U.S. OPEN

September 6, 1994

Gigi Fernandez

GIGI FERNANDEZ: Only if it's you.

GIGI FERNANDEZ: No, I don't. I might not agree, but --

GIGI FERNANDEZ: Yeah, felt little bit like I did agains Martina at Wimbledon. I wasn't quite used to the surroundings, and it's my first singles match on Center Court in four, five years and the last time I was -- was against Seles in singles.

GIGI FERNANDEZ: Yes, played Seles. Didn't do so well, so I was going in kind of a little intimidated, and if I'd broken at 3-Love, I think I had a couple breakpoints in the first set, it might have been a different set, but then I get ahead, and I had two bad matches the beginning of the match, at 3-Love I lost, I think, 13 straight points, and you can't do that at this level-- on any level, you know, particularly against a player like Gaby. You can't give her 13 points and expect to win a set and I almost did, but that is not good.

GIGI FERNANDEZ: When you're-- like, when you've lost 14 point in a row you have to start to do something to try to get out of it, and for me, usually laughter relaxes me. That's why I laughed so much, or try to.

GIGI FERNANDEZ: No, it is not that easy to win a tournament and the competition is so strong. You know, if you're not -- I think that her game has always been there, but I think she lost a little of the mental edge and if you lose that, you're not going to win some tough matches you need to in a tournament.

GIGI FERNANDEZ: How?

GIGI FERNANDEZ: I don't know, ask her. Maybe she got burned out a little bit. Maybe she wasn't happy with her life. It can be many different things or maybe it's just too much tennis. She's been on the tour for, I don't know, longer than I have, anyways or for just as long, that's pretty long.

GIGI FERNANDEZ: Not at all, it was just for protection. It didn't affect me.

GIGI FERNANDEZ: Not even close.

GIGI FERNANDEZ: Yes, to a certain degree, but it's still different, it's so big here, it was hard -- I found it hard to pick up the ball when I had the sun behind me, so when the sun was hitting the stands, I was having a hard time finding the ball in the beginning, and at Wimbledon, you don't have that problem trying to find the ball, the surroundings are perfect and you can always pick up the ball. And also I haven't played Gaby in I don't know how long, her spin takes a while to get used to.

GIGI FERNANDEZ: My mother can serve harder than that. But that's what I was telling myself, but the worst part is I was missing the returns.

GIGI FERNANDEZ: You assume that I was gagging.

GIGI FERNANDEZ: No, I don't think I gagged, I wasn't in a position to gag. I wasn't serving for the set and just lost my concentration at 3-Love basically, but no, got kind of comical at the end because those doublefaults, she did that didn't get to the net, but I understand that because I've been through it and everybody gets nervous and a little humor and you just have to keep fighting and she came through with some big passing shots.

GIGI FERNANDEZ: Well, if she hits her first serve, you know, when she getting her first serve in it was-- and it was hard to come in on it, but if she hits the soft first serve, Arantxa is going to jump off all over it. I don't-- unless she serves really well and attacks, I don't see how she's going to beat Arantxa from the baseline.

GIGI FERNANDEZ: Yes, two of them.

GIGI FERNANDEZ: I have seen everything.

GIGI FERNANDEZ: I have, yeah. Everybody gets tight, it's no big deal.

GIGI FERNANDEZ: No, it was the other side. No excuse.

GIGI FERNANDEZ: Well, I think maybe perhaps hiring Juan Nunez helped her confidence a little bit, her new coach. I noticed she's playing better, I just noticed it at Boston playing an exhibition with her, she seemed to be hitting the ball better and I think maybe Juan has helped her a little bit, I don't know in which way, but that was my impression.

GIGI FERNANDEZ: Juan, no.

GIGI FERNANDEZ: It's usually harder to volley if the ball has no pace than a hard hit ball unless a winner. I'd rather have a soft hit good passing shot -- like I had her 3-Love Love-40 and then I -- she hit an incredible forehand that I probably should have gone inside with my shot to her backhand because her court was wide open and I lost my concentration after that and lost 14 straight points, but that was a great shot because if I get up two breaks second set I probably would have won the second set.

GIGI FERNANDEZ: Once you get to the tournament, you have to think about it. So we have been thinking about it-- not the Slam per se, just trying to win every match we play and, you know, it's never good to lose, but I concentrate on the doubles and I still have the mixed, so I'll have some extra rest.

GIGI FERNANDEZ: I'm fine, fine.

GIGI FERNANDEZ: Yes, I just pulled a muscle and it healed fast. It didn't bother me today at all.

GIGI FERNANDEZ: She's 100% as well as.

GIGI FERNANDEZ: Just basically that I can play singles at this level, and I think if I played a few more matches like this I can win some of these. I did it at Wimbledon, I think I might be able to do it here under -- I don't know, I think I could have won the second set and probably could have won the match if I hadn't started so slow. I think I would get used to these situations if I play well, and 30 is not too old. That's the other thing I learned, because I was starting to feel like I was towards the end of my career in singles because of my age as well, I've been playing for ten years, but this is my best -- in terms of Grand Slams, this is my best year in singles, so, I'm still excited about it.

GIGI FERNANDEZ: Me?

GIGI FERNANDEZ: Probably somebody -- I think I was 40-Love up at 4-All-- was I? Maybe that's what you're alluding to. I think I had some point opportunities that I didn't take in the game and that's critical when you're at 40-Love, you have to win the game and that's what I was probably saying, probably, 40-Love.