US OPEN

August 30, 1999

Jelena Dokic

Q. Unusual for you, a lot of unforced errors out there today?

JELENA DOKIC: Yeah. I think I didn't play too bad until 4-1. Just fell apart from there. Held my serve at 4-All, so I was still sort of in there. But my game definitely fell apart from 4-1. Too many unforced errors. I think I just gave the match away, just gave a lot away.

JELENA DOKIC: Well, maybe a little bit. It was just different, you know, with the wind. I guess first time on center court here. You know, you have to cope with that. I was all right until 4-1. Like I said, then just fell apart.

JELENA DOKIC: I think it's obvious, I just made so many errors. I mean, I had a game plan going into it, which I stuck by till 4-1. You know, it worked. I was in the point. I mixed it up. Dropshots, came in a few times. I didn't miss. I got up to 4-1 and didn't play too badly. But from there, just after she broke me, I mean, I think those two games against the wind were crucial there in the first set. Then after that, I just started making errors and gave a lot away.

JELENA DOKIC: Very. But I haven't had a lot of matches lately. I think that's probably one thing, I haven't had matches, and I don't have that much confidence because I haven't played matches in so long after Wimbledon. I think the difference is that at Wimbledon, I came through qualifying, which is much tougher, but I had matches coming in. I had qualifying singles and doubles. It was a different story. It was a different player, I think, compared to Wimbledon. Definitely a different match to, let's say, a Hingis match. I just had everything right over there. I had a lot of practice matches, as well. I think coming into this tournament, it's been quite a bit of practice. I haven't played that much since Wimbledon.

JELENA DOKIC: I played the Canadian Open two weeks ago, but I had a week in between, because I'm limited. I didn't go to New Haven. I didn't play anything there. I've just been practicing since then. Also, you know, even before Canadian Open I didn't play anything. No matter how I did there, it's still not a lot of matches.

JELENA DOKIC: Yeah. It limits you because you can't play everything. You've got to pick your tournaments. Even after this now, I've hardly got anything to play. I'm struggling to find tournaments where I can go to, what time I'm going to play them. I can't just go to any tournament.

JELENA DOKIC: Yes. Four or five.

JELENA DOKIC: Well, I don't know if it's having a negative effect, but I think, you know, knowing you've got five tournaments for the next eight months, that's like one tournament in two months. That's a big difference compared to some of the players -- well, most of the players who can play as much as they want. Probably would have liked to have a few more tournaments, but that's the rules and I have to play by them.

JELENA DOKIC: No, no, definitely not. I've got Tokyo after this, Aussie Open, of course. I'll see what I'll do, what I'll play.

JELENA DOKIC: Yeah, you do. I don't think by saying I need matches you can go back to Juniors. You're coming down another level. Even though I don't have a lot of tournaments to play, I won't go back and play Juniors. I think that's a total mistake to do that because it's, I guess, a level down from what I'm facing now. Hingis at Wimbledon, Sanchez here, playing Top-10 players and playing Juniors is a big difference. You can't expect to play Juniors and then come out and play a Top 10 player and do well.

JELENA DOKIC: A little bit, I think. I'm not blaming this on the age eligibility rule. I just sort of feel like -- I didn't feel comfortable enough like I did at Wimbledon when I played a lot. I've had about four matches in the last three months, since Wimbledon, which is not a lot. I think really to get a feel, you need about two or three matches, especially coming after Wimbledon and having a break for a few weeks.

JELENA DOKIC: It's changed quite a bit. You know, tennis-wise, I think I've probably learned quite a bit, a bit more experience, and confidence as well. I played Fed Cup after that, had a match or two there. I did well there. I mean, I felt quite good at Fed Cup because it was just about a week after Wimbledon. But I think then after Fed Cup, I had a few weeks which I think makes a big difference. I haven't been able to come out and play matches before a Grand Slam.

JELENA DOKIC: Yeah.

JELENA DOKIC: Well, I think disappointing, of course. Not just with the fact that I lost, but just with the fact that after what happened, you know, at 4-1. I rushed. Just a total loss of concentration. I think after losing that first set, even though I lost that first set, I still sort of should have kept on trying to play well in the second set. I fell apart even more.

JELENA DOKIC: Exactly. I've said this a lot of times, but when you're competing with players that can play 30 tournaments a year, nearly three times as much as I can, I've got to come on a tournament and do well because if I don't, I don't have another week to maybe fix it up. Especially with the way my tournaments are spread, I maybe have two tournaments in a row, and that's it. I can't play four or five tournaments. It probably does a little bit, but it doesn't bother me too much. It's probably a fact. I think for players who are limited, or will be limited in the future, I think it does make quite a difference.

JELENA DOKIC: Yeah. Coming after Wimbledon, not playing many matches, coming into a Grand Slam, it makes a difference. When you come into a Grand Slam, you don't have a feel of playing matches again, get it going again, whereas when I had a first round at Wimbledon, I played a tournament before, I had like six, seven matches in qualifying. You've got your rhythm going, and you play every day.

JELENA DOKIC: Well, I can't, because they count as tournaments as well.

JELENA DOKIC: But it counts as a tournament. Doesn't matter what you play, satellites, WTA, Grand Slams, it counts. If I'm going to play a Challenger, I might as well play a WTA event.

JELENA DOKIC: No, I don't think it was. What came out of Wimbledon was pretty much blown up. A lot happened there, but it didn't bother me because I knew half those things weren't true anyway. I think it was just a story that people had something to write about at Wimbledon.

JELENA DOKIC: I don't know (laughter). I guess I'm still growing for a few more years, hopefully. I think I still have a bit more development to do compared to some of the other players who are older, have pretty much developed.

JELENA DOKIC: Not much, no, I haven't been doing that much. I don't know. I've just been working mainly on court right now. I might do something a bit later on.

JELENA DOKIC: Well, I have Tokyo, which is in about two weeks, play that, then see what happens, what I'm going to do for the rest of the year, if I'll play anything and what I'll play.

JELENA DOKIC: I'll have a hitting partner, which is with me here, which works with me. I might take someone along, yeah.

JELENA DOKIC: No. Actually, I don't think so. Until 4-1, that type of game suited me. I could have done whatever I wanted with the ball. You know, she doesn't hit that softly. Might look that way, but she hits good enough to beat you. You just have to get your head together and decide what you're going to do, if you're going to hit the ball, dropshot it a few times, came in, it worked. I think if you think out there what you're going to do, it's fine. After 4-1, I didn't do that, so.

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