U.S. OPEN

September 1, 1994

Zina Garrison

ZINA GARRISON JACKSON: I thought -- I mean, I think that I am sticking in there. I think the main thing is I had a bit of a problem in the first two points and I was just hyper the rest of the match. But overall, I thought I stayed in there, considering I felt like I was moving 100 miles an hour.

ZINA GARRISON JACKSON: My shoe fell apart.

ZINA GARRISON JACKSON: Yeah.

ZINA GARRISON JACKSON: Actually, I didn't have a pair. One of the players let me use theirs. I was pretty lucky that there was someone in the locker room with the same size foot.

ZINA GARRISON JACKSON: Cacic.

ZINA GARRISON JACKSON: Yeah, she said she had a new pair and an old worn out pair.

ZINA GARRISON JACKSON: The old worn out one. Players are a little superstitious. "Oh, my God, I don't have my own shoes." I felt a little bit funny first couple of points. Overall, I thought I played well. I served well.

ZINA GARRISON JACKSON: Yeah, once -- I kind of feel that she kind of molded the shoe. Once it finally molded to my foot, it was fine. At the beginning, it kind of felt I was walking like a duck or something.

ZINA GARRISON JACKSON: Yeah, I have some more.

ZINA GARRISON JACKSON: Yeah. More than once, actually. Yeah, I think it is just that sometimes it is hot and the glue just melts.

ZINA GARRISON JACKSON: The heel.

ZINA GARRISON JACKSON: Yeah, more than ever. I have my own program and in the summer, we had about 500 kids between both parks and since November 1, I think it has been like a thousand kids have come through there, maybe a little more.

ZINA GARRISON JACKSON: Yeah, it has been a lot, and a lot of kids are starting to stick to it now and seeing a lot of progress. I think most of all, had a summer celebration and there were like 450 kids that actually showed up. They were all really disciplined. That was most exciting thing to me to have that many kids around and they are all very calm. Usually that doesn't happen very often.

ZINA GARRISON JACKSON: Yeah, because in the beginning it wasn't that many guys that were playing, like the teenage age, that was the hardest part and the more friends started talking the more they started coming out. Suddenly, there was a lot of them. That was really the group that I wanted to target to have the most trouble in the world right now, and starting to work, so. . . .

ZINA GARRISON JACKSON: I hope I make it to the end. It is going to be in '95 for sure. You know, more than anything I just like to start a family, move on with my life, and basically try to get some other kids to playing tennis and so those are my most important things right now.

ZINA GARRISON JACKSON: Actually, I really didn't. In Houston I basically just said that, you know, next Houston would probably be my last and it just spread like that and people started asking me, so I really didn't -- it just kind of came out that way.

ZINA GARRISON JACKSON: I am going to cut down on a lot of tournaments but the problem is being an exempt player, I am going to have to play 12 tournaments for sure, so that is the hardest part is trying to figure out which 12 I am actually going to play, but I really would not like to play a full schedule, but I am not quite old enough to get around it, so I mean, I will be 31 and I am not old enough yet.

ZINA GARRISON JACKSON: Yeah, I would like to, if I am healthy. That is the main thing right now. I have had really bad tendinitis in both my Achilles and I have had a heal problem for over a year and, you know, sometimes it is great and sometimes it is not. But other than that, I mean, I am looking forward to it. I am kind of taking it one tournament at a time.

ZINA GARRISON JACKSON: Yeah, I got to go out at Houston one way or the other.

ZINA GARRISON JACKSON: Actually it started a little bit the other day and I glued them together and then it was fine and it was only a little bit and then it just like the whole thing came loose.

ZINA GARRISON JACKSON: No, the second point felt like this flap then I looked; it was about that much (indicating four inches) loose, so. . .

ZINA GARRISON JACKSON: I just went in there and yelled "8 and a half, anybody has a shoe?"

ZINA GARRISON JACKSON: Oh, no way. I don't think so.

ZINA GARRISON JACKSON: Yeah.

ZINA GARRISON JACKSON: Yeah.

ZINA GARRISON JACKSON: That is a very good question because I was really -- my heart was beating so fast because I didn't no the ruling on it of what to do, because it was -- it wasn't a timeout or anything like that. It is like I had no call for a timeout so I kept asking what is the rule and she said I can go back in, so I was thinking, you know, maybe I would have to just go out there and maybe put on a bunch of socks and just play 'til somebody brings me some shoes. I was really nervous because I didn't know if I was going to get defaulted. I still don't know the ruling on that at all. I don't think it is a ruling.

ZINA GARRISON JACKSON: I am going to bring a couple and leave them in my locker.

ZINA GARRISON JACKSON: Actually I never did. I mean, I was still so hyper and I am still very -- it is kind of hard. I ran all the way to the lockerroom; ran all the way back. It is like I doublefaulted the first one when I came back. It was just -- I was just really, really hyper from the time I got back until, you know, just cooling down now, so...

ZINA GARRISON JACKSON: I didn't sign up for doubles so I don't feel foolish at all.

ZINA GARRISON JACKSON: No, who would have thought? That is a brand new pair of shoes; who would have thought that it would have happened.

ZINA GARRISON JACKSON: I changed the shoes the other day. You don't expect the shoe to fall apart.

ZINA GARRISON JACKSON: I already threw them away. Thank you, guys.