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NASDAQ-100 OPEN

March 31, 2006

MIAMI, FLORIDA

BUD COLLINS: Good afternoon. Welcome to what we consider a very significant event not only in a sporting sense, but in a Latin American sense, and the fact that this woman whom you've seen play, whom you know - if you don't know, you can leave right now - she is the "Divine Argentine", Gabriela Sabatini.
Doesn't that name roll around your tongue like fine wine? Gabriela Sabatini.
When I think of her play and winning the US Open in 1990, being a Silver Medalist at the 1988 Olympics, why is she here for all of us right now? Well, I'll tell you.
She has been not only nominated, but elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame (applause).
We want you all to come to the induction. July 15th, Newport, Rhode Island. You're all welcome. You'll have to buy a ticket, but, nevertheless, you're all welcome (smiling).
To tell you something about the International Tennis Hall of Fame, which was founded in 1954 and at Newport, is on the grounds of the world's oldest active tennis complex, The Casino at Newport. Every year there's a new class into the Hall of Fame. We have Wick Simmons, from the International Tennis Hall of Fame, to tell you something about this great sporting institution.
Wick Simmons.
WICK SIMMONS: Thank you, Bud.
First of all, I would like to give you all just a word as to how Gaby was actually selected by the Hall of Fame. There's a four-step process that one goes through.
First of all, one must be nominated by a committee of experts that's headed by Tony Trabert. That nomination list is given to a group of experts generally from the press who vote. The vote must be at least 75% for in order to get into the Hall of Fame. If that is the case, as it was for Gaby this year, you are elected. You are then inducted, as Bud says, in July of this year. We will have a ceremony.
She will go in as one of the most popular inductees ever, I can tell you. She will go in along with another extremely popular inductee, Pat Rafter, who will also be in Newport in July of this year, and a colleague of Bud, "the Bud Collins of Italy," if you will, Gianni Clerici, who as a contributor will also be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
I can only say that for all of us up there in Newport, we are looking forward to this. We have not had anybody as photogenic as Gaby for a number of years now.
It should be a great ceremony. As Bud said, I hope all of you get there. It's a little out of the way, you have to fly up to Providence and take a car for about 45 minutes to get to Newport, but once you're there, you'll see nothing but an expanse of beautiful grass courts and some of the greatest old Stanford white architecture in the United States.
So, again, on behalf of all of us at the Hall, and Chris Clouser, back here, who is the Hall's Vice Chairman; Butch, who is on the Board of the Hall of Fame; and Peggy Willard, who I see over there on the side, all of whom are trustees, we hope you all can come again.
I just want to say, Gaby, we are so happy to be able to induct you. Looking forward to it (applause).
BUD COLLINS: Thank you, Wick Simmons.
I'd like to call Earl, "Butch" Buchholz, Junior right up here if you would. He's the Chairman. He's the reason we're here. He's the reason this isn't a swamp or a city dump, which it actually was once (laughter).
I probably shouldn't say that. I apologize to you. We wouldn't bring you to a dump.
Butch is a guy, with his brother Cliff, who got it all started. It was known as The Lipton. It's had a few changes. They started out in Delray Beach, they went then to Boca Raton. They headed south - we thought it was going to land in Havana, but it didn't - stopped right here in Key Biscayne.
So, Butch Buchholz, the guy who got us here (applause).
BUTCH BUCHHOLZ: Thanks, Bud.
Gaby, as you know, has won some Grand Slam events. She also won this event.
Gaby, get ready. Get your Kleenex when you head to Newport. It's a very special occasion, one I thought would never happen to me. You might have thought it would.
But it's fun. It's great. There's a great group of people that are so dedicated to Newport and to the Hall of Fame and it's something you're going to be very proud of.
BUD COLLINS: Well, we're opening this up, first of all, as a press conference. Michael, are you happy with everything that's going on? Michael Baz is the official photographer here, so we're in his thrall.
DAVID TRATNER: Questions, please.
Q. (Question asked in Spanish).
GABRIELA SABATINI: (Question answered in Spanish).
BUD COLLINS: Do you have a longer answer (laughter)?
QUESTION FROM THE CROWD: How many people know who the other Argentine in the Hall of Fame is?
FROM THE CROWD: Guillermo Vilas.
BUD COLLINS: Bravo, bravo.
GABRIELA SABATINI: Of course (smiling).
(A question and answer session in Spanish continues).
BUD COLLINS: Gaby, I've been a very lucky guy because I've been in this position many, many times during your illustrious career. I wonder if we could just discuss some of it.
I remember when you were 14 years old, Hilton Head, South Carolina. You had to play three matches in one day because of rain, and you beat some pretty good players there - you beat Maleeva and you beat Pam Shriver. Anyway, you qualified for the final and they said that because you were only 14, you wouldn't have to play that final against Chris Evert, you could wait another day. You didn't wait. Why not?
GABRIELA SABATINI: I didn't know what I was supposed to do (smiling). I guess I didn't know.
But now that you're telling me, can we do that? The next day?
BUD COLLINS: Maybe we could lodge a protest, I don't know (laughter).
GABRIELA SABATINI: I was feeling a lot of confidence, so I wanted to take advantage of that and keep playing.
BUD COLLINS: What a wonderful way to play, and you suddenly burst upon the sporting world. It's marvelous, your command of English. I remember your first coach, pack owe April pay...
GABRIELA SABATINI: You know what, I have that interview.
