U.S. OPEN

September 2, 1993

Lisa Raymond

LISA RAYMOND: Yeah. You know, Natasha was hitting her slice real well, and she was pushing me back and I just wasn't moving back in. I wasn't being -- I wasn't moving into the ball. I wasn't stepping inside the baseline like I should.

LISA RAYMOND: You mean within a match?

LISA RAYMOND: Within a match?

LISA RAYMOND: Well, I think what I was trying to do, I think I was trying to do too much with that, with the ball. You know, where I should have just tried to just get more balls back and just try to get a rhythm rather than, you know, trying to hit through it. Just kind of just you know, instead of trying to go for a big shot on the third or fourth ball, you know, go for a big shot on the 8th or 9th. So I just didn't work my way in the way I should have.

LISA RAYMOND: Yeah. I mean, obviously I think that you know I am going to try and learn from this and I think that the more times I get out there and in a big position like that, that was a great opportunity for me. And I didn't take advantage of it. I think that hopefully you know, with more experience and if I get in that position more often, then you know, hopefully, I will be winning those matches and taking more advantage of those opportunities.

LISA RAYMOND: I wouldn't say counting. But I would say that you know, I certainly thought I was capable of doing it. You know, again like I say, well, I mean Natasha is a good player. I am not saying that you know, I should have definitely beaten her, but I think that that was a great opportunity for me. I think I would have played Zina probably the next round if she wins. You know, hopefully I will just learn from it.

LISA RAYMOND: She, you know, this time she really hit her slice real well, and you know, again I think the grass definitely favored me when I played her at Eastbourne. You know, I was very surprised that she was hitting that slice as well as she was. I think that you know, she served a lot better today. At Eastbourne, I had a lot more chances at her second serve than I did today.

LISA RAYMOND: I think when I got down at 4-2 in the first, you know I realized that this was-- I definitely was going to have to pick my game up a level. I knew that she certainly was you know, ready to play today and you know she played well.

LISA RAYMOND: It is and it isn't. I think that the only thing that I have to work or kind of that I think I am doing which isn't right, I think I am starting to put a little bit too much pressure on myself. I just got to be more relaxed going out there. And I mean, I wouldn't say it is tougher than I thought, but it is definitely as tough as I thought it was going to be.

LISA RAYMOND: I go to Japan in the 17th, I think.

LISA RAYMOND: I think both. Certainly, you know, expect a lot from myself and I think that you know, I set very high goals for myself and sometimes you know, I put too much pressure on myself to try to achieve those goals too fast. I have to realize that this is going to have to take time. I am not going to -- this isn't going to happen right away. It is definitely going to take time and I am going to have to definitely take my lumps.

LISA RAYMOND: It is not really -- I don't think it is a matter of a certain shot or a certain point that my game is breaking down. I just think that I just have to start becoming more a lot mentally tougher out there against these players like Natasha, but you know, there isn't a certain point that you know, every time my game you know, I fall apart so to speak, whatever, so --

LISA RAYMOND: At times, no. At times, yes. Depends on the player, depends on the day. As far as today, I think that I just definitely went for too much at times.

LISA RAYMOND: I don't think it is that. I was very prepared going into the match. My coach sat me down and he knows everyone. He watched her play. He gave me a game plan and he told me pretty much you know, all about Natasha. I had already played Natasha, so I pretty much knew what to expect. It is not a matter of not knowing the players. It is just a matter of me executing what I have to do.

LISA RAYMOND: Well, that is definitely part of it. In college, you know, a lot of times the girls really didn't think out the points as well as these girls do, you know, I think their mentality going into the match is a lot different than say a Natasha or the top players.

LISA RAYMOND: It is a different confidence, definitely. I wouldn't say that my confidence is totally burst, but you know, I am certainly not you know, as confident out here as I was you know, stepping on the court against a college player. In that world, you know, I was the best, every time I stepped on the court, I felt that you know, there wasn't anyone that should beat me. Here, I think that there is a question mark in my mind sometimes when I go out on the court. That is something that I really have to work on. Hopefully, you know, I will gain that confidence that I had in collegiate matches you know, with time and with experience, with more matches.

LISA RAYMOND: A little bit. You know, I think that obviously Natasha, she used to be, you know, I think she got as high as seven or eight at one time. So you know, I think that that is probably one of the reasons why they put her out there, and -- but -- I honestly thought that we would be on 16, 17, tops, I really didn't think that they would put me on grandstand.

LISA RAYMOND: No.