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WTA TOUR CHAMPIONSHIPS

November 15, 1995

Iva Majoli

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

Q. Iva, next week at the Federation Cup coaching will be allowed on the changeover. Do you feel that you would have benefited from on-the-court coaching and would you have liked it?

IVA MAJOLI: I didn't understand the question. From next week --

Q. The question I'm asking, basically, is do you feel you would have benefited from on-the-court coaching and would you have liked it?

IVA MAJOLI: Well, I don't know. It's hard to say. Because it never happened before, you know. We always played by ourselves. But it would be good to try, to see how it works.

Q. Iva, how did you lose a match from that position?

IVA MAJOLI: Well, I mean, I don't know. I was up and I guess that means nothing in tennis. But I felt like she started playing much better. She had nothing to lose. She just started hitting the balls. And my balls were not so strong tonight. I think I hit lots of balls in the middle of the court. And she was able to hit her forehand. I had no angles, really. I don't know, I mean, I think she just played better. And I had some bad mistakes and everything turned around, you know.

Q. It seemed to me that when you were up 3-Love in the second you maybe hit a couple of loose points in the next game. Were you getting sort of over confident, felt you'd won it?

IVA MAJOLI: I had match point at 5-4.

Q. I'm talking earlier than that, 3-Love. You played a couple of careless points?

IVA MAJOLI: I don't know. I don't remember.

Q. Do you think you thought you pretty much won the match at that stage?

IVA MAJOLI: Maybe I started thinking a little bit, I was close to winning the match. But I knew it wasn't over. And I knew I had to play really well to win it. And I guess I didn't play the best I can today.

Q. Iva, you knew about her neck injury. Could you see that she was getting ice on the changeovers? And was there a time when you thought she would quit the match?

IVA MAJOLI: No. I didn't even know she had an injury before the match. So I saw she was getting some ice on the court, but I didn't really know what was happening. But I guess it didn't bother her maybe too much, because she played really well from 4-1 in the second.

Q. Can you describe your feelings at match point?

IVA MAJOLI: Her match point?

Q. No, your match point?

IVA MAJOLI: I don't know. I knew I was close, but I don't know, I had a bad point, and the match point.

Q. Do you remember her ball hitting the net and just dropping over?

IVA MAJOLI: That was the match point?

Q. It was the breakpoint. Breakpoint for 5-1.

IVA MAJOLI: I guess it was lucky. But everything is possible, I mean, in tennis.

Q. Disappointing, not tonight, but looking over the year, you've had a good year, can you talk about that?

IVA MAJOLI: Yeah, I mean the beginning of the year was good and bad. I mean, I had some good wins and some bad turn arounds. And the second half was much better. So I was really looking forward to this tournament and hoping to do well. But I have to be disappointed because I really wanted to win today and I was really close.

Q. Did you, at any time, think back to Hilton Head where it was a very similar match?

IVA MAJOLI: Not really. There is so many times you're really close, and there has been so many matches that you're up and you lose. Until it's over, it's not over, you know. You really have to play the best you can the whole match to win, especially if you play the top players. I mean she is ranked No. 2 in the world.

Q. What specific differences did you notice in her game? Was she hitting the ball harder, better?

IVA MAJOLI: I guess I played better in the first set until 4-1 and she was making probably more errors, you know. And she didn't play maybe the best, you know, she can play. And then she had nothing to lose from 4-1 and she started serving better and playing much better and moving better, you know.

Q. She seemed to be moving you around better, did you notice that?

IVA MAJOLI: Yeah. Everything started going well for her and bad for me.

Q. Did you feel she took her game to another level where you were just kind of along for the ride? Or did you feel that you were still in the match and -- or were you regretting the lead that you had and then lost?

IVA MAJOLI: I think it's tough to play if the opponent is playing pretty bad the whole match and then suddenly everything changes and she starts hitting all the winners. And you kind of get confused a little bit, because you think how come she's playing so well from now? So it's hard to come back, you know. And I made some errors, you know. And she hit some good shots and you start thinking, oh, she's coming back. And it's kind of difficult, you know.

Q. Do you find it hard to stay focused when you see a player change like that?

IVA MAJOLI: It's pretty hard. Especially if you're so close in winning the match and you lose the set. And you kind of go down, you know. And I don't know, maybe think a little bit about the match point and how you could have finished in the second set and she starts playing better and better. And it's finished.

Q. Do you think that streakiness that you tend to have, where you run off a lot of games or a set, do you think that will go away with age where you'll mature and start handling people that make charges like that?

IVA MAJOLI: This year I've been playing pretty good three set matches. But I have to give her credit because I think she's a really good player on all surfaces. And she played well.

Q. What do you think you have to do to raise your game to the next level?

IVA MAJOLI: I think I can still improve everything, but I think today it wasn't my best day, also. I made lots of errors. And my serve wasn't so good, I missed a lot of first serves. And not doing work the way I wanted to. It was just one of those days. But I can still improve everything. And now I have a month and a half to practice and rest and start the new year.

End of FastScripts....

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