adidas International

January 10, 2001

Corina Morariu

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Corina, please.

CORINA MORARIU: Obviously, to beat such a good player with such an easy score is a bit of a surprise, but I went into the match pretty confident. I've been working really hard and playing some tough matches, and, you know, I just felt like I had nothing to lose. And I think I went out there and just stayed aggressive, and I sensed that she was a bit tentative. So I really tried to take advantage of that. And the conditions were a bit tough. It was a bit windy. I just think I adjusted to all of that better than she did.

CORINA MORARIU: I've had a couple wins over Top 10 players. It obviously, I mean, it rates up there with the others. But Anna Kournikova is such a big name in women's tennis obviously, so I guess, you know, there's that much more notoriety associated with this win. So as far as saying to people that maybe don't know as much about tennis, this is probably one of the biggest wins you can have. (Laughing.)

CORINA MORARIU: Very. I was very, very surprised. I really appreciated -- there were actually people in the crowd that were cheering for me, which I really didn't expect. So I was really excited to see that and that gave me, you know, just a little extra motivation. I played Anna, I think, three years ago in the Australian Open one of the first years she played it, and that was a bit rough with the crowd. So I was prepared for the worst, but I was pleasantly surprised with the support I got. And it was, you know, a nice crowd, actually not hostile or even the people cheering for her.

CORINA MORARIU: I think it works both ways. Obviously, going into the match, like I said, I played her before in Australia so I was prepared mentally for the crowd to be against me, and that obviously helps as opposed to, you know, it being a surprise for me in that sense. But, you know, she's a great player and obviously just, you know, all the recognition that she gets, you know, maybe it makes it a better win or a bigger win as far as, you know, people that aren't involved in tennis. But, you know, I definitely think other wins I've had are just -- are equally as good.

CORINA MORARIU: I think it's difficult for her. Obviously, she's gotten a lot of support, and she's very popular. I think the media is playing up the tournament win more than maybe, I think, the players or people involved in tennis just because she's had some really great results and she plays big tournaments and plays tough players. I mean, maybe if she, you know, went to play at a tier four or tier five, one of our lower tournaments, and she won that, I don't know if that would please everybody or if they would say, "Well, she can win that but she can't win a bigger tournament." I think she's in a bit of a tough spot. But, obviously, with that much recognition, and she's, you know, a beautiful girl and talented, there's always going to be pressure on her and always going to be, you know, she's going to be under that microscope really.

CORINA MORARIU: Oh, God, we played on Court 1. I think there were 6,000 screaming teenage boys leaning over the railing and banging on the aluminum siding on the court and screaming. I mean, it felt more like a football or a soccer match than a tennis match. And I think the first few games neither of us could really hit a ball on the court, we were so shocked at the crowd. So, I think they've subsided a little bit, but I'm not really sure. At least here they are. They're a little more subdued.

CORINA MORARIU: Oh, well, that's a good thing. Geez.

CORINA MORARIU: Three and a half months. It was obviously a tough time to get injured, especially I like to play in the States and there's some really nice tournaments, the US Open obviously, and San Diego and LA and Stanford, all those tournaments I had to miss. But it's always nice to have a break, even though it was forced. I got to stay home and just have a normal life for a little while and just enjoy being home. And I think that maybe helped me a little bit at the beginning of the year as well, because at the end of last year I wasn't as tired as probably some of the other players and as I had been in the past. So coming into, you know, the Australian summer circuit, I felt more refreshed.

CORINA MORARIU: No, it was just -- it was just fractured right at the head of the radius on my left arm. So there wasn't really much they could do, just rehab and I had it in a sling for about six to eight weeks.

CORINA MORARIU: I was sick. I pulled out. So I don't think that qualifies as a loss.

CORINA MORARIU: Yeah. You know, obviously it's really difficult coming back after being off for such a long time. I won a couple matches when I came back, and I think I made the quarters in Kuala Lampur. And also in the time off, I showed myself that I could come back after that time off and still play pretty good tennis. I felt pretty confident, so I think I showed myself as well - because I haven't been the greatest starter of the year - I've started the year pretty slowly in previous years. So I think that just showed me that I can take the time off and I can still come back and play good tennis.

CORINA MORARIU: I think it's Conchita. Yeah, I've played her once before, and I lost. But, you know, I'm obviously feeling confident and she's a great player. It's going to be a good match. I'm looking forward to it. I feel like I'm hitting the ball well and I've just been working hard, and I was happy that I was able to stay mentally focused today, mentally tough. So I'm feeling pretty good about my chances. It should be a good match either way.

CORINA MORARIU: Well, I've played her once before, like I said, and I've seen her play a lot. Obviously she's playing a lot of matches and she's on TV a lot. So I pretty much -- I knew what to expect. I think she was definitely a little more nervous, a little more tentative than I would have expected her to be. But aside from that, yeah, I mean, I got a couple tidbits of information from a few friends. But other than that, I was pretty prepared with what I needed to do and what my game plan was going to be.

CORINA MORARIU: I don't know if sympathy would be the word I would use for some of the girls' feelings. I don't want to speak for anyone else, obviously. But you know, obviously I think there's a little bit of resentment that she gets so much attention as opposed to other players that have had equal results or even better results and haven't gotten that much attention. But, you know, that's reality. She's a beautiful girl and she's talented and she plays the game nicely, and that's going to draw attention. It's a little bit unfortunate that some of the players that have had better results don't get as much attention, but that's life pretty much. That's the real world.