U.S. OPEN

September 1, 1995

Amy Frazier

AMY FRAZIER: You know, Mary is such a great player, I really wasn't thinking about winning or losing. I was just hoping I could play a good match, and just play each point. I really wasn't thinking about the outcome.

AMY FRAZIER: I was just trying not to think about the score, and just play each point. I think we both played a few loose points there in the tiebreaker. We were missing some balls, and I was just trying to play a good couple of points coming up.

AMY FRAZIER: Well, I mean, I think that was part of my plan was to move her just because she hits the ball so well and so hard and deep that if she is set, I mean, she can hit winners from anywhere. Even when I was running her, she was still hitting winners just...

AMY FRAZIER: I guess, I thought I played -- really played from my ground, and I got good first serves in. I mean, she was taking my second serves, doing whatever, I mean, she wanted -- hitting winners, anything, so that was the key, I think.

AMY FRAZIER: I am working with John Austin, and he is here and I also work with John Cook in Cincinnati.

AMY FRAZIER: Well, probably about a year and a half. But he lives in Palm Springs, so I go out there whenever I get breaks. And just, everything. I mean, I think -- it is fun because I need to improve everything. My serve needs a lot of work, I think. Hopefully, I can start coming in a little more taking advantage of my groundstrokes, but everything.

AMY FRAZIER: It was just for personal reasons, and I am happy to be playing and enjoying myself, so...

AMY FRAZIER: I mean, it was a long time ago, and it was just personal reasons. I never -- no. That is about it.

AMY FRAZIER: You know, I really love to play. I love to play matches, and as long as it is fun and I feel like I am competing well, I want to play.

AMY FRAZIER: I don't set any ranking goals. All my goals are to improve my game and, hopefully, if I do that, then the rankings will come. So, everything in my game.

AMY FRAZIER: No. I mean, I don't think about it. I mean, obviously, everyone here would. Everyone would love to win the tournament, but it is not something that I think about because I don't think about going into a tournament thinking how many matches I want to win or what round I want to get to. Because I mean, everyone is so good now on the Tour. I can go out and play a really good match and feel like I did the things that I have been working on and still lose because everyone is so good. So I don't want then to feel that, that was a bad tournament or bad match. Because I might have played well.

AMY FRAZIER: A doubles match.

AMY FRAZIER: '89, maybe. Somewhere -- I am not sure.

AMY FRAZIER: Well, I was nervous. But I just tried to concentrate on the tennis. I mean, it would have been, I mean, I was excited to get to play the match. I don't care where I played it. It is just fun to go out and play, getting to play in the stadium at the U.S. Open, being American that is something special.

AMY FRAZIER: Yeah, the summer was great, Team Tennis and being around my teammates, I mean, I think, you know, I feel like I improved a lot over the summer, and I think, you know, the format of it, I think I got to work on a lot of things. So I felt good coming out of the summer.

AMY FRAZIER: Gosh. Well, it is exciting, I mean, I guess -- I mean, I never would have thought when I was getting ready to go to school that a few years later this is where I would be. So I mean, this is great, and I know I look forward to going back to school. So I can't really explain it. I mean, it is just exciting.

AMY FRAZIER: You know, I try not to think about what my opponent is doing or what is going on, on the other side of the court. I think, you know, it was a little tight at the end and maybe we both were a little tight missing some balls and balls none of us usually miss. Maybe we were both a little on edge.

AMY FRAZIER: Gosh, I mean, she is such a great player. She can do everything. I think she made more errors today than she usually does. But I think everyone on the Tour is playing so good now, I mean, I think -- I guess I don't know because I didn't play her in January, but to me, she is a great player. And, you know, she can do everything.

AMY FRAZIER: That is hard to say. I mean, this definitely is very exciting, but I can't really put a number on it.

AMY FRAZIER: Yeah, I mean, that is part of it, but, I mean, she goes for all her shots so I mean, she is going to make some errors, just because she hits the ball so hard. I think, maybe I was a little lucky today. She missed some balls at some key times there in the second, but I mean, I went out and just tried to move her around, see what would happen.

AMY FRAZIER: No, I didn't have time to pause. I was thinking about the match. But I don't know if anything surprised me. But it was a great feeling. It was very special. I will always remember it, really.

AMY FRAZIER: I mean, I think there is a reason why she is, you know, five. I am not sure of her ranking. I mean, she -- consistently all year she can go out and beat anyone on any day, I think that is what makes the top 10 so special. They are so consistent week-in and week-out. And, you know, I mean, it is hard, I mean, she is a great player because she improves herself week-in and week-out.

AMY FRAZIER: I don't know. That is hard. I can't -- it is hard to describe yourself. I don't know.

AMY FRAZIER: I think that what what makes it fun for me, I feel like I am improving. I think that is what makes it fun to go out and work on things that I feel I need to work on. So I mean, maybe they are not huge strides that everyone else can see, but I definitely can feel them.

AMY FRAZIER: I don't know.

AMY FRAZIER: I don't know. I mean, because I didn't think about winning or losing before the match, I honestly didn't. I obviously don't go out on the court, you know, wanting to lose or thinking I am going to lose, so I don't know if surprised is the right word, because I mean, I think if you go out and you play well and you play your game, anyone on the Tour has a chance to beat anybody, so...

AMY FRAZIER: Oh, I mean, I think that is going to take a lot of work. I mean, one match, it's a long year, and there is a lot of tournaments, I mean, obviously I like to be a little more consistent week-in and week-out, and hopefully I can get to that point, but I mean, we will see.

AMY FRAZIER: You know, I am not sure. I mean, I like -- she hits with a lot of pace, and I am comfortable on the baseline. So I like that and I can use her pace and move the ball around. So -- I mean, both matches were so close, you know, could have gone either -- you know, I don't know if there is anything in particular that, you know, my game matches up other than I like her pace, but I mean, the next time, something else could happen - you never know.

AMY FRAZIER: Yes.

AMY FRAZIER: I felt like I have been playing well and each match I feel I have been playing consistent and hitting the ball well. So, you know, I feel good coming in, yes.

AMY FRAZIER: Well, I mean, yeah, I guess, I mean, she was seeded and she was supposed to win, I mean, if that is what you are saying.

AMY FRAZIER: You know, I guess I have so much respect for all the players on the Tour that, you know, I feel that anyone out here playing can beat anyone. I think that women's tennis is that good, and so I don't know. I mean, -- that is hard to say because I don't -- I think anyone can win any match, so I mean, obviously on paper this is an upset, so...

AMY FRAZIER: Yes, definitely.

AMY FRAZIER: Well, I mean, like I said, I think the top 10 are consistent and obviously they are the best players on the Tour and week-in and week-out they prove themselves. But women's tennis is so good and the depth is incredible, I am not sure that everyone understands that, that anyone can beat anyone, and I mean, it doesn't happen because the top 10 are the top 10, and that is the reason why there is a 1 ranking, 2 ranking, 3 ranking, but I mean, --

AMY FRAZIER: No, but...

AMY FRAZIER: Apology, yes.

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