I wasn't on the team. She gave her reasonings, why she was selecting Serena over me. That was it really. That was the last I've talked to her about it.

LISA RAYMOND: No.

LISA RAYMOND: Yes.

LISA RAYMOND: I really don't think I should say that here.

LISA RAYMOND: It was -- they were lawyer fees, legal expenses. You guys can kind of do the math. I don't really want to throw figures around right now.

LISA RAYMOND: I have not talked to either one of them. I was aware of what had happened. Again, I don't think anything can really soften the blow. I felt like I worked my butt off to earn that No. 1 ranking. I put myself on the line week-in and week-out, injured, you know, sacrificing my singles, thinking naively that, you know, to be No. 1 in the world was going to be good enough.

LISA RAYMOND: They always said "rankings."

LISA RAYMOND: Yeah, they did. As anyone who knows tennis, there's two separate rankings, there's a singles ranking and there's a doubles ranking, just like there's two separate disciplines in the Olympics, a singles event and a doubles event. Common sense would tell me if I'm No. 1 in the world in doubles that I deserve to go to the Olympics to play doubles.

LISA RAYMOND: It was just understood and within girls on the tour, just everyone, you know, mulling around, all the players, even people outside tennis.

LISA RAYMOND: It wasn't easy. It was very difficult. You know, especially the week or two weeks before a Grand Slam I think are the most important. That's when I was really -- that's when this was magnified more than any time, going through the arbitration. There were days where I didn't even play because I was sitting down with my lawyers and preparing testimonies, you know, preparing declarations, then being in New York for two full days for this arbitration, then waiting. He took almost 48 hours to make his decision. You know, it wasn't easy to go out there and practice knowing, "Am I going? What's going to happen?" I will say this. I'm definitely glad it's over because now I can feel like I can finally, you know, put it behind me, move on, and concentrate on this event now.

LISA RAYMOND: Not watching the tennis, I can tell you that (laughter).

LISA RAYMOND: I don't think uncaring. That's not the right word. But very frustrated, angry, very disappointed both in Billie and the USTA.

LISA RAYMOND: You know, it doesn't because I've always loved doing it. I mean, that's another thing, I've always made myself available. Every time Billie has asked me, whether it's to go to Croatia, whether it's to go across the street, I made myself available to play for the US. I love it. I love being on a team. It's the closest thing that we have, you know. When I played in college, I miss that. I miss the team atmosphere. When we get to play Fed Cup, we finally get that back. There's a couple times out of the year. I'm certainly not going to be negative and be hard on Fed Cup and turn that down.

LISA RAYMOND: No.

LISA RAYMOND: I did read that.

LISA RAYMOND: No, Mr. Williams has not said anything to me. I don't know. Whatever.

LISA RAYMOND: Exactly (smiling).

LISA RAYMOND: No, I don't. I think it's great, again, that these girls have personalities, that they bring something to the game that I think had been missing. The fact that they can back it up with their tennis is even better for our sport. For me, I mean, I just have always been kind of more in the background, just let my racquet do more of the talking.

LISA RAYMOND: Again, you're going -- that's for Billie Jean to answer. We can all speculate, but it doesn't really matter what I think.

LISA RAYMOND: Well, I mean, we are just kind of both going through something that neither one of us felt like we really should have had to go through. In Nathalie's case, you know, if I was Nathalie, I'd be even more angry. I think, if anything, she's earned it. I mean, my God, she was Top 10 in the world when I think the decision was made. You know, in her case, I definitely think she should be on that team.

LISA RAYMOND: You know, again, to represent your country, to walk in that stadium during the opening ceremonies with all those amazing athletes. I don't think there could be really too many incidents that can come close to that. I made it a priority at the beginning of the year. I really focused a lot, after winning the Australian Open, on my doubles and made that a goal of mine.

LISA RAYMOND: That's actually the first I heard of that. I'd like to know who those girls were.

LISA RAYMOND: No, I have not heard that at all.

LISA RAYMOND: Really? Do you know who any of the girls were?

LISA RAYMOND: I will say this. I've gotten unbelievable feedback and unbelievable support both from players, strangers. I'll be playing a match, people would yell things out. You know, the players have been just awesome, girls who I'm not even friends with, who have come up to you and said, "I think it's really great what you've done. It took a lot of courage. We're behind you."