BUD COLLINS: Do you have that interview?
GABRIELA SABATINI: Yeah, the one after the finals.
BUD COLLINS: Oh, really?
GABRIELA SABATINI: You were asking me questions, and Patricia was answering for me because I would go, "Yes," "No," "Yes." I didn't know much English.
But I have that, yeah. I always remember that moment.
BUD COLLINS: I'm glad you do. Those were great seats, because pack owe April pay would be sitting next to you and we'd asked an involved question and he'd say, "She says 'Si.'" Or sometimes it was, "No" (laughter).
GABRIELA SABATINI: That was it, yeah.
BUD COLLINS: Were you scared then? The United States was foreign to you.
GABRIELA SABATINI: No, no, I wasn't at all. I was enjoying it very much. All I wanted to do was play tennis in that tournament. I think in the lifetime of a tennis player there are many times where you feel that confidence, that tremendous confidence, and that was one of those moments where I felt so confident in that tournament where you said I played three matches in the same day. It was so easy to play tennis, so easy.
BUD COLLINS: Nice when you're 14.
GABRIELA SABATINI: Very nice. Very nice (smiling). No pressure.
BUD COLLINS: You had a wonderful rivalry with Steffi Graf and you beat her in the final of the 1990 US Open. I think I can still remember you had sort of a spinning volley on the last point. Do you recall that?
GABRIELA SABATINI: Actually...
FROM THE CROWD: Passing shot!
GABRIELA SABATINI: Yeah, I served, she came to the net, it was a passing shot.
BUD COLLINS: Passing shot! Thank you, Guillermo. My memory is a little faulty, but both of you two have it. That's right, you let everything go, forehand.
GABRIELA SABATINI: Exactly.
BUD COLLINS: Forehand passer, and you were the champion of the United States.
GABRIELA SABATINI: Oh, what a moment that was, yeah. What a feeling. That particular moment, I mean, the tournament, I played more of an offensive game. I was coming into the net.
I remember I played Mary Joe Fernandez in the semifinals. She was winning the first set. Second set was very close. I started to come in into the net and started to play this aggressive game, and everything started to change.
I think I surprised them (smiling).
BUD COLLINS: You did. You surprised Steffi, I think.
FROM THE CROWD: Steffi remembers, too, probably.
BUD COLLINS: Yeah, she probably does. That passing shot, she's probably still looking for it, "There it goes." Gosh.
We have a question from a journalist. Sandra Harwitt.
Q. Can you tell us a little bit about what you're doing today and also your thoughts about being inducted into the Hall of Fame. I'm sure you probably did that in Spanish already.
BUD COLLINS: In Spanish she did it, yes.
GABRIELA SABATINI: Well, what I'm doing, with my image, I have my perfumes. I've had that for almost 20 years, and I have like 14, 15 different perfumes now. I travel a lot for that to promote the perfumes and to do the commercials.
Then I'm just doing some personal investments, some businesses that I like to do in Argentina, overseas also. That's about everything. I have an office in Argentina, I go there every day, so I work (smiling).
Q. What kind of investments?
GABRIELA SABATINI: Mostly real estate, yeah.
So, yeah, I'm having a good time. Then managing my things also takes a lot of time. I have two other friends that are helping me to do that. That's what I'm doing basically.
And regarding the Hall of Fame, yeah, I was just saying that when they decided that I was maybe going to be one of the possible candidates, when I already heard that, I was so thrilled. I mean, you're always hoping for something like that. I always thought I would love to be there, but I don't know.
And it came so soon and so fast. It's just overwhelming. I mean, I've been enjoying every moment. Every time I think about it, I just can't believe it. I mean, to end my career this way is the best thing that could happen. What else can I ask?
Q. Do you play tennis much these days?
GABRIELA SABATINI: Not very much. I played a couple of exhibitions last year, so I practiced a little bit before that. But, otherwise, I don't. I don't usually play.
Q. For fun?
GABRIELA SABATINI: No, not even for fun.
WICK SIMMONS: I wonder if you've thought about who will introduce you in Newport.
BUD COLLINS: She's been asked, Wick Simmons asked about the presenter.
GABRIELA SABATINI: Yes, I've thought about it. I don't want to compromise the person yet, but I have thought about it.
BUD COLLINS: There would be a million volunteers, I would think (laughter).
GABRIELA SABATINI: There is a special one.
Q. It's such a good moment for Argentinian tennis. Back then, when you started, it wasn't so many. Now you feel it now from the standpoint of the Hall of Fame and you see so many good players from Argentina. You probably feel great, right? It's a great feeling, I'm sure?
GABRIELA SABATINI: Oh, yeah, it's a great moment for Argentinian tennis, more on the men's side, obviously. I would like to see more on the women's side. I think we have to work a little bit more on that.
But it's very exciting. I mean, I'm following the players, everything they're playing, and it's just great. I mean, I think we've never had so many top 10, big players like now. There's so many out there that are very close.
But what these guys are doing is just great for Argentinian tennis. This is motivating other people. I mean, you see now in Argentina at various tournaments, it's great. The public, every day it's full, everybody's crazy about tennis, everybody wants to play tennis, and it's good. This is what this brings, you know.
Q. I want to thank you very much because I also started my career in TV with you back here in 1989. You were one of my first interviews. I started my career there. It's so great.
GABRIELA SABATINI: So that's special.
Q. But we were so young. You're still so young, and I am so old (laughter).
GABRIELA SABATINI: Just a couple years older, that's all (smiling).
(Question and answer session continues in Spanish).

End of FastScripts...

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