NASDAQ-100 OPEN

March 24, 2003

Marion Bartoli

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

MARION BARTOLI: (Inaudible) I don't know what is (inaudible), but perhaps I play 60 percent. Yeah, 60 percent very good, and 40 percent for her injuries. But I play very, very well the first five games. First few games, I play really, really good.

MARION BARTOLI: I run quite good, and I return very good her serve. She serve some good first serve and I return very deep. I think it's -- after I run good, I make some winners down the line with my backhand.

MARION BARTOLI: Yeah, I saw sometimes on her serve she took, yeah, I think it was her right legs. So you push with your right leg on the serve, so I think she was disturbing on her serve. Some time when she run on her backhand, she was disturbing. I mean, I stay focusing just on my game and just, yeah, stay focusing and don't see what happens over the net, you know.

MARION BARTOLI: Yeah, sure. To play against No. 1 in the world, so it's very exciting. My father speak a lot with her father, with Richard. They are some good friends, so it's quite okay.

MARION BARTOLI: They meet at Paris in Gaz de France when she won against Mauresmo. Now, they speak always together. So it's okay. Yeah, it's very exciting to play the No. 1 in the world. Last year I was Juniors, I was only 300, my ranking in the WTA. So now I am Top 100 and I play against No. 1 in the world. It's quite good improving, you know.

MARION BARTOLI: Yeah, I adjust my game on the level, but I think I improve my return of serve than one year ago. And I still in the court, and I still -- I just, yeah, keep improving my return, I keep improving my eyes. That's why, yeah.

MARION BARTOLI: Serena, I don't know. I am going to see what happen. But I'm going to stay in the court, that's for sure. After, I don't know.

MARION BARTOLI: I don't think so (smiling). I think Serena is going to play - she's quite confident. She win everybody. So she has absolutely no reason to lose this year, and I think didn't lose from eight months, something. So she's quite confident. No, I just going to enjoy this match and see what happen.

MARION BARTOLI: Yeah, yeah, for sure, yeah. Nothing to lose, just to enjoy to play against the No. 1 in the world, and we'll see what it is to play against the No. 1 in the world. Because always some people say, "Serena Williams is unbelievable. She plays so well," and everything, but I'm going to see what is it really to play against No. 1 in the world, you know.

MARION BARTOLI: No, I don't think so. Because, you know, you play -- you work a lot and you work very harder to reach this level. Everybody just see, you know, when you play a Grand Slam and you lose first round, you won like something like $10,000 or $20,000. They say, "Oh, it's too much for just one tennis match." But they don't see all the work before you do, from ten years ago, or the sacrifice you do for to be there, so I think no.

MARION BARTOLI: Yeah, I play twice the Orange Bowl. I won the Orange Bowl Under-16 and I reach the semi Under-18.

MARION BARTOLI: I like to be in Miami. I enjoy to be there every time. So, yeah, it's a good tournament. It's a Tier I, it's a big one. Yeah, it's good.

MARION BARTOLI: It's Walter.

MARION BARTOLI: He's doctor.

MARION BARTOLI: Yeah, yeah.

MARION BARTOLI: No, just general doctor.

MARION BARTOLI: He just, yeah...

MARION BARTOLI: My mother is still in France. She's always in France.

MARION BARTOLI: Sophie.

MARION BARTOLI: Yes. She never come with me. She stay always at home.

MARION BARTOLI: Because she work. She doesn't like a lot to see my tennis match. She's very nervous when I play, so... I feel it on the court, and I prefer she stay at home.

MARION BARTOLI: She was a nurse.

MARION BARTOLI: Yeah.

MARION BARTOLI: Yeah, I saw her when I was -- it was in '92, so I was eight years old. She play the French Open. And after, I saw her a lot of times. I saw her when she won the Australian Open against Martina Hingis, she was 6-1 and 5-love up. She was playing unbelievable tennis. And after Martina came back at 5-all and finally Lindsay won 7-5. After I saw her when she won the Wimbledon. So, yeah, I saw her a lot of times, of course.

MARION BARTOLI: Nervous, yeah. But I play against her in the US Open last year. And at this time, I was really nervous when I play against her first time on Lindsay Davenport on the Arthur Ashe Stadium. It was a little bit too much for me. I lost 6-3, 6-1. Yeah, on this round I was just little bit -- just not going to see what she's going to do, but just focusing on my game.

MARION BARTOLI: I think so, yeah (smiling).

MARION BARTOLI: I play on the stadium for the Orange Bowl, the final and the semifinal here. So, I know, yeah. But in the evening session with the Stadium Court, it was very good, yeah. It will be very great, yeah.