PILOT PEN TENNIS

August 22, 2002

Daniela Hantuchova

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Yeah, definitely she's a very tough player because she can do anything she wants to on the court, and when I play her I always have to expect a tough match. We played last week each other and it was very tough. So I knew that I have to play really well to beat her.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: I have to say I was really happy the way I played today. And I felt like today that I can do anything on the court and I felt very confident from the first point and I was just playing my real tennis today.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Well, I mean, Venus is a different player. She has got more power and she's very quick. She serves well, so it's going to be tougher but if I play like I did today and I mean, I think I have got a good chance and I mean, I have got nothing to lose. I am looking forward to that match.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Yeah, I put her into three sets at the beginning of the year and I think since then I have improved quite a lot. But she's playing great at the moment. I think she lost only to her sister in the last couple of months so she's definitely a tough player to beat, but I am going to try and play my tennis to do my stuff out there and see what happens.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: All these big matches are giving me a lot of experience and when I want to be the best I have to start beating these best players and I am just going to try do my best and see what happens tomorrow.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Not really. I feel physically very -- in a very good shape. Yesterday I was not tired at all even though we played three sets and today I felt fit on the court and I fell like I am getting better and better from match to match.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Definitely I was trying to come in more today because I felt like in the previous matches I had chances to come in and I stood back at the baseline, so was trying to be even more aggressive today and it worked out pretty well.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Yeah.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: I think golf really is a great way to relax for me, and I really enjoy it, and I started last year and I think it's nice to do sometimes something different and get out of the tennis side and see something different.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: I really enjoy it a lot, especially the restaurants are great here and it's really special for the food and it's great practice for me for the US Open. So I am really happy to be here.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: At Yale.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Yeah.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Well, it was not my best day, but I mean, I was hitting it pretty well. I just started, you know, last year, so it's more fun for me than anything, but yeah it was all right. Actually my coach plays very well.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: It is great that you have got such a great course here. I mean, for me it is one of my favorite golf courses. I played all the different ones, but this one is really pretty and it is just ten minutes from here, so I thought it's a good change to do something different.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Can we talk about tennis more, please. Because I feel like I am a golfer now.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: No, just for fun.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Well, I can tell you I won today 6 -4, 6-3. That's the important thing.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: I don't think it was up and down. I think I was doing pretty well even after Indian Wells, I did fourth round in Paris and quarterfinals in other tournaments so I was really happy with the way I played after that, and Wimbledon was something really special for me, first time quarterfinal in a Grand Slam. But there are still many things that I have to work on, but mentally I feel like I am much stronger than I used to be especially from those big matches.

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Obviously when you hit a ball as hard as she did and you hit somebody it's a case of when -- I think it's in the rule that the umpire can default the match, so I knew why they called the supervisor on the court, but I was just trying to focus on my game.