WTA TOUR CHAMPIONSHIPS

November 15, 1995

Conchita Martinez

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Not one -- two or three.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: I was thinking before playing this match, do I play or do I not? I knew I was hurting a lot. And it has gotten better the last two or three days, or two. And if I don't give it a chance, I'm never going to know if it's going to get better or not. I didn't know if I could win, I don't know. So I decided to play this match. And then, you know, it was hurting pretty bad at the beginning of the match with those back hands and serves and so, I mean, you think of it because you think is it worth it or not. But I kept in there and came back.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Well, I started -- I don't know, I started missing a lot of unforced -- a lot of unforced errors. I wasn't in the match and thinking too much about what was happening with my neck. And once I could concentrate and keep the ball in play, that worked out better. And I was thinking, I don't know, actually, I had kind of a similar match with Majoli at Hilton Head, and when I started coming back from 4-1, I mean, I was thinking, keep going, and put the ball in play and see what happens. And actually it nearly happened the same thing.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: While I was practicing.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Ten or eleven months, since Australia, it's been going on and off. And you never know when it's coming and when it comes, I mean, it's really painful. I couldn't play. I mean since Saturday, I've been going to doctors, chiropractors, I did everything I could to get better, to be able to play this tournament.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Obviously, I have a problem in my neck, I have to fix it. And I've got to get an MRI to see if something wrong is there and try to fix it before the next year starts.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Do what, come back?

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: I mean, yeah, you're always going to think about the past. And like you say, that match turn around my whole year. After that match I won, I don't know how many tournaments in a row -- five -- I was playing great. And that gives you so much energy to keep playing. And yeah, of course, I was thinking, I could do it again, but it was difficult for me to think that way, because I was in another circumstances, like in pain and I didn't know for sure if I was able to play.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Well, we're talking about my neck, no? And if it's fixed I'll play. I'll play every tournament that I have to play. If it's not, I mean, I'm going to start to make a decision until I fix this problem. Because I don't think I can handle, mentally, another year like this one. It happened so many times, that it's really tough, mentally, to get over it.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Talk to a doctor. No, I don't know. The worst thing is it comes and goes. And it never comes on the same side, left, right. And I don't know what it is.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: It feels like a pinched nerve. And that's why I'm going to do the MRI, to see if I have a herniated disk, which will be a problem. So after that I'm going to go to a specialist to read that MRI and try to do, I don't know, I don't know what I have to do.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Sorry?

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: I hurt really bad during Stuttgart. The week before and the Saturday after Stuttgart that was really bad. And it was one of the reasons, yeah.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: No, I'm not saying that. But I have to sort it out. I'm not saying I'm not going to play, but I will try to do my best to solve it before the next year season starts.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Yeah, here in New York. I don't know where.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Probably tomorrow, probably, I'm not sure.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Well, it's been tough on us, because it was -- I think with the U.S. Open, it was the two places where it was equal. And to go one step down is tough always. And I'm not with it, I'm against it. But we were talking about what we were going to do. But nothing is for sure.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Well, I don't want to go on on this issue. I don't know. I haven't talked to them. We're probably going to have a meeting to see if they can explain why. But I don't think it's right to do that.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: I could say that, yeah. It was one of the most emotional things in months to win because, like I said, it's too much, mentally, to get this neck problem, I don't know, maybe once or twice a month. It's too much and I didn't know if I was going to be able to play or not or even -- I don't know -- win. So it was like very emotional because I fight it all month and I didn't give up.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: It feels much better than three days ago. But right now I feel, just sitting here I feel pain going down my shoulder. So it's like a pinched nerve. When I go to the right I feel a very sharp pain. I would say it's the same. It's good that it's not worse after that match.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: I hope so. I hope so. If nothing happens during -- tomorrow I'm going to get two or three treatments and try to get it better. Maybe it's going to be better, let's hope.