US OPEN

September 5, 2003

Jennifer Capriati

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: About what?

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I won, didn't I (laughter)? You know, it hurts. It's very disappointing. But, you know, what can I do? It's just the way it went.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Well, really, I didn't like let up too many times, I don't think. I lost the momentum only a couple times where I was just, you know, in the position to win the match and at the finish line there. But really, you know, I think I played pretty consistently the whole time.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: You know, it's hard to say. You have to give her credit for the way she was feeling, to just stay out there and try to win. But I feel I definitely had the match in my hands, and it was my match to win. I mean, for the -- yeah. I mean, I guess I just beat myself, so...

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: No, not at all. I don't think this kind of situation was even close.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Uhm, you know, I could look at it. I mean, of course when I came off the court, you know, I just felt like the whole world was coming down on me. You know, just my heart was being ripped out. But, you know, it's just how I choose to look at it now and feel about it, that it was a great match and I gave it all I had. She did, too. For whatever reasons, you know, I didn't win. So, you know, I still think it's a positive thing for me and for the future. If I can learn from this and just keep going...

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Well, I mean, it's -- right now, it just got over with. Probably the next few days it's gonna be hard to look at it as just a match. But I think, you know, down the road and how I feel about it is just, yeah, it is just a match and, you know, it helps also with, you know, my family around and the support I've gotten. You know, them still showing their love for me, telling me that it is just a match. You know, it's not the end of the world. Worse things can happen. I mean, before, maybe I would have been more devastated, and I wouldn't have handled it the right way. But now, I'm just, you know, instead of looking at myself like I failed, like I'm a failure for not winning, I think, you know, I look at myself as just giving it all I had and showing a lot of heart and what I'm made out of, and that I am only human, you know.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I mean, I really can't explain it unless you've been in the situation. Every athlete, I think, would know what I'm talking about. You know, it was just getting pretty overwhelming out there. I guess it just, you know, I started looking at her and, you know, I felt like, you know, "Okay, now I got to close out this match for sure, you know. She's cramping," or whatever. Then the crowd was just, you know, was so into it. You know, was just the whole situation. I guess I just lost complete focus and, you know, just like everything kind of went off. I still tried, you know. It was just -- my shots weren't the same, so...

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah, no, I was just so pissed off that, you know... I mean, really. It wasn't that I thought I was loosing, I couldn't believe what was going on out there.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Well, I mean, I hope Justine feels better. I mean, I don't know, you know? There's not much rest time. Kim has had a pretty easy time. You know, it's a matter of how Justine can come and bounce back to play, you know, after tonight basically.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: It's pretty hard to put it into words. I mean, it's definitely, you know, after that kind of defeat and then, you know, have to come here and kind of answer these questions... (Smiling). I mean, that's what it's all about, you know. That's the risk you're taking. I mean, that's what being an athlete is. You could get such joy in winning, but there's the other side of it. You know, a true champion, a true player, that's how they can handle it and come through that kind of defeat. You know, still almost -- I mean, I still, like, thrive on this kind of match. You know, I do want to come back and try it again, you know.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I don't really know. It's hard to say. There's some losses that could probably stay with you forever, you know. The same as the wins, too. It's just how you let it affect you. I mean, it's okay to not completely just put it behind. You want to keep these things, you know, kind of in your memory so you learn for the next time.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah. I mean, maybe I should have thought of that more at the end, you know. That would have helped me relax a little bit and kind of just laugh. But, yeah, I mean, the whole time it was just still very thrilling for me. You know, that's what I thrive for. It's definitely like an adrenaline rush being out there. It brings out the best tennis in me and -- the best and the worst, really, too.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Well, I mean, I wish I would have won, you know? At least not for me, but for them.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Everyone that was in the box there, in my support group. You know, my family, my brother, who's over there (smiling).

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: (Smiling). Yeah. But that's what the locker room's for.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I really don't know. I think I would have done everything possible, everything I needed to do, you know, rest, massage. Just doing everything physically to take care of my body. I think I would have bounced back. You know, just being in the finals, too, probably would have -- I would have pushed myself.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I mean, you can learn. But to tell you the truth, just like when you get into the situation, you know, you really don't know what's gonna happen, and your emotions, I mean, you can't control. It's almost like a crisis situation, you know what I mean? So you just, mentally, you know, tell yourself over and over things that, you know, if you get in a situation, what you're gonna do or just, you know, how to not let yourself get in the situation. But really, I mean, you don't know what's gonna happen.