US OPEN

September 2, 2000

Jelena Dokic

JELENA DOKIC: She went out there, had nothing to lose. Obviously, the pressure was on me to win the match. I was expected to win. When you lose a few points and get down a break, you get a bit tight. That's what happened. Overall, I stepped up the pace when I needed to. I was down in both sets. I just played well when I needed to. Sometimes you're not going to play great. What was important for me was when I don't play well and win a match, that's what makes you stronger. I think it was good for me to pull that off and do it in two sets.

JELENA DOKIC: I couldn't hear you.

JELENA DOKIC: You know, especially in the first set, she had a big lead. In the second set, she served for it. They were close games there. I think, again, I played well when I needed to and didn't make the errors, took my chances. I just stayed concentrated and focused, tried to get back into it. You won't always be up. You're going to have to make comebacks. That's what I did well today.

JELENA DOKIC: Well, I played Venus this year in Rome; did well against her, I won that match. It's probably going to be pretty much the same - just hard-hitting. You've just got to hope they make a few errors. For me, it's just important just to stay in points and not make errors. I think at the moment, I'm happy with how I did here. No matter what happens in the next match, you know, to have two Grand Slams in a row, do very well, finish in the Top 10, 15 players in a Grand Slam, play consistently, is the most important for me at the moment. I'm just going to go out there Monday, I think it is, you know, got nothing to lose, just play the way I do and see what happens.

JELENA DOKIC: Oh, I think it would be big for anybody to beat Serena or Venus. They're probably the two players at the moment that are just -- they're unbeatable. Again, if I was to win, it will be great for me. You know, I've beaten big players before. You know, I've faced a lot of them before. I know what to expect.

JELENA DOKIC: Again, like I said, what I'm happy with is that I got through not playing very well. I played well in the first two matches. You won't always play great. You know, she had nothing to lose. You get a bit tight. That's what happens. To not play as well as I want to and still get through matches, that's very important because you can win matches not playing well.

JELENA DOKIC: It was just really hot and humid, I felt a little bit dizzy. It was okay, actually. I got through it. If it came to a third set, I would have lasted.

JELENA DOKIC: No, no.

JELENA DOKIC: No. I just finished.

JELENA DOKIC: I think I had a really bad start, especially on my serve. There was only one break. I thought if I could hold my serve at 4-1, I'll have a chance at breaking her. She doesn't have a huge serve. If I could stay in points, I knew I could get a break and come back. I knew that if it did get to 4-3, I could probably, you know, come back. I was in situations like that before, so I knew how to react to it.

JELENA DOKIC: No. I just practiced with Rubin this morning for about 45 minutes or so. That's about it.

JELENA DOKIC: It could be both really. It just depends which way you look at it. If there is attention on something else, then there's not so much attention on you. That puts pressure off you sometimes. Sometimes if you think about it too much and worry about it too much, it can get to you. I think the main thing is to go out there and not worry about what happened outside, off the court. Sometimes it's hard to do that, but you've got to be able to because it's going to distract your tennis and you won't win matches like that.

JELENA DOKIC: Yeah, I think so. I mean, I did well at Wimbledon. I got through a lot of matches. Here, as well. It's very important. No matter what the circumstances are, you know, I've been getting through matches.

JELENA DOKIC: I think whether you're up or down, you always look for support. If you are down, you start believing that maybe you can come back or that you can win matches. I mean, you feel like you're lonely out there, you've got to try to get that from yourself, inside. It's hard to do that sometimes when you've got to really believe in yourself and not a lot of people can do that. Like I said, I believed that I could come back in both sets, and I played well when I needed to.

JELENA DOKIC: Well, I think when you string a lot of matches together and win them, play well, you sort of start believing, "I can beat these players, anything's possible." You know, it's hard in Grand Slams, especially when you're not seeded, you could play anybody. For me to get through matches in a Grand Slam, no matter who it is, is important. That's what I've done the last two Grand Slams, the tournaments that I've played lately. This year I've been quite consistent, which is important.

JELENA DOKIC: I really enjoy the game. When I started, I enjoyed just playing, whether it's practice or matches. You know, especially a match, the thrill and the excitement of it. When you are in situations where you are 5-3 down or something like that, she's serving for the matches, to come back, you feel really good. To get the crowd, whether they're with you or not, experience that. That's what's, you know, so great about tennis and the lifestyle itself.

JELENA DOKIC: At the moment, I'm happy with the way things are going. I've done what I wanted to this year, considering the circumstances, the amount of tournaments I can play, which has been really tough to pick them out. You know, I've just enjoyed the game, win or lose. That's what I'm really proud of. I've just kept on going. I have no regrets about the tour.