PILOT PEN TENNIS

August 24, 2001

Jennifer Capriati

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I'm pretty pleased with it. Some things I could have done better, but I felt like I was pretty close. Definitely had my chances. You know, I look at it as a good warm-up match before the Open. You know, obviously that's where it counts. And this, you know, is, you know, still gives me -- it doesn't change my attitude going into the Open at all.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Well, I mean if I would have served better in the first set, you know. I had so many breaks, if I would have consolidated on them. But, you know, it's just different conditions. Playing at night, you know, is a little bit different. You know, in the second set I was right in there. So a few things. Maybe I could have been a little more aggressive on some shots. Basically, that's it, you know. There wasn't a lot of difference.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah, I think in the beginning though, yeah, she was fresh. But I think the third set, if we would have gone to a third set, I think she was starting to get a little fatigued out there. So, yeah. I mean, it's -- I guess she played a long match, and she seemed fine out there in the start.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah, I think she played well. Yeah, I mean really she didn't make a lot of mistakes, and she was moving well. So, you know, I think, you know, she definitely, you know -- this is one of her better matches that I've seen her play in, you know, this week and, you know, and in the past before, in the recent matches she's played. So...

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah. I mean, I don't think I can get any more prepared than what I am now. So...

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah, it was great preparation for the US Open. So, you know, there's going to be a lot -- big crowd there and a lot of screaming people and stuff and, you know, especially at, you know, the night matches. I think it was really good to get the feel of it. And, I mean, it was, I think, a full house out there; it looked like it. So... And that's pretty exciting.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I mean, I think it's wide open. I mean, anybody has a chance really. You know, I'm just going to go in there and take one match at a time and really just, you know, try to play my best every match and think every match is going to be tough. And, you know, it's a long ways to go before the end, you know. It's two weeks. So, you know, I just have to get in that mode that, you know, every match, you know, hopefully I'll get better and better. And it's just leading up to hopefully, you know, the second week, and as the tougher matches come. But I think every match is going to be tough.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah, no. I kind of expect that and that's fine. Really I'm just trying to focus out there and, you know, not think about the crowd and, you know, not think about any pressure, anything like that, you know, the expectations. You know, I feel that as long as I just play my best tennis, that will just take care of itself. And that's really all I can do, you know...

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Did I have any what?

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: No. I mean, it was just a different point. And, I mean, I was probably in better position to hit the one that I did make.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Huh?

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah. Well, I mean, she's pretty much in my side of the court, so really the option is to lob, you know.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I didn't -- well, I didn't sound like I served badly. I just -- I mean, I didn't hit really like -- I wasn't hitting any bombs tonight and winning a lot of free points on my serve. I just -- basically it was getting them in and, you know, playing the points from there. And, you know, she was just really aggressive. I think both of us probably returned better tonight. I mean, there was a lot of breaks of serves, especially in the first set. So, you know, maybe it's just -- what I was concentrating on was trying to, you know, break her so much that, you know, I really lost focus on my serve and, you know, wasn't as concentrated on that. You know, it's something that I'm still working on that should just be automatic anyways. You know, but it's -- it was, like I said, different conditions. I mean, it was definitely weird out there at night, you know. Just the timing was a little off. So, you know, we'll see. I think overall, though, it was pretty good. I didn't serve like yesterday, but...

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Well, I mean she's a good player, you know. And, you know, she has a long reach; she gets a lot of balls. And, you know, today I guess she -- she didn't make very many errors. You know, she was mixing her serve up a lot. So I really -- I didn't get much of a rhythm out there. But I mean, she's definitely a tough player to play, and I mean she's good. So, you know, I think it's always going to be tough matches.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Probably. I'm not really going to say them. (Laughing.)