WIMBLEDON

July 3, 2001

Jennifer Capriati

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I had no idea until she took the bathroom break. Basically, I don't know, every time I play her, I'm pretty much used to something going on there. She usually takes the time, you know, before I serve. I mean, she's just kind of like a slow player in between. But I didn't think anything was wrong with her up until that point. I mean, I think she'd been playing well, so...

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I just have a little strain in my glute. I mean, ask them, they'll tell you more about it. But I had to go off court to get -- for her to rub it there. Then afterwards, on the court, it was just like the stretching.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah. You know, in the end of the second set, I was close there to losing it, and I just -- I just kept saying to myself, "Try to at least hold on to your serve and make her serve it out." Then at 5-4, I just really gave it everything I got. All the games were so close up until that point. I mean, I think most of the games went to deuce all the time. And so, just always so close. Just really concentrated. I thought to myself, "Bear down, you've got to go for it now, this is your last chance." And it worked. I think after that, I got a lot of confidence, especially after winning the second set.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I was just basically trying to hit the balls deep, get the balls deep, just move her around, you know. Just usually her forehand's her weaker side. I think she makes more errors. But today she was hitting more winners off of it, so I was just playing more to the backhand, just trying to keep the balls deep, actually.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah, I mean, it was a difficult match. And I think at certain points we both played great, and then other times, you know, we didn't play our best tennis. But it makes it that much sweeter to actually come back and win a match like that. And, I mean, it just proves like for the next time that even if you're down and you're about to lose, I mean, just never say die.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I'm looking forward to it. It will be a different match. There's going to be more rallies, for sure, in this match. I haven't seen her play that much, so we'll see.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah, and we didn't finish.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Well, it was on clay. But, obviously, I mean, she's a great player. You know, I think clay is her best surface, but we'll see. Just hopefully I'll be serving well. I'll really just try to attack her game. You know, she's got good hands. I mean, she's a very talented player, so I've got to be ready for anything.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: No, not at all, because there's still more obstacles coming, the next match.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: So far in this tournament, yeah, definitely.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: You mean today in the match?

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Actually, I was playing well. I should have won the first set. I missed a few easy shots there that I shouldn't have missed. Just like I said before, all the games were so close. They were just going to deuce every time. So I was just unlucky there on a few points, too, so...

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Actually, I did, I thought about the French final there, that I was two points from defeat also. I thought, "Well, if I can do it there, I can do it now." It worked, so...

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I mean, I don't know. Some players -- every player has their routine and their ritual. I know I play really fast. So maybe for me it just seems slow. I mean, against other players, maybe she does the same thing. It's just her pace. But I think it is just the way she plays because it happens every match. I don't know if she's doing it on purpose or not. So I don't know.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: No, I didn't she was giving up. I think I was playing really well at that point. Maybe she was kind of surprised. She lost the momentum. She was surprised I came back and won the second set. I think she just was kind of shocked there for a little bit. You know, I took advantage of it. I tried to get on top of her as much as I could. You know, at that 4-0 game, the game before she took the break, I was a little surprised at that game. I was thankful for that game (laughter).

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Well, I thought it was a bit strange. But, I mean, you're allowed to do that. What could I do? She, whatever, had to go, had to go. I was just more concerned that I didn't want too much rest to get stiff for my hip. So that's why I called a trainer out, too, and just tried not to stiffen up out there.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: No, I don't think so, because I think I have a day off. I feel well physically. I'm in good shape, so I'll be able to recover. I think my leg will feel okay. She did have a tough match in the beginning where she came back, Boogert, so I think it's good to have those matches. So both of us have had those kind of matches, so we have to draw from those experiences.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: She was tested in that match, right? I don't know. I mean, it could make her really fresh for the match. I don't know. But I think I can recover enough, yeah, for that.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: My game plan?

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I'm not really going to say what my game plan is (smiling).

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Because it was 3-All in the tiebreaker, can't afford to lose points like that. Yeah, I was just upset that I had to slip and lose a point that way.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Well, I guess saying that last year was pretty much a joke (laughter). So it's a different story. It's whatever moment you're in, whatever state you're in. Maybe then I actually thought I was okay. But now that I've actually improved tons more, and maybe even now I'll say that in a year from now, like I thought I was fit now. So maybe next year I'll be even fitter. I think there's always somewhere to go.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Oh, yeah. I mean, that's why I try to train like I do. Living in Florida, in the humidity. I think going home really helped to get used to that. I mean, I try to make my practises grueling, and my fitness workouts grueling so the matches seem easier than the practise.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Well, I haven't played Venus that much. I only played her at the Ericsson. Before that, I hadn't played her in a few years. I think they're different. They're completely different out there.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I think it's great. I'm really excited about it. What more could I ask? They're going to be there. I'm going to have access to them, to the trainers, to the therapists there. I think it will really help Saddle Brook a lot.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I don't know. It's tough to say whether I won mentally or physically because of the tennis. You know, maybe a little bit of both. Maybe because -- I don't know - more experience, I can be more consistent on those important points. That kind of makes a player break down mentally, so I don't know. She just gets frustrated, you know, maybe when I return some of the balls that she hits. It seems like sometimes she's not expecting them to come back, like she's surprised that I can get them back. I don't know if it's mentally.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: No, not at all. I thought she said she was an impostor in France, and this is the real her coming out, so I don't know.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I don't know. Maybe she had a bad case of like diarrhea or something. I don't know.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Well, I just asked the umpire. She just said that she had to use the bathroom, it was an emergency. I didn't want to know the details.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: It doesn't matter. I think I know the truth inside. I think most people do. It's only important for me to know. I mean, I could turn around and say I was dealing with my own thing out there with my leg. So maybe that helped because I wasn't able to look at what she was doing. You know, but, I mean, it's pretty much the same things that happens every time I play her, so I'm just used to that.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I don't know. I'm not going to comment on that question.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I don't know. I mean, we'll talk about me.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Not really because Henin is such a good player. When she's on, I mean, she's really only on. That's the thing I've got to be careful of. When she's in the zone, you know, it's really difficult playing against her. And Conchita, I mean, she's not the player that she used to be. Mentally, she's not as strong, and physically.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: No. There's been a couple. Maybe the first press conference ever.