U.S. OPEN

August 28, 1996

Ann Grossman

ANN GROSSMAN: I thought she played well from 2-All in the first set. I mean, she was hitting the lines on really big points. I mean, they were going right in, they were right on the line or right next to it. I didn't think she made that many mistakes. I thought she played pretty well because I came out playing pretty well. When I got to 2-All, I stopped being more aggressive than what I should have. You know, I mean, I thought she played a good match. I think everybody's kind of being a little hard on her, you know.

ANN GROSSMAN: What do I suppose?

ANN GROSSMAN: I just think a lot of girls are playing really good tennis now and there's a lot more upsets than there have been. I don't think y'all are used to it maybe so you're like, "My gosh, what's happening to this player?" There's a lot of good players that are coming out and playing good tennis against the top players. They're going to have their bad days, too, just how everybody does.

ANN GROSSMAN: The last time I played her, I beat her in Berlin in '94. I definitely had confidence going out into the match. I wasn't scared of her at all. That's because I've had wins over a lot of top players. You know, I'm not scared to walk on the court against anybody. As far as being where she is, I mean, I haven't played her in two years. I just focus on myself; I don't focus on what the other players are doing.

ANN GROSSMAN: Yeah. Well, for one thing, I hurt my wrist in San Diego. I wasn't able to hit backhands. I wasn't even able to practice backhands before my first match. I didn't tape it because I'd rather deal with the pain than my opponent seeing that I have a problem, you know. I didn't have any confidence on my backhand at all. I made so many mistakes just because I haven't been able to practice it. You need repetition, to go out there, to be confident, especially when you're walking onto center court at the US Open. You want to be playing your best. It was just unfortunate that this happened to me. I won my first round, I beat Farina who I lost to a couple weeks ago. I felt if I had made a few more backhands and been more aggressive, it definitely would have been a lot closer. It was unfortunate, but those things happen.

ANN GROSSMAN: Yeah, definitely. If I would have come in more and really believed that I could come in and volley and take the overheads and stuff, it definitely would have made it a lot tougher on her, I think. You know, she rises to the occasion when somebody does it also, so it just depends.

ANN GROSSMAN: I don't know. I mean, that's a difficult question. It's not for me to, you know, say that. I don't think any player at any time. It depends on where they are in their personal life. There's a lot of stuff that goes on. It's difficult on the Tour day in and day out to remain on the top. It's life, you know. I'm sure you have your up and downs, too, throughout the years. One day you're doing really well, the next you're not feeling so good. Anything is possible, any given day for anybody. If they choose to want it, that's my thought.

ANN GROSSMAN: What's different in her?

ANN GROSSMAN: I made a lot of errors, you know. I'm more looking at myself, what I did wrong; not what she was doing. I felt like I made a lot of unforced errors. I feel like I need to be a bit stronger and get in better shape to hang in there on those long points. Her balls were hitting real high on me. I wasn't letting go. Sometimes I get in there and don't let go, let my ability play. I kind of hold myself back for reasons I don't know why sometimes. I just do that. It's something I have to overcome for me to play my best tennis. I felt like I was holding back a little bit.

ANN GROSSMAN: I don't know, who was? (Laughter). I felt like I was doing a lot of running.

ANN GROSSMAN: I had her runs also? Cool, right on. Yippy.