THE LIPTON CHAMPIONSHIPS

March 25, 1999

Steffi Graf

STEFFI GRAF: Actually, it was maybe ten seconds before they announced it on television. I was at the apartment watching the men's match to see when I would go over. I got a call from Jim and he told me.

STEFFI GRAF: That's a good question, how do you react to it? I mean, I want to play. That's what I'm here for. You feel uncomfortable if you just go like that into the semifinal. Actually, I kind of felt pretty good this morning in practice. I don't know, I was looking forward to playing her. On the other hand, it's a day off, and tomorrow's match is not going to be an easy one. There's a lot of ways to look at it.

STEFFI GRAF: I'm going to go and practice.

STEFFI GRAF: I mean, I didn't know anything about it. You see each other in the training room kind of getting treatments. But, I mean, I didn't pay attention. I haven't heard anything about it. The way she was playing, her results didn't really seem like something really happened or something was going on. I mean, I just talked to her in the locker room, but I didn't know before.

STEFFI GRAF: Just now.

STEFFI GRAF: Because I didn't know what happened, I kind of asked her what happened. She told me, you know, how she got the injury. It's very unlucky. It's the left hand. That's a good thing for her it's only the left hand; it's nothing serious. It's probably going to take just a few days. But it makes it not easy if you have to withdraw out of a quarterfinal. That's a stage where you don't want to have to withdraw.

STEFFI GRAF: She said it happened a few days ago on a backhand shot, that she hit the ball a little late during practice, so she caught it late on the backhand. She felt pain there. It hasn't really gone away.

STEFFI GRAF: No. I don't have the medical chart. Didn't show it to me.

STEFFI GRAF: Well, they're two very different players, obviously. Jana just played in Indian Wells. I mean, you know very well how she's going to play.

STEFFI GRAF: Yeah (laughter). We've met somewhere around. Venus is definitely taking more risks, is playing more powerful, especially on her first serve. She'll go more for her shots, puts a lot more pressure on. Jana is somebody that uses the court very well, uses maybe not as much force, but knows how to maybe play a little smarter, uses her strokes very differently. I mean, it's going to be interesting. Venus is probably on the hard courts the favorite. We'll see how that's going to go.

STEFFI GRAF: Well, Heinz just told me that I'm going to have a tougher opponent than the one I was supposed to have. I told him, I'm ready for him.

STEFFI GRAF: Yeah. I feel good. Yeah, I feel fine, absolutely. No question.