XXVI OLYMPIC GAMES

August 3, 1996

Gigi Fernandez

Mary Joe Fernandez

MARY JOE FERNANDEZ: So special. I was out of the team to begin with. And ever since '92 it's been my goal to be back on this team and try to win a gold medal and to be able to be on the team and participate and to be able to win again is unbelievable. I still can't believe we did it. And I'm just really, really happy.

MARY JOE FERNANDEZ: I don't know. I think it's better. I think it is, because it's always harder the first time around. This time it was more nervewracking and we're in our home country. It was tough. The whole tournament was tough, but I think it's more special to win here at home.

GIGI FERNANDEZ: I think they're both equally special. The first one is always very special. But to win at home, I think there was maybe more atmosphere in Spain. We had a full stadium, and the people that were here were loud, but it wasn't full, so it was a little bit of a disappointment. But we won the gold medal and defending I think is harder than winning it the first time, because you know what you've done and you know how much it means. It was great that we got to keep it together and in the end we came out with a win. And also Jana was a little injured, or a lot of injured, I don't know how bad it is. But that makes it even harder, because you know that you just have to play basic and the match is yours, and that's something that's hard to play when someone is injured.

MARY JOE FERNANDEZ: We had tough matches all along. I think our first round was tough because we had to play France, and I think we played sharp then. Today we had to. Those two have won a lot of Grand Slams together. We knew we had to play aggressively and just be solid out there. And I think we did that. It was a couple points here and there the first set that made the difference and it turned out to be a critical set.

GIGI FERNANDEZ: We said we can't believe we're doing it again.

MARY JOE FERNANDEZ: I don't think it's sunk in yet. If you would have told us four years ago that we're going to win again, I probably would have said I don't think so.

GIGI FERNANDEZ: It's great to come back and have defended. So we don't have to play again until 2000.

MARY JOE FERNANDEZ: We'll come back in 2000. Gigi will be 36.

GIGI FERNANDEZ: I said that's it, I'm retiring, I'm finishing with this one.