US OPEN

September 2, 2004

Tzipora Obziler

Q. Was that an unexpectedly great experience for you out there today? What was it like for you?

TZIPORA OBZILER: I think it was great. You know, beginning of the third set, you know, you never know, game here, game there. I mean, it was a tough match. Justine is a very good player. That's it. I did my best, I guess (smiling).

TZIPORA OBZILER: Yeah, my tennis career is like on and off since the Army, Army then a little bit college, then back home after college, didn't play for a while, then played again, stop again. The age of 29 and a half, I got a brave decision to come back, and I happy I did it.

TZIPORA OBZILER: I think I already say this few times, but I think the Fed Cup match against the USA in July 2002 made a change. I played a very good tennis there, two good matches, one against Seles, I lost in two sets, and one against Davenport, I lost 7-6 in the third. It was a very good performance for me, for somebody who was coach at that time. I don't know. Billie Jean King actually gave me the push, and I just use it.

TZIPORA OBZILER: She said after the match finish, the event finish, she came to me and my captain, and she just said I have to go back and start playing again. We listen. I thought inside that really I can play more. I just had to make decision. I had few weeks to tell my boss that I'm quitting from work and just start playing full-time again.

TZIPORA OBZILER: I coached the Israel Tennis Centers.

TZIPORA OBZILER: Army was a year and a half. I worked for the defense department. That was the department that deals with the Lebanon issues. So it was very, very, very good experience for me. I just say -- every day I say thanks that I've been in this kind of situation in the Army. Helps a lot.

TZIPORA OBZILER: Of course. I shoot a gun, everything.

TZIPORA OBZILER: First of all, you have to be with a lot of responsibility. I mean, you deal with things. I mean, you go over material that not everybody can actually look and see or know. And by the way you handle things. It's all together. You have bosses on top, I mean, ahead. You have to deal with many things. I think all together. I cannot really say. It's like you live your daily life, and you don't really have people tell you what to do. And then suddenly you want to do the right things because otherwise you can go to trial or jail or whatever, I'm going far. But it's totally different. I don't know. It's something, I don't know. For me it gave me a lot, gave me a lot.

TZIPORA OBZILER: Just for life, to see that there is -- every day we read the newspaper, but we don't realize how many things are behind the scenes going on, and I knew those kind of things. So to know there are people really, really trying hard with everything, especially in a country like Israel, I think it's great. I mean, you grew up as a person, you really for your country, make you more patriotic. You know that people really work hard for life to get better.

TZIPORA OBZILER: Yes, unless you are orthodox religion. If you're a woman and you get married just after high school, you don't have to do it. And of course if you ill or you have some sort of injury, you don't have to do it.

TZIPORA OBZILER: We don't want to go into politics now. That can take us a while. Other day maybe.

TZIPORA OBZILER: Two years, yeah. Finished almost -- I played my last tournament was the Israeli National Championship. It was the beginning of December 2000. That's it.

TZIPORA OBZILER: I didn't like it so much. You really, really need a lot of -- I mean, to travel from Israel, you need a lot of money. I mean, every flight is a few hundred dollar at least. All the rest. It's really, really tough. So unless you get a little bit help and you do some, you make some, then you can continue. I think my ranking then was 149. Was a little bit injured in my shoulder. I said, "Okay, that's it."

TZIPORA OBZILER: Flight tonight (smiling). I'm going home probably just for a week. I play some events in Europe. We'll see how it goes. Hopefully by the end of the year, I make the top hundred and just continue.

TZIPORA OBZILER: Yeah, of course. I love tennis. I mean, I love it. I mean, being over 31 and still being there for so many weeks a year, I mean, I love it. And, of course, it give you - how they say - like give you more appetite, these kind of matches. I just hope to continue with a good performance and stay healthy, that's for sure. For me, make it top hundred for sure.

