FED CUP - CZR vs USA

April 26, 2003

Daja Bedanova

DAJA BEDANOVA: Yeah, she played amazing tennis. She played one of her best tennis. She's a great athlete, a great tennis player. It's really hard to compete against those players. I played some good tennis. Unfortunately, I had some chances I didn't use. If I used those chances (inaudible).

DAJA BEDANOVA: It happened actually more times. Today in the first game I was 40-15 up I think on her serve. If I could win that, if I would be ahead in the break, I would hold my serve at least 2-love. If you are ahead with such a big player, it's much easier to play against them, compete against them, stay even with them. Then I lost my serve. So instead of me leading the game, maybe again at 40-love, she broke me and she was ahead. She's such a great player, it was hard to stay even with her.

DAJA BEDANOVA: She was just better and better every time, every single game. When she got further and further, she was more ahead, she played better and better.

DAJA BEDANOVA: I mean, Venus is a great player, great athlete. I think she's improving, like a lot of athletes are improving if you work on your game. Also, Venus is getting better and better, stronger and stronger mentally and stroke-wise. So definitely I think she's better.

DAJA BEDANOVA: Right. I knew that if I wanted to do good and stay even, at least (inaudible), that I need to lead at least in each of the sets. So if it didn't happen in the first set, which if I could have a break, if I had the break and then lead and had the break down, I think that's the point where you just realize that you have to do something else.

DAJA BEDANOVA: Yeah. I was trying to go for too much, I guess, for the sidelines, which didn't -- it always went out a little bit. So basically I have to stay calm with those players and just play your game.

DAJA BEDANOVA: I don't remember... No, both those times I played her I had a break (inaudible). So it was a little bit different. The first one 3-1, then you can play against those players much better. The same if I would have again the 2-love lead. Maybe it would end the same, 6-2, but just, you know...

DAJA BEDANOVA: It's getting faster and faster every day. But the biggest difference was the first couple days. But it's getting faster and faster (inaudible). It's pretty fast.

DAJA BEDANOVA: Well, first Iveta is now going to play, so we're going to cheer her on. Maybe she's going to do a good job there. As far as mentally, then we'll just try to speak together, sit down. I think we are pretty calm about tomorrow.