CHASE CHAMPIONSHIPS OF SANEX WTA TOUR

November 16, 2000

Conchita Martinez

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Changed? I think she's got more patience. She's got more patience. I mean, she still hits the same. She can hit the ball but she doesn't miss as much.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Well, I think the big change was the court today. I mean, playing indoors and that's not my favorite surface. It's like I don't feel comfortable enough to do my game, and actually, I was trying to go for my shots, and actually, normally I'm more patient than she is and today she was more patient than me. I was making the mistakes. So that's unusual.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Yeah, I tried to move her around, but I was playing -- I was going too much for the lines. I was making way too many mistakes, and she was running good. She moved really well today. At the end, I ended up making the mistakes. I was really close in the second set. I mean, I had like a high forehand volley that I missed, to go ad-up, and I missed that. I felt like I was unlucky. She obviously played great and she was very patient.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: It will be different. I don't know. I have to see that. I can't tell you. I'm not German. I mean I played in Germany and the public has always been nice to me. I don't know, it's a bit different because New York has an atmosphere, of course. It can never be the same. But we'll have to see it. I would love to have a lot of crowd there and they are really into tennis and all that, so hopefully so, if they promote it well enough.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Well, she's lost to her twice in a row, I think Philadelphia and Moscow. So, obviously, Martina is playing better than she is. You know, she's still better than her. But you never know in tennis. If you play -- if you have a bad day, anybody can beat you.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Go on when?

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Oh, yeah. I'll be there. I'll have one more year or two, you never know. But, yeah, this year has been great. I'm very happy with the way I played. I'm very happy with my ranking. My results. I feel much better with my game and even though, you know, tennis is -- it's stronger right now. The Top -3 or -4 are very difficult to beat, but I'm there. I did my results, and I feel like I have good tennis in me to keep on going.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: I don't know about doubles. I'm not going to play as much doubles. I don't know. We'll see. We have to talk. Hopefully so. Hopefully so. But you never know. From my part, yeah.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Well, it's one more week, one more day's match. I'm going to play three weeks in a row now. I think I'm hitting the ball quite good. You know, it will be tough, I mean, because they hit the ball hard and they used to play on indoors. So we'll see. Hopefully we can pull it off.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: You know, the atmosphere, because I never played good here. So it wouldn't be by playing or results. It's true. (Laughs). But, yeah, the atmosphere, the crowds, the ceremonies, like Martina's retirement, Steffi's retirement, that made you feel special.