TZIPORA OBZILER: I think it's something that every player waits for. For me, it does. I mean, it is. I don't know for others. But, yeah, for sure. Just wanted to focus, you know. So many things around, the media, family calling from Israel, all the friends. I want to watch on TV, tickets, here and there, people excited, I'm excited. You really have to stay focused. I'm glad I'm 31, because this help you to handle these kind of things better, I guess. I'm glad I did it.

TZIPORA OBZILER: Yeah, of course. I love it. I love it.

TZIPORA OBZILER: For my character, I'm using the crowd. I mean, not "using," but it helps. I know some players don't like it, but for me, I take the best out of it. Some people say things I don't really want to listen, but what I hear, is good, I take it. It give me really good mood, pump me.

TZIPORA OBZILER: When he played?

TZIPORA OBZILER: Yeah, I think it wasn't so much going on around Emir, unfortunately, like it did here or Wimbledon. I don't know. I don't want to criticize, but some things in Israel are different than you see it when you travel. I'm just happy for him that at least they got a lot of attention here at least.

TZIPORA OBZILER: It was, but not as big as here, I guess. What I heard, he was invited for some morning talk shows, front page of newspaper, I saw. Got Arthur Ashe humanitarian award. I mean, it's something really, really big. But, unfortunately, there's so many things going on in Israel, so those kind of things sometimes slipped away and don't get so much publicity like here.

TZIPORA OBZILER: I'm traveling most of the time alone. Sometimes I'm traveling with my coach. This time I travel with my mom after a long, long, long time. She had to leave last night, but she watch me on television. I'm really happy. Of course I have here just behind you, Darryl. Darryl is my coach from the college, from Old Dominion. We're really, really good friends. When I told him I'm coming down here, he suggested just to come and help me. I'm glad he did. Thank you, Darryl.

TZIPORA OBZILER: We just spoke about it, right. He said he's going to call 7:00 and he called 7:00. That was all the sessions we were talking, all the time. Whatever promise he made, he kept that promise. I'm very like this person. So all to you.

TZIPORA OBZILER: A semester and a little bit from the second one.

TZIPORA OBZILER: Yes. But I was there with the fall semester. It was more individuals tournaments. Then I end up first in the country then after a couple months.

TZIPORA OBZILER: Fall '95.

TZIPORA OBZILER: Israel, a little bit geographic, we're very narrow and long. It's like three climate zones. In the south it's really desert, but in the middle it's Mediterranean. In the north, it's more hilly, kind of more European weather. It's not really all of it is desert. Of course, when you travel to the south, it's very dry and you cannot breathe, it's hard. In Tel Aviv, where I live, you get on court, after five minutes just running, like wet in summer. But it's nothing like -- probably you imagine Israel a little bit different than it is. But, that's good. It's fine.

TZIPORA OBZILER: It was a very tough match. She's very young. I mean, all of them are young, right (smiling) - except me. She's a good player, very good. I think she will be very good player. All those young girls play very fast and very aggressive, run very well. I think just have to keep it going and intense and she will make it, I hope for her.

TZIPORA OBZILER: Last couple month I play in the World Team Tennis. It was fun. I had few good -- few singles matches. I just wanted to keep the momentum and feel alive here like I felt then. But just wanted to take one match at a time. I think I had a pretty tough draw. The first round was a tough draw. I played a girl and lost in Memphis this year. Like always, just one match at a time. So not really thinking.

TZIPORA OBZILER: When?

TZIPORA OBZILER: 27 till 29. I coach and I kept playing for the Israeli Fed Cup team. As you know, we don't have so many players, womans players. I just continue playing and help the team, and that's it. Did a lot of physics, physical training and fitness, because I love it, not because I thought maybe couple years I'm going to go back.

TZIPORA OBZILER: First of all, we have one already that won a junior Grand Slam, that's Shahar Peer. Things are changing in Israel now in tennis. Tennis is changing. The system changing a little bit try to change. Association changed a little bit with their people. Israel Tennis Center changed a little bit. There are good programs. We try to find the best one and really hope to make it actually. I know it's hard. But you never know. You never know.