THE LIPTON CHAMPIONSHIPS

March 19, 1995

Nicole Arendt

Q. Put your alma mater aside, she is also a close friend of yours, is it difficult to play another Gator and a close friend?

NICOLE ARENDT: Yeah, it makes it a little bit more difficult to play somebody, you know, but you have to put that aside when you are out on the court. I had a good time out there. Someone has to win; someone has to lose. This is the third time I have lost to her, so it is tough, but it was a great match. It was fun.

Q. You, at one point, you looked like you were limping a little back to your set.

NICOLE ARENDT: I'm a little bruised on my toe; nothing bad. No, nothing was hurting me.

Q. How disappointing is it to have this sort of result when you had the lead in the third set and I think you had the lead in the first also?

NICOLE ARENDT: Up a break in the first and there the third and in the second, actually. Yeah, it is defeating and it is tough and I am frustrated because I am very close at beating people in the top, top 50, top 30, but that is the way it goes. It just makes me have to go out tomorrow; work a little harder. It comes down to, as usual, important points I have got to concentrate more and I think I have got a bit nervous, and I don't hit out. Lisa -- gee, she came up with some incredible shots at some really important times and she hung in there and I mean, she didn't win -- she won it. I played a little hesitant, but she went after it. So...

Q. Want to talk about the wind conditions on one side of the court how it affected the match?

NICOLE ARENDT: Yeah, it was definitely -- for me what happened was the wind was to my back and with the sun up, so it was almost defeating, because I couldn't see after I had served sometimes I wouldn't know where the ball was. And then after a while it started getting gusty, so you didn't know which way the wind was going. It is always more difficult to play in the wind. That is just a part of it. We all know what is coming when we come here to Lipton, but I still love it.

Q. Nicole, a couple of weeks ago you made mention to something that you just mentioned that is Lisa's increasing ability to play well on the big points, she is doing much better now than she did a year or so ago. How do you learn to play better like that?

NICOLE ARENDT: That is a question I have got to figure out. Because I am struggling with that. Maybe I should talk to Lisa about it. She is. She is really playing solid. I think she is keeping her head a lot steadier, at least from the outside for people to see that. I don't know what is going on inside, but she is a much more professional player. And it was a great match. She came up on top, and with great shots. I think it is probably just sticking with your game; what got you to that point, you know, what got you to 30-Love or to 40-15 or whatever, you got to keep playing that way. You don't want to do more and you don't want to do less, but that is sometimes very difficult because you have got -- most people have a brain and you analyze things and it gets in the way.

Q. How far do you see her going?

NICOLE ARENDT: Here?

Q. In her career?

NICOLE ARENDT: She has got the great game. I can see her going far. I mean, I don't know exactly where she is ranked right now, so numberwise I don't know, but I feel she has got a very good future. I think she is only going to get better, and I don't think she has even peaked, and I hope she goes for it. I really wish her the best because she is a friend of mine and I know how hard she works.

Q. Is Andy still coaching both of you?

NICOLE ARENDT: Not me.

TONI WOODS: He is no longer coaching Lisa as well.

Q. Who is your coach?

NICOLE ARENDT: I am working at Nick Bollettieri, Mike DePalma (sic) senior, but nobody is traveling with me.

Q. You left the--

NICOLE ARENDT: University of Florida.

Q. In '91?

NICOLE ARENDT: May of '91.

Q. She came in '91?

NICOLE ARENDT: We were not on the team together.

Q. Some of your friends were yelling in the stands "be aggressive?"

NICOLE ARENDT: I know. I was, like, are you going to coach me. It is more fun, I think, when the crowd gets into it. I thought Lisa also got quite a bit of encouragement. It makes it for fun that way, I think, for the players and it is also -- it shows -- I enjoy it because it also shows they are enjoying it and they were getting into it. What a honor to have people rooting for me, but it is also -- it is neat to know that they are enjoying it. It doesn't bother me at all.

Q. As far as the aggressiveness of the game, do you think that you need to get more aggressive?

NICOLE ARENDT: I think what they were saying is to continue to be aggressive. Again, there were points where I think I let up; when I shouldn't have. That is all they were saying. Aggressive is my game and I have got to put it together. It always seems like I am serve and volleying well, but the groundstrokes are a little inconsistent. Now I think I am getting much more consistent off the ground and today my volleys were a little loose. If the puzzle finally gets put together and they both are great; then I think things will happen successfully for me.

Q. Do you think that she was able to exploit a little bit on the backhand side; especially on that one side of the court?

NICOLE ARENDT: With the wind, yeah, she did, of course, that is the whole point; you want to hide your weakness and make your strengths come out and you want to find their weakness and pound on it. Yeah, at times that definitely helped her. She played me smart. I think I played her smart and at the end it came down to playing a few points a little bit better; a bit more aggressive, you know, I wish her the best, I really do. She is a great player.

Q. Do you still have plans after your career to do charity work in third world countries?

NICOLE ARENDT: I don't know now about third world countries, but I am really interested in helping out, yes, not only in tennis, but, yeah, definitely in getting more involved in helping those that are not as fortunate because it really is, we are so lucky to be doing what we are doing and actually a friend of mine came and just was in awe of what we have being able to -- staying at the places like Biltmore and having it paid for and doing what we love to do; it was fantastic for me because I really realize how fortunate we are to be able to do what we are doing and to make a living at it.

Q. Are you doing any kind of charity work now?

NICOLE ARENDT: Special Olympics, things that are involved with the tennis. Also the Kids Foundation and Andrea Jaeger, helping out there when I can financially. I'd like to get more involved later though. I think right now I have got to concentrate now on my tennis. I am on the board trying to do what I can to help tennis go in a good direction professionally in the future.

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