US OPEN

August 30, 2004

Jennifer Capriati

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah, there was a few adjustments I had to make. Just trying to find my range a little bit. It was definitely tough conditions. I just tried to make her play, just basically tried to keep the ball in the court, but not hit too short. I mean, she came out playing really great tennis, cleaning the lines. The wind was pretty difficult. You know, it was just a few important points that I was able to win. I think it changed the momentum a little bit.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Well, one side you would just hit the ball, and they seemed like they'd go 10 feet out in the stadium. On the other side, you couldn't get it past the service line. It was just like changing strings every time you moved to a different side.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: A couple pounds.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I think you can definitely feel it. Mentally you could feel it.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Well, I just thought -- you know, I was a little bit nervous. But still it didn't really, you know, change the way I was playing too much. You know, I just thought, "Just hang in there. She's got to come down eventually, otherwise it's just too good." But I was just really trying to think out there towards the end of the first set. And then when I lost the first set, I was just like, "Well, definitely it's not over. So just try to, you know, think differently and try to do some different stuff, maybe try to switch the momentum or take her out of her rhythm a little bit." It seemed to work.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I have to clarify. Tom was not my coach there.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah. Marcus is just a hitting partner, okay? So, yeah, I mean, there's people there who are helping you on the way, yeah.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Well, it's not really -- I'm not looking for the personality. Marcus is really just -- he's not there to like -- he doesn't say things to me on the court. My dad does. He's really just a hitting partner.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Well, I'd have to say it's a pretty high priority right now. It would be a dream come true. It would just be definitely the icing on the cake for me. But it's a difficult task. It's not something that's easy to come by. I would, of course, love to do it. But, you know, I can't say for sure (smiling).

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I said, "What do you think I'm doing out here? I know I'm working." It was funny. He came up to me after. He was like, "Sorry."

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: No (laughter).

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: She definitely did. I mean, it was a little bit scary there in the beginning. You know, in a way, you have to take the positive from what you get from the match. You know, if it's too easy of a match, I mean, it's kind of nice that you're breezing through, then you just got to practice a little more, go back out on the practice court. But I think I definitely practiced everything out there, you know, between the mental and the physical, just also the tennis.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah, tactically. I mean, I just, you know, tried to just move her around a little bit and be a little bit more aggressive. You know, then also just mentally, just try to be a little bit, you know, more calm and take a little more time, just kind of try to slow things down and maybe get -- you know, change the momentum a little bit.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Uhm, I think it's been every year for the last few years, it's kind of been like that. There's a bunch that have the possibility to win it. So I would say the last few years.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah, it makes it unique. I'm happy that they're mostly on my side. I wouldn't want them to be against me, you know. You know, I think you just know that that's part of what you're going to get when you come to the US Open. And I think it is -- I think it's not a bad thing. I think it's a good thing.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Well, maybe when I come out, you know, to expect my opponent to come out, you know, playing like great tennis. You know, I can't just kind of maybe just slowly get into the match or try to find my rhythm, you know, take my time out there with just getting into it. I really feel like I didn't play badly; I just maybe was just, you know, maybe on the defensive and was just kind of taken off guard a little bit. So next time, you know, hopefully it will just -- won't be as windy, too. But I think that, you know, made me get out of my game a little bit also.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: No.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Huh-uh.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Why? Did he cramp?

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Really? No, fortunately that's never happened to me. I hope that never happens (knocking on wood). No, I mean, I've been nervous to the point where I feel like, you know, my legs, you can't move, but not like where it's painful, like to where you're cramping over.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I mean, I was so nervous just in the warm-up, I feel like I just was stuck in the ground, I couldn't even move at all. I just was literally I didn't even want to be out there.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: No. You said "ever."

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: This is when I was first coming back.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: No, I don't think so. A lot's changed since she's played the year before. So, no, I have to say Henin is the defending champ.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I mean, I guess it's what makes her a champion, who she is. I mean, you wouldn't expect it for sure. But I guess, you know, the only thing I question is that maybe she was working a little more than what she had said, than only playing three weeks. I think for anybody, that's almost impossible. She doesn't seem to have lost any muscle tone at all. When you're not playing, when you're sick, I mean, you just -- it looks like you would lose -- you would have atrophy in different places. It doesn't look like that at all.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah. I have to say this is the best I felt, you know, for the year, for sure.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I think I'm focusing on my next match. And you just take it match by match. But, of course, the goal is what you think about, is to win the thing really, and you're looking ahead. But it's like, you know, really you can't get that far ahead and bypass the next round. I mean like today, look what could have happened.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: No. I mean, if I was thinking that, I probably would have lost. So I wasn't thinking that.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Uhm, well, I think, you know, I didn't want to play tournaments not feeling a hundred percent. But I still think I was able to train in other areas, so get other things stronger and still practice a bit, but train more off the court. So I think it just, you know -- really I've been feeling better, you know, the last two weeks. So maybe that's what it just takes, is from all the previous work.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I think so. I think I'm just about there. I mean, the only difference is maybe I haven't had as much match practice. But I think, you know, really it was an advantage for that reason to go a little bit longer today and to really get out there and feel myself running and moving well. Because I think I did move well today.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I was home.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I mean, I was like, "No way. It's not coming here." I mean, my dad taped up the windows a little bit. You know, I didn't -- we didn't do anything (laughter).

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: No. Because it always starts to come through there and it never does.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah, I mean, I kind of wanted it to come because I was like I've never been in a hurricane before (laughter).

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah. But, no, but that's bad to say because a lot of people had misfortune from that. So I donated, whatever, the Arthur Ashe thing I did, that's what I donated, you know, for the hurricane relief.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I don't know. They say go in the bathtub.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: No basements in Florida.