US OPEN

August 29, 2003

Daniela Hantuchova

MODERATOR: Questions for Daniela, please.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: I mean, that happens sometimes when you are focused on your game, you don't really realize what the score is. That just showed that she was really there in the match and she was fighting hard and being really focused. You know, that sometimes happens. But, yeah, was a funny situation.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Well, I was just not good enough on the day. I mean, she played pretty well. She was moving well and she hit a lot of winners. I just didn't really, you know, get any rhythm out there. Didn't hit my ground strokes properly - nowhere near how I did it in the practice. It was nowhere near that. But, you know, that's tennis. Sometimes that happens. You know, I felt like I had a couple of chances in the second set which I haven't used. But she played well and she deserved to win.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Yeah, of course. I mean, I'm disappointing to lose so early at the US Open. But I just have to keep working hard and try to learn from the things I haven't done well today and to move on. And, I mean, that's tennis. Sometimes you are up; sometimes you are down.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Not really. I haven't spoken to her. I will ask her what she was thinking, what score it was. It was funny.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: I don't know what was going through her mind, so it's hard to tell.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Well, I think it will be pretty tough for her because Amelie's playing really well and she's got a lot of confidence. You know, she's a great player. Especially at the Grand Slams, she really knows what to do on the court. She really is a very tough player to beat, so she will have to play really well to beat Amelie.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Well, in Sydney I played much, much better. I was more aggressive. I was more confident. That's the difference. At the beginning of the year, I felt like, you know, my game was right there. Now, you know, I didn't really play the way I wanted. She used her chances and kept fighting, and she deserved to win tonight.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Yeah. I mean, she played today pretty well. At the first set she wasn't almost missing at all. It was really tough to play against. But, yeah, definitely she played much better than in Sydney.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Well, to keep working hard, to get my confident back. Just to, you know, do my best every day. And, you know, just keep fighting. Definitely, I will work as hard as I can to be ready for the next year.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Well, definitely it's tough. Sometimes it can be really frustrating. But, you know, tennis is a very tough competition, and, you know, that's the way it is. I can't change anything about the matches I have lost in the past, and I just have to learn from them not to do it again in the future.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Well, not at all. But still, I mean, tennis is what I always love to do. As long as I can have fun on the court, that's the most important thing. I really enjoy what I'm doing.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: I would say it has been caused by the results, because I have lost to players that I shouldn't. Most of the time it was because, you know, I was not playing well, and most of the time I beat myself. That's really frustrating sometimes. So, you know, when you start losing matches, your confidence gets low. So it's just a matter of getting it back.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Not really, because it's really up to me what I do on the court. I'm the one that is responsible for my results. Of course it's important to have the right people around you, and I feel like I really do have the right ones. I'm so thankful for my family being the biggest support for me, also my coach. So I wouldn't change anything about it at all.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Yeah, maybe that's what I should do. But sometimes I do work maybe too much and that's maybe not very good sometimes. But that's the way I am. I just, you know, can't really relax and sit around and not do anything. I always love to do something.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Well, first of all, there is an indoor season coming up soon. I'm really looking forward for that because I always enjoy playing indoors and I have had very good results in the past. So I will look to do well there, and then definitely next year will be a big motivation for me to, you know, to start to play my proper tennis.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Well, I haven't really thought about what I will do after the season and how much rest I will take. I will start to think about that a little bit later.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Well, definitely I will take some holidays and some kind of break after the season, for sure.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Well, we have worked really hard in trying to get as much ready as possible for this Slam because we knew it was the last one of the year. So I just try to do my best. And, you know, we are talking a lot about playing little bit smarter on the court. Also, mentally being stronger. I think I have done pretty good job in the summer, and I feel like I'm on the right way back and I just have to continue the way we have been working in the last couple of weeks. Hopefully, the results will come back soon.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Oh, yeah, definitely. Physically, I'm feeling great. You know, working hard. And, yeah, I just have to keep doing the things I'm doing. We'll see what happens next.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Well, it's tough to say. I mean, you never know. I'm not doing the draws of the tournament, so...

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Oh, yeah, sure. I would like that, definitely.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Yeah, definitely. I'm over that match. I have moved on. Today I just was not good enough on the day, and that's -- it's as simple as that. I mean, she deserved to win because she was the better player tonight.