EVERT CUP

March 6, 1999

Mary Joe Fernandez

Q. The first set was back and forth, back and forth. What did you do to stay in it?

MARY JOE FERNANDEZ: Fortunately, I think I was always ahead a game, so that helped. It's always a little bit easier when you're a front-runner. It was a close match, a couple points here or there the first set. I felt if I could string a few together, keep positive, stay playing aggressive, that hopefully things would turn my way. Ended up doing that.

MARY JOE FERNANDEZ: Big game. 3-1, I think she had a game point to go up 4-1. That was a crucial time in the match. Sure, the 3-All game is always a big game; you always want to win that critical game. I had a lot of chances to break. I wasn't getting them. However, the chips fell my way.

MARY JOE FERNANDEZ: Very relieved. Always good to go up 4-3 and serving. It gives you the momentum. It's talked about a lot that the seventh game is the critical game. Normally, it is.

MARY JOE FERNANDEZ: No, because I'm still playing and I'm almost there (laughter).

MARY JOE FERNANDEZ: No. I mean, Jana is such a great athlete. She's in such great shape. She has such an easy game style, very fluid. She attacks a lot. I think she's gotten better with age. I think she's played her best tennis the last couple years. So, no, I'm not surprised.

MARY JOE FERNANDEZ: She's always been very friendly. I've always gotten along with her very well. She's very funny. That's a side of her people don't know. She has a great sense of humor. But I just think she knows what she has to do out there. I think she goes for it a lot more than she used to. That's made the difference. That's winning her the big matches now.

MARY JOE FERNANDEZ: Yeah. If you're talking with her -- I'm playing doubles with her later this afternoon. She's very funny, get very sarcastic. She'll miss a ball and say something that's just out of the ordinarily you wouldn't imagine her saying.

MARY JOE FERNANDEZ: It's a great feeling coming back here. I wasn't able to play last year because of the wrist injury. I love playing here. It's a great atmosphere. The centre court is really nice, even though it's very big. But the sound of the ball is a good one. You always like to play where you've had good results, and where you have good memories. So it's a good feeling to be back.

MARY JOE FERNANDEZ: She's great. I've been fortunate enough the last few years to have her on the side during Fed Cup matches, during the Olympics. She's a very positive influence, knows so much about the game. I just saw her a second before I walked on the court so I didn't really get a chance to talk to her. She's always very positive. No matter what the score is, you can hear her saying, "Come on, you can do it." She inspires you.

MARY JOE FERNANDEZ: She has a lot of nicknames for me (laughter). That's one of them.

MARY JOE FERNANDEZ: It's tough. It's a tough match for me because she plays very aggressively, forces me to be the one to be aggressive first. That's not easy because I have to take more chances, take it to her. You know, I'm looking forward to it. It's a challenge. Hopefully just play a good match.

MARY JOE FERNANDEZ: I think I have a pretty good sense of humor. I think I'm more "what you see is what you get". I think you see Jana and she's very serious on the court when she's playing, very tough. But she's very down-to-earth, just like I said, very funny.

MARY JOE FERNANDEZ: A little. I go when I'm home. I haven't gown too much on the road. I know a lot of players that play for Miami because they rehab where I rehab. It's fun. I cheer them on. Basketball is a great game, it's very fast, there's always entertainment going on.

MARY JOE FERNANDEZ: No, I don't.