FAMILY CIRCLE CUP

April 2, 1995

Magdalena Maleeva

MAGDALENA MALEEVA: I was not nervous. But not playing well yesterday didn't help me because yesterday I started doing things wrong technically and just today's practice before the match was not enough to improve the things I did wrong yesterday. But still, I think I played better than I did yesterday, so I felt much better on the court and I had my chances but she played well and I wouldn't say I was nervous.

MAGDALENA MALEEVA: I didn't serve well today, I didn't put first serves enough and since I was not putting them in, I really stopped going for it. And the things I did wrong today was that I didn't go enough for my shots because I was afraid that I'm going to miss too much, but this is wrong. I should just -- I would rather miss all the time. Went for it rather than not go for it because since she's playing so well this is my only chance, but I learned.

MAGDALENA MALEEVA: Yes. And if I would have won that game at 1-All it would have been better. And of course there was so many -- at least ten or 15 balls where I just missed just a little bit and they were winners, and it's just one of those days that it just doesn't go in. I really -- they were all winners and I couldn't believe that every time it was going out.

MAGDALENA MALEEVA: Yeah, but sometimes it happens.

MAGDALENA MALEEVA: At her best she's very good. When she plays well she can beat anyone.

MAGDALENA MALEEVA: The way I played the first -- at 1-All in the second set, that was my game plan and that's what I should have done the whole time.

MAGDALENA MALEEVA: Because I was a little bit unsure and I doubted a little bit and I still tried. I mean, sometimes I can't do it.

MAGDALENA MALEEVA: No. Actually, I felt -- I saw I have a chance and the fact that I lost the game didn't bring me down, not at all, it was the opposite. But she didn't give me many chances either, she played well.

MAGDALENA MALEEVA: It's not frustrating to me. I know if she's playing well she does that and she's a good player and I know she will do that. And I played enough times against good players to expect that and I'm not going to expect that she's going to start missing. I have to make her miss, so it was not frustrating for me. I know she's going to play well.

MAGDALENA MALEEVA: Yeah, if she plays all the time like today, but I have no idea if she can play every day like today.

MAGDALENA MALEEVA: No. It comes down to experience. I think and I just need more time, I need to practice more, I need to be more in these situations so that I handle them better. But it's not -- yeah, that's my answer.

MAGDALENA MALEEVA: Yes.

MAGDALENA MALEEVA: Yeah, I said -- he said "keep fighting" or something or "come on Maggie," and I said "I'm trying".

MAGDALENA MALEEVA: It was at 5-1.

MAGDALENA MALEEVA: It doesn't -- I like it because I think people are here to enjoy themselves and sometimes we take our tennis -- that we're just too stuck in our insides but --

MAGDALENA MALEEVA: I didn't hear that.

MAGDALENA MALEEVA: I never thought of quitting. I was just thinking of maybe doing something else because I know what it is to be a tennis player and sometimes it's not interesting for me, so I would like to do -- maybe go and study something. And tennis is hard sometimes and if you're 17 or 18 there are too many things you have to deal with and sometimes you're not ready. But I always knew deep down inside I knew that I'm a good tennis player and that I have to keep doing this because what I'm doing is-- I'm not going to do it all my life. It's here until I'm healthy and I'm physically able to do what I do. I'm not going to play tennis at 30, so I wouldn't say I really considered quitting but --

MAGDALENA MALEEVA: I like reading all kinds of things and yeah, sometimes I wish I had more time to do other things, but now I'm -- I've realized that it's tough because if you play tennis professionally you have to be 100 percent committed to what you do and you don't have time to see your friends or to go to school and sometimes I wish I could do that. But this is really in the past. I mean, this was -- I'm not a teenager anymore, I'm 20 so...

MAGDALENA MALEEVA: That's a very long conversation. I like very much working with Francois and I've always liked the things he says about tennis, his views. And when we started working I pretty much knew what he would want from me but there are many things we've changed.

MAGDALENA MALEEVA: Yes.

MAGDALENA MALEEVA: Yes, we are. We are quite popular, especially now that I'm winning more like after Chicago and after Tokyo. And last year in Zurich there was a lot of attention, but it's still in my blood for that. If I was in America I would be twice as popular, and I'm glad I'm coming from Bulgaria because I still lead a pretty normal life.

MAGDALENA MALEEVA: I haven't bought anything very significant really. I will probably buy a car but I just feel too guilty of polluting the environment. (LAUGHTER.) No, that's really true. I mean, if they have some cars with batteries I would buy it immediately, but I haven't bought anything. I spend my money on like CDs and phone calls and --

MAGDALENA MALEEVA: Yes. But I will buy something big. I bought a car for my mom last year for Christmas which was the biggest expense.

MAGDALENA MALEEVA: A Renault, a French car. It's really nice.

MAGDALENA MALEEVA: I don't know, she did all the dealing. I don't know. But I just said it's from me.

MAGDALENA MALEEVA: No, that's too easy, and it's something that doesn't satisfy me. I'm not that kind of person and I have to go through all the details and find everything out and get unbelievably negative so that I can start going up again. No, you just sit down with your coach, discuss everything and try to figure it out and try to keep going because that's what you've chosen to do.

MAGDALENA MALEEVA: Yes.

MAGDALENA MALEEVA: Thank you.