EVERT CUP

March 13, 1999

Steffi Graf

VERONIQUE MARCHAL: Questions for Steffi in English, please.

STEFFI GRAF: I mean, she still was going for her shots, but I felt I was serving all right, and I still felt I could hold onto my serve. Then I didn't play such a good game for her to get the break. But she was going more for her shots than I did. That was the difference, definitely, at the end.

STEFFI GRAF: Yeah. She didn't make that many mistakes. She was really forcing the shots, being aggressive most of the times. But much more consistent, yeah, for sure.

STEFFI GRAF: No, I'm not. Not really.

STEFFI GRAF: Well, she served well. You know, she was going, definitely, for the second serve. She was going for her shots. She took risks. She did that very well, I think. She was just going more for the shots, trying to be more aggressive than I was.

STEFFI GRAF: She's really solidly going for it.

STEFFI GRAF: Well, I thought that Chanda had an unbelievable forehand. But Serena has a good forehand or backhand. I mean, both shots are very consistent.

STEFFI GRAF: I don't know. It's something that I've been the last few weeks, you know, just not taking that little extra risk. There were some long rallies, some important points that didn't go my way. I should have maybe just tried to come in or do something different about it, and I didn't. That's just been happening a few times lately.

STEFFI GRAF: No. I just don't think that I'm playing very well, the important points, right now. It's nothing that I say I do it all the time, but just the last few tournaments I've definitely realized that.

STEFFI GRAF: Me?

STEFFI GRAF: I don't know. I don't care really too much about it either. I mean, it's nothing that I think about. I don't know.

STEFFI GRAF: Why? Because I feel much more comfortable with my slice. I feel that even today a lot of slices, she had difficulty to do something off it. Definitely, I didn't play topspin enough when she came in. I only started doing that at the end of the second set. I should have definitely started earlier. But as a passing shot, I'm probably more used to it, and maybe I just didn't do it enough today.

STEFFI GRAF: Yeah, because finally, I've been tell myself a few times, but I just never did it. Finally the one time I did it.

STEFFI GRAF: Well, I've got Key Biscayne ahead of me. I think that's something I will focus on. Naturally, you know, I think about matches; what I could do differently about them; why things didn't work out the way. But I don't know. I'll definitely think a little bit about it, for sure.

STEFFI GRAF: No, not at all. I mean, there were a few seconds. It was nothing at all. That's normal to take your time in between points.

STEFFI GRAF: It hasn't been on my mind. I haven't been thinking about it. I don't care so much about it.

STEFFI GRAF: Because with taking the risks, you put pressure on the other opponent. You know, just putting the balls in play is not enough. There were a few key points, even match point, there's definitely chances I have to go more for my shots. I do it during practice often enough, and I need to show that during matches. I just haven't been doing that so much, at least not when it's been important. That's what I mean. You know, with a steady match, you don't win. I mean, you sometimes win, but not against the good players.

STEFFI GRAF: I guess a lot has to do with confidence. I mean, tennis is based very much on it. You can see the change. She won, I don't know, two weeks ago a tournament. That then can make a big change.