adidas International

January 11, 2004

Amelie Mauresmo

AMELIE MAURESMO: Pretty good, yeah. I had a good week last week in Perth, and we were able to really practice very well in good conditions. So, yeah, physically, I feel good. We'll see how it goes in terms of matches in outside conditions. It's gonna be a little different from what I did last week, but we'll see.

AMELIE MAURESMO: Yeah, with the ankle, it's maybe, yeah, it's maybe little bit more dangerous. But, you know, hopefully it's gonna be fine for me. I don't have really -- no, I don't feel like I don't want to go for a ball because it's Rebound Ace or whatever. So, you know, as long as I feel like this, it's okay. It's true, it's true that it's one of the surface that is more dangerous because of this, but you have to deal with it.

AMELIE MAURESMO: You mean the sun or...?

AMELIE MAURESMO: What is bad, I think, especially today, is the wind. It's more difficult than the heat to me to handle, yeah.

AMELIE MAURESMO: Well, you know I feel like I'm being penalized because she was injured, you know. That's a strange feeling. It's something I don't really understand, but just something I have to deal with. But the WTA tried to explain to me the reasons why it was like this. Apparently, it has been done in the past also a couple times, I think. But, you know, when you compete all year long, I've been injured also last year for four months, and, you know, it's just you feel like it's a little unfair. But, again, that's just the way it is. The best answer is probably on the courts that you have to give it, you know. It's just there's nothing much to say about it. But if you have these kind of special seeding or special ranking, you have to go till the end and put -- I mean, before she withdrew, but put Serena No. 1 seed, or No. 2, just behind Justine, because that was her special seeding ranking was No. 1 normally. So things are made, but not always till the end, you know. If you have an idea, you keep it till the end. I don't know if it's clear because in English it's a little bit difficult for me to explain what I feel. But I felt like, yeah, it's been done for Venus, for No. 3, and then Serena would have been in the last 52 weeks No. 1 special seeding so...

AMELIE MAURESMO: Yes. To me, it would have been the same anyway because I would have been 5. But, yeah, show some consistency. That's what I feel. But it's no big deal, again. I mean, the only thing I have to do is play well, do what I have to do on the court. That's the most important thing.

AMELIE MAURESMO: I think it's even better. I think physically I lost a little weight. I think I'm moving a little better. You know, I'm trying to improve my game going forward, going to the net, being a little bit more aggressive. So at least it's coming. I've been talking about it for a few years now, and it's starting to come. So I just want to keep it that way.

AMELIE MAURESMO: Well, Justine is not as tall as Serena or Venus or whatever, but she's still strong physically. I mean, when she moves, when you see her, you can feel that she really is strong even though she looks different, of course, from some other players. But yeah, there is room for a player that maybe plays a little bit more the tennis, like play the game a little bit more than show some power. But I think it's still important now to be physically strong and fit.

AMELIE MAURESMO: Yeah, it was pretty clear. It was pretty clear the way the special seeding is made, the way the WTA has done these things in the past. It was pretty clear. I think anyway the final decision is made by the Australian Open direction - I don't know how to say. So, no, it was clear. Just be consistent.

AMELIE MAURESMO: I don't, you know, I don't think, "Okay, this one is injured or this one, so it's my time to win." I just don't think like this. It's gonna come when it has to come. Of course if it's in few weeks in Melbourne, I would be the happiest. But, yeah, I don't see myself, you know, comparing to other and whatever.