THE LIPTON CHAMPIONSHIPS

March 25, 1996

Steffi Graf

STEFFI GRAF: Yeah. I mean, it was perfect conditions out there, obviously no wind. Could have kept on going. It felt great, felt great.

STEFFI GRAF: I wouldn't mind. That's why I'm out there, to play that kind of tennis. I tell you, it's a great feeling, great, great feeling.

STEFFI GRAF: What else can I do? I was astonished. I felt like I could hit whatever I felt I wanted to do, so.

STEFFI GRAF: Not very often.

STEFFI GRAF: No, a couple more times. But I don't know, it's difficult to say. Always the opponent has to figure in all the things have to kind of match up. Obviously, against Mary Joe, you have the time and have the possibility to play that kind of tennis, you have rallies, you have time for it. I don't know. It's difficult to count.

STEFFI GRAF: I've been feeling pretty good all day, which is usually, you know, the opposite. When I feel bad in the morning, sometimes I play my best tennis. It's been great all day. I've been hitting pretty well all day.

STEFFI GRAF: You can. I mean, you get a confidence in what you're doing. The thing is, you really don't know how long you can hold it up. It could be that you play a great first set, then you lack a little bit concentration. Didn't really happen today at all.

STEFFI GRAF: It's been a few tournaments. But it's been a few tournaments since I've played. It's been a few months. I had a few good matches in Philadelphia. I think it's been the best for quite some time.

STEFFI GRAF: I think physically I feel a lot better. I think mentally, knowing what I've achieved last year, I think I feel pretty comfortable out there. Surely, you know, if you keep on missing a few months of tournaments, it's not always the easiest to start, but it's still been feeling pretty confident.

STEFFI GRAF: Absolutely not.

STEFFI GRAF: In general?

STEFFI GRAF: Doing unusual things. I mean, doing things that you're not usually doing, going to concerts, just not always be around a tennis court.

STEFFI GRAF: I'm not such a beach type. I do like the sun at times, but not very much.

STEFFI GRAF: Beach?

STEFFI GRAF: I would have wanted to go on Saturday night, it was a Grace Jones concert, but it was 2 o'clock in the morning, so it didn't really happen. It's difficult, especially during the tournament. Here you have three matches in a row so it's kind of difficult to squeeze something in. You go to cinema, maybe watch some basketball or stuff like that. It's difficult to get a night out.

STEFFI GRAF: Yeah. It did. It did. I served extremely well, so I always was in the position to initiate the points. I think I was putting so much pressure on her, at the end I forced her to make more errors because she had to get closer to the lines.

STEFFI GRAF: You don't really know that for a match. You hope for it, but you can't expect it. She's been pretty often injured and lately she's been starting to play better and play more tournaments. I felt it would be a lot tougher.

STEFFI GRAF: Diet?

STEFFI GRAF: That's been pretty difficult for me because I need my daily sugar. I always don't eat that well. I eat worse when I don't play a tournament. I take a little more care of it, but still, I don't know, I'm a little dependent on sugar, so I do have a good amount of it daily. How come you're interested in my diet?

STEFFI GRAF: Don't watch mine.