	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

SONY ERICSSON OPEN

March 21, 2007

Michelle Larcher de Brito

KEY BISCAYNE, FLORIDA

Q. (Indiscernible.)
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: I just went out there and just tried my best. It wasn't going to be a very easy match, but I played my best. I was really nervous. This is my first tournament here, and just went out there and played my best.

Q. The WTA doesn't seem to know a whole lot about you. How many other pro matches have you played?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: It is only my second tournament. I played one in Michigan in Midland, which was 75,000. That was my first one.

Q. When was that?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: In February. This is only my second pro tournament.

Q. Who did you play in that one?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: Christina Brandi, and I lost 7-5 in the third.

Q. How does it feel competing against someone twice your age?
MICHELLE de BRITO: It's not easy, because she's a lot stronger and taller and a lot more experienced than me. I just try not to worry about who's on the other side of the court. Just try to hit the ball and look for the ball.

Q. Can you talk about the tiebreaker a little bit? What were your thoughts going into that? You were ahead by a lot. What were you, 6-Love?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: Yeah.

Q. Talk about that.
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: I thought, since I got this far, I just went for my shots in or out. Just went for everything. Just practiced and tried my best and just did my best.

Q. Your a very emotional player, that's pretty obvious.
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: Yes.

Q. What is good about that and what is bad about that?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: I was just really excited. I was just really pumped through the match. I definitely wanted to win this one because it was my first really big tournament.
I just got into it and the crowd did, too. I was just focused. It's something I've always done. The down part of it, well, I don't think there really is one.

Q. Do you have to watch out sometimes that you're not expending too much energy like with the fist pumping?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: As soon as I do a fist pump it gets me excited and motivated to want to play. If I don't do that, I just don't play as well as I do.

Q. The moment that you won, you fell down. Tell us what your emotions were? What were you thinking to yourself?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: I wasn't really thinking. Like I didn't know what to think at the moment. This is a really big tournament, and winning first round I was just so happy. I mean, I couldn't believe it.

Q. What were your goals going into this tournament, and do you think it helps being so young and someone that people doesn't really know of?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: It's not easy. It's tougher and a lot stronger matches. It's not easy.

Q. When did you come to Bollettieri's?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: I came here when I was nine. Been training and living here since I was nine.

Q. How did you find Nick, or did he find you?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: Gabrielle and I was there for the exhibitions and he watched me play and he asked me if I wanted to come over to IMG, so we went there for ten days to see how it was and we loved it there so we decided to move here.

Q. Can you talk about your mom and dad? Are they here with you?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: Yes. My mom, dad, and two brothers.

Q. What are their names?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: Dad is Antonio.

Q. Mom?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: Caroline.

Q. And how many brothers and sisters?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: Only two brothers. They're 18. They're twins.

Q. Do they play tennis?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: Yes.

Q. At Bolletieri's?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: Yes. My whole family moved here with me.

Q. Do your parents work?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: No. I've got sponsors here to be able to live here.

Q. So they just follow you?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: Uh-huh. They support me. They're here for my matches and just be with me for support.

Q. What's your schedule like? How many tournaments like this? I mean, this was a wildcard, right?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: Uh-huh.

Q. So they came to you about the wildcard just because it was --
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: IMG organized for me, that's how I got it.

Q. How does a tournament like this help you as opposed to a junior tournament?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: Oh, it's completely different. Here, player-wise is completely different. Junior is still playing a little bit younger, and here I'm playing against a lot older woman. It's a lot tougher.

Q. What part of your game are you most happy with?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: My groundstrokes. I'm pretty aggressive with my groundstrokes and my movement as well.

Q. What part of your game would you like to improve?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: My serve. I need to work on my serve and maybe get my first serve percentage up.

Q. Who's your favorite female player?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: Martina Hingis.

Q. Have you talked to her often?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: No. I've met her briefly but I haven't really talked to her.

Q. What do you like about her?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: She has a great personality on and off the court and I like the way she plays.

Q. You make a lot of noise on the court; is that something you that do purposely?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: No. It's just something that I've done all the time. It's just part of my game.

Q. Do you think it maybe sometimes gets your opponent sometimes frustrated or irritated or mad?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: I don't know.

Q. Do you go to school?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: Yes. It's away from Bollettieri's, IMG.

Q. Do you play any other sports, or did you at all?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: I definitely like soccer. I like swimming. I don't have much time for other sports, but I enjoy playing soccer.

Q. How about other things that 14-year-olds do? Do you go to the movies?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: Yeah. A lot of talking on the phone. Yeah, I try to balance out tennis and like my social life, and I do go to movies. I spend time with my friends.

Q. What's the last good movie you saw?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: My favorite movie is called When a Stranger Calls. It's a scary movie.

Q. Do you like scary movies?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: Not really. I just like that one.

Q. How about TV shows?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: I definitely love Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

Q. Why is that?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: It's comedy. It has Will Smith in it.

Q. How about music?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: Hip hop, rap. My favorite artist right now is Justin Timberlake.

Q. Do you feel out of place with the older women? How do they treat you? Do they talk to you or ignore you?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: I just sort of do my thing. I just go on the court and play. You know, I go back home and I use my friends. I just don't really talk to them.

Q. Do you have any good luck charms?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: I wear a necklace that I'm wearing right now. My grandmother gave it to me. It's just a cross and it has Mary on it. I play with it every single match.

Q. How old were you when you got that?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: I was like 7 years old. It was when I was baptized.

Q. Where is your grandmother? What is your grandmother's name?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: Portugal. Her name is Milu.

Q. Who's the most famous tennis player in Portuguese history?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: I'm not sure.

Q. Could it be you? Do you know who your next match is against?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: Friday with Daniela Hantuchova.

Q. Have you played her before?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: No.

Q. What do you know about her?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: Not much. She just won Indian Wells, the Pacific Life tournament. I have watched her play a couple times, but I don't know much about her.

Q. Going into that match, what do you tell yourself? What's your mindset?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: I don't know. Just go out there and play my best and just have fun with it. I'm excited to play her.

Q. Have you practiced with Maria on your break?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: No. I hit with her once, but I don't really train with her.

Q. Any other well-known players?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: With Monica Seles and Nicole Vaidisova.

Q. When it got to 6-3, what were you thinking? You were up 6-0 and you were up 6-3. How did you get back into it?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: I just pulled myself together. I didn't -- it was a tough match. I just knew this was a great player and she wasn't going to give up. I just went point by point and game by game.

Q. Anything else you're going to do this week?
MICHELLE LARCHER de BRITO: Definitely. After tournament go to the beach and have fun with it.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297