U.S. OPEN

September 6, 1995

Conchita Martinez

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Sort of, yeah. It was amazing. She serves like a man today. I mean, it was 130 miles per hour 105 second serves. I mean, it was not much I could do. Tried to get some back and hang in there and fight like crazy.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Yeah, I think I tried everything. First of all, I was standing normal. Then I tried to go a little bit forward and tried to slice the ball with everything. That seemed to work a little bit more, but it was hard still. And then I went way, way back and I think that was a little bit better. Next time I go returning the serve from the bleechers.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: I don't know. I just think I hang in there the whole time and fight and tried to get some of those opportunities and take it and make her play. And, you know, and then once I could broke her, once I start -- so in the third set I start getting a little bit nervous.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Well, I think I am playing great. I am playing great tennis with a lot of confidence. The most important thing, I think, maybe with a match like this, it was really good for me to give -- keep positive and fighting. But today I did and I didn't give up and fight and tried to, like I say, take my opportunities and, you know, that is the real change.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: I think we will never know that, you know. I broke her back, and we stayed on serve. And if I broke her, it is for a reason because I was playing, you know, maybe getting some of her serves and, you know, we were back on serve. And I played my service game better and hang in there.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: She was putting the pressure on everybody. She was putting pressure on me too. I think she was coming in after my serves too and putting the pressure on me and, you know, I was lucky to play some very good passing shots. And, I don't know, she played good. I think she played like she had to play and -- but I was the luckiest out there and turned the match around.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Well, I think, you know, you can learn those things and, you know, the best thing to practice then is during the matches, during the difficult matches; not the easy matches and, you know, once you do it, you know, it gives you power to do it again. And, you know, and I think you get tougher and tougher every time.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: I am very tough.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Yeah, I really feel that -- if I wouldn't feel like that, I do not think I would have won this match.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: A little bit.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: I think I have totally different games so I am not -- she is never going to play like me, and I am never going to play like her. I am just going to try to play my game and fighting and hanging in there, try to play deep and try to move her around and wait for my chances.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: If you can --

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: She hits the ball pretty hard, so if you can hang in there and make her hit balls, she probably is going to go for too much and miss some.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Semifinals is going to be a difficult match and I think about winning that one an nothing else.

CONCHITA MARTINEZ: I really don't remember, but I never won a set against her and I think the key is to not have --- really, the past was past; now we are here in the present. I am playing great and try to keep up like that.