XXVI OLYMPIC GAMES

August 3, 1996

Jana Novotna

JANA NOVOTNA: Well, the injury occurred already in the doubles match, in the semifinals doubles match. And then I didn't know that it was that serious. And obviously it was bothering me already yesterday and I was just hoping for the best, but obviously when I stepped on the court this morning for the warmup I couldn't really hit my forehand or I couldn't serve at all. I knew that coming into that match it will be really difficult to win because as soon as they found out that I'm hardly moving and I can't hit the overheads and I wasn't serving at all, it would be a miracle to win.

JANA NOVOTNA: It's a pulled stomach muscle, which is very frustrating, because you can't reach that way and up, nowhere. It's similar to a back problem. But it's just very upsetting because I had such a great tournament and I don't remember for a long time being injured that badly that I wouldn't be able to play the way I would like to. And it's just the worst moment that this could possibly happen. The finals at the doubles at the Olympics. So it is just so sad.

JANA NOVOTNA: That's a question mark. The whole tournament was really tiring for me and I'm supposed to be playing in one week time, so hopefully I will get better soon and I will be able to continue in my normal schedule. But that's a question mark around that, because I don't know.

JANA NOVOTNA: Well, yes and no. But once you are in the finals even if you can't play the way you would like to you still go out there and try to do something. It wouldn't be fair to Helena and everybody for me not to go out. I thought if I could be there -- if it would be any other tournament, other than the Olympics, I wouldn't play at all. But on an occasion like this, there was no way of getting out of it.