U.S. OPEN

September 4, 1992

Patricia Hy-Boulais

Q. You obviously set out being confident that you could win, and you had a plan. When did it come to you that you could win this match?

PATRICIA HY: Probably before we started. No. I mean, I have been playing very well this year. I have had some, you know, very few losses, but I have put myself to learn from those losses. And finally, today, I had 3-1, 40-Love and I lost that game. And in previous matches, that is how I lost to top players, with that. I was up on them, but I could never close it out. So now, you know, when it is 3-All I am, like, well, "If I am going to lose, then it is going to be on my turf." I started playing the ball; not the person. For those two games, I started thinking, "Gosh, I am up. I am not in a familiar territory here." That is how I lost those two games. That is how I got myself together.

Q. Do you feel your loss against Seles two weeks ago was a learning experience?

PATRICIA HY: It definitely was. I played Monica and I won that second set, and the third set -- I watched the tape again, I wasn't -- I didn't play very well in the third set. You know, I mean, I am not saying I would have won in the third set, but it would have been much closer. It definitely taught me what to do when the third set comes around.

Q. What were you thinking when you had that? Could have gone up 4-1? You were up. You had triple breakpoint on her at Love-40 when she was serving at 1-3?

PATRICIA HY: You know, I said earlier, I was thinking of leading 4-1 before even finishing off that game.

Q. Did you start getting nervous?

PATRICIA HY: No. I got really mad inside. I said, "Look, how many matches do I have to lose that way before I even learn anything?" You know, that is when I started saying, "Well, if I am going to lose this set, you know, I am going to, like, hit all out." I went back to that. It came back. Not that it started working, but it came back.

Q. Were you a little bit more aggressive than you normally play, today?

PATRICIA HY: I have been practicing that way, playing more aggressively, and now, I am starting to apply it to my last two tournaments, it is working very well.

Q. Patricia, when you looked at the draw sheet you saw you might play Jennifer for the third year in a row, because you had lost those last two years in the Open, how did you feel?

PATRICIA HY: First of all, I didn't even look at the draw. I always get people coming in to me and tell me who I play and so forth. When I found out I was going to play Jennifer, I go, Gee, that is very -- I just thought it was funny. Every player knows that there are certain players that you always play in tournaments, like, I played Novotna back-to-back three times. I am like, "God, French Open, I almost got to play her too." Here, I wasn't really surprised. I thought it was funny. I wasn't taken back that I had to play Jennifer.

Q. How well do you think she played?

PATRICIA HY: I don't know, I am just comparing her to the last few times I played her. She was having a little problem with returning my serves. I don't know if it's because I was moving well, or that maybe it was a combination, but she used to pound those returns. She wasn't doing that today. That gave me a little break. I was able to keep her on her toes a little more in the match. You know, not giving her the rhythm because she loves staying back. She loves monitoring you. She loves to-- what is the word -- run you around on the court. And I knew that, so I have to be the one to initiate that. I have to be the first one to make the first move.

Q. Patricia, you lost to Jennifer in the first round last year. Was that on the grandstand?

PATRICIA HY: Stadium last year. Grandstand the year before.

Q. What would you say was your weapon number one today?

PATRICIA HY: It was probably like playing the ball, you know, because sometimes, I go out there and I am more worried playing the person. Like, well, if I slice -- if they get three balls back, I get nervous inside, but now I'm like, "Oh, you are sending another ball back. Let's see what I can do with this one." I think that was the key for me.

Q. How do you think you were able to dictate the pace today, when she usually pounds the ball?

PATRICIA HY: I thought I was moving quite well today and that was one thing that I really was aware of before I went on the court, that I had to move. I have to get right behind the ball, if I want to do anything with the ball. I thought I anticipated well in my first two steps-- movement was, you know, well done.

Q. Were you thinking about the match at all, concerning what she has been doing; how well she has been playing lately, the gold medal, San Diego win, everybody sort of picking her as a top favorite, hot favorite here?

