THE LIPTON CHAMPIONSHIPS

March 19, 1999

Jennifer Capriati

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I felt fine. I mean, it wasn't that long of a match. There were still some good points. You know, it wasn't like a long two-hour match or anything. You know, I'm fine.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: No, she didn't. I mean, I haven't seen her play much, but I think that's the best she's played in a long time. I mean, she played unbelievable. She played a great match. It was frustrating because I didn't play that bad myself. I just didn't have a chance to get into the match really. I mean, she gave me no openings. I had a few openings, but I had to make those shots. There was no room for error on my part with the way she was playing.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I doubt that today. I mean, that's probably the best she's ever played. I mean, I played against her. That's like when she was playing, you know, her No. 1 days, better.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Uh-huh.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: She didn't miss anything, you know. I mean, her shots, that court isn't that fast, and her balls were coming pretty hard and pretty fast. Her slice. It was kind of always more floaty, but they were really sticking. The movement, that's always there, you know.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: I don't play him. He's just in college right now.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: What I want out of tennis is not necessarily just winning. But, you know, I just want to play well and have fun playing well. Just have fun playing tennis. I just want to get to the level where I can say that that's my level, just try to play well, get up there.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Well, I feel in a way I just kind of started getting back. I know I've been playing for a while trying to come back. Right now I feel the best that I've felt in a long time. I feel more confident. Still like yesterday and today, even my practice, my practices are the best I've ever done. I just feel a lot better. This could be the start, almost like starting again. I do still have some of the experience from playing, but it's been so long since I've been out in those quarters, semis, finals, the important final matches, just against the top players. Mentally I still have to get all that back, if I ever get there. It's like starting from scratch.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: That's a good question. That's kind of what I've been trying to figure out is what my happy medium is, where is just the middle, not too much. I don't like too much. Too little, I mean I'm finding out that I don't like that either. I think it's just right now I've got to concentrate on one thing, and that's my tennis, just working hard and trying to improve my tennis, just forget the rest, forget the mental, forget all that stuff, just work on my game.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: If she keeps playing like the way they did today, she's pretty close. I think she would beat anybody today the way she played. If she can keep it up like that, for sure.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah. I think that's the best she's ever played, ever, against me. We had that match at the Olympics. She played great. I mean, that was different, different surface, clay. I didn't play that bad. I feel I just had no chances. She was just like she kept the pressure on.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Well, I know it is. Right now I have a lot to work on in my game. My movement, even just strategy. Have to remember how to really play. I had an instinct before and maybe now I don't have that instinct as much as knowing what to do, what shots to hit, where to place the ball, things like that. It's hard, too, with the commitment. It really has nothing to do with the wildcards and all that. I have to think about that, but it's all a matter of how committed I am. It doesn't matter whether I qualify or wildcards. Just because I qualify, I can't let that part get that down.

JENNIFER CAPRIATI: Yeah, yeah. Yeah, definitely. Just by playing here, how I feel, Harold has been working with me. Already that's going well. Hopefully that will continue. Already he's made me feel so much more positive about my game and myself. I think he's going to encourage me to do a full schedule.