CHASE CHAMPIONSHIPS OF THE WTA TOUR

November 17, 1999

Conchita Martinez

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: I just felt that my hamstring was getting very uptight. I don't know, you should ask the trainer for the technical. But I guess my back was out of alignment; so that's, you know -- she did the taping and it help a little bit.

Q. Was this the smartest match you've played? This seemed like a very smart match for you.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: I would say that I felt like it was the old me again. It felt really good that I was hitting my forehand like the way I did today. You know, I was playing the right ball at the right moment. I would say that I felt really well doing that.

Q. (Inaudible)?

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: I think if they had not called that right at that moment, it could have, because it was getting very tight. It was good that I did that at that moment.

Q. Did you lose a little bit of momentum there when you got that kind of questionable call, the second-to-last point? Did you lose a little bit?

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: That was such a -- you know, I was -- I think it was 30-All, and I wouldn't say I lost the momentum, but it was such an important call at that point of the match, you know, that it was very close. Losing that point, that give her match point, and, you know, it was much more pressure on me.

Q. You've have given Serena a really hard time at the US Open, and now tonight, Venus. Did you expect to be such a problem for both of the Williams sisters?

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Well, I hope I'll be even much more of a problem in the future. I hope I can have good matches against them and pull out some wins out there. But it felt really good to play -- it was the first time I played Venus, and, you know, I didn't really know, you know, how she will play against me. But the important thing is that I feel really good with the way I play. You know, hopefully, next year, I can start like this, you know, at the beginning of the year and keep going. That would be really nice.

Q. What has been holding you back from playing like you did tonight?

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Well, I think it's been a really hard year for me. I don't know, I haven't been very consistent at all. I had, you know, some worries in my life that, you know, I couldn't -- and it was like practicing okay, and then, you know, something happened and it was bad again. So, you know, I think I need to be more consistent. I think, you know I'm getting there. I'm practicing well and I'm willing to do what it takes to, you know, to sacrifice and get there, and hopefully, get into the Top 10 again.

Q. How do you prepare for a match with someone like Venus who you haven't played before? What do you discuss with your coaches?

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Well, I had enough time because I came from Philadelphia, and I had like a week to get ready for this match. You know, you try to -- I did little drills with my coach. I worked a lot on my forehand and a lot of, you know, some things that weren't working, like my serve. My serve was, you know, it was not like I would like it to be, but it was so much better than it has been; so we worked on that. You know, like practicing well, and that gives you confidence to get out there and try to hit the ball like I did today. It was more on that.

Q. At the beginning of the year, your ranking was starting to drop, and there was some discussion that you were feeling discouraged. A year later, are retirement thoughts still there, or what stage of your career do you think you're at?

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Oh, no. Right now, this is the match that I like. To finish the year with this match, I really like because it's going to give me a good taste of like, to come back next year and get ready for -- to play like this more often. Like I said, I haven't been consistent enough, and, you know, I have little problems in Australia and that's why my ranking started dropping. Really excited now to go on holidays and rest a little bit and then get ready for the next year.

Q. Has something happened that's changed your motivation to get you more rejuvenated?

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Yeah, something happened. I think things are getting better. And, you know, something very important happened, with my father; he has having some trouble with his health. And he's finally recovering and we have some very good news. So that really gets me strength to come back. You know, it's a lot to deal with. And obviously, when you're happy, you play better.

End of FastScripts….