PATRICIA HY: No, I wasn't concerned with that. You know, like I said, I have played some good matches myself this year, you know, maybe not to Jennifer's standard, winning a gold medal or tournament, but to me it was an improvement for myself. That was encouragement, myself, for me. I think Jennifer definitely had a lot of pressure on her because people expect her to win. I mean, we walk out on the court and the whole stadium, the whole grandstand was going to crumble down from the clapping. So, you know, I just -- I just feel like, you know, I was the underdog.

Q. Did you feel any pressure conversely? Did you feel any pressure out there?

PATRICIA HY: No, I didn't feel any pressure. I had no pressure to put on myself out there because I think my-- rankingwise, people always think that Jennifer is going to win, and people expected her to win the Open or whatever. But I just-- I was more concerned with myself. You know, like I wanted to. I am at the age I want to start putting things together. I have, you know, I have learned in the last few years, I have trained myself that now is the time to put everything in one package and I did.

Q. How does the noise affect you?

PATRICIA HY: Just a tiny bit. U.S. Open, I think is the noisiest of all Grand Slams. You can't help it. The excitement goes around. Grandstand to stadium, they are very close to each other. But a lot of noise when you are-- is annoying when you are about to hit a ball and people yell or something. That happened twice right before I hit the ball and they yell out. I don't think-- it is not very courteous doing that. But courteous is not even in the game. It doesn't mean you are going to win.

Q. Why all of a sudden this year you are doing so well?

PATRICIA HY: Well, I have always known that when I had first played Graf in the Federation Cup in '87 I took her to three sets. You know, I have taken a few top players to tight matches too. And I knew it wasn't a matter of strokes. It was a matter of mental. And but it was just a matter of finding the right person to work with. And I have found my fiancee coach. We have been working on that for about three years. I would say that with the on-court training, fitness and mental, we have probably worked 60% on mental. And you know, not today, but this year, I finally am like slowly coming -- It is slowly coming together.

Q. How far do you expect to go?

PATRICIA HY: You know, I didn't even look at the draw. I am just happy to be playing again because I have had so many setbacks with injuries and so forth. I just go and play and like each win is great. I didn't even think I am going to lose or win because outcome is not in my mind. What is important to me is I go out there; put everything together like I did today. It could be a little cleaner,, but tennis is never a perfect game. So, you know, I will be happy if I can do that.

Q. How do you work on something that is mental?

PATRICIA HY: Well, do you have two days? The first step we did was, you know, taking what tennis means to me. In the past, when I lose matches, I get really down at myself; lose a point; I get so down at myself. I wanted to be a perfectionist. I was a perfectionist, and to an extent, I still am, but I catch myself now and say, "hey, it is okay, it is only human to miss a ball." Let us learn from there. That was a very first step to make, I made myself understand that tennis is only a game.

Q. Jennifer is a 6th seed to get around in the women's draw. What does that say about the women's game?

PATRICIA HY: I have always -- I don't think it is one dominant player anymore even in the women's game. You know, sometimes we watch TV, it's discouraging because they are like so and so is going to walk over so and so even before they start playing, but I think these days, you can never count anyone out.

Q. Next opponent is Sukova?

PATRICIA HY: Yeah, I think I played Sukova long, long -- in the juniors, maybe at Wimbledon something like that. She is a veteran on the tour, as well, and she serves and volley very different than Jennifer, so it will give me a day and a half to setback and think of my next game. Right now I am just enjoying this moment.

Q. Were you ever getting frustrated -- from this kind of big win, with all the work that you have done, were you getting anxious for this kind of big moment to come?

PATRICIA HY: Well, you know, I think that is the reason that I stayed around in the game for so long. I turned pro in October 86, but I always knew I had it in me, but it was just a matter of finding it to come out. You know, let it come out. I think it is finally coming, and you know, there are still things to learn.

Q. When you lost your serve to 4-All and the crowd was so one-sided against you, did you feel the place sort of closing in; that you might let it go?

PATRICIA HY: No. I was very internal at that moment. I was just like I was pumping myself inside. I was like "gosh, you know, what are you doing, just you know, play the ball." Because every time when I make mistakes it is always when I am playing my opponent and not playing the ball. So I would get -- I would go right into myself and I wouldn't hear them clapping or whatever. I will probably hear them, but I didn't pay attention to them.

Q. Thank you.

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