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FEDCUP FIRST ROUND: GERMANY v USAFebruary 2, 2008Zina GarrisonAshley HarkleroadLA JOLLA, CALIFORNIA THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. How did you feel going in today especially after Lindsay lost the first match? ASHLEY HARKLEROAD: I knew that girl was pretty good. She'd had a good Australian Open, so I wasn't expecting Lindsay to go out and roll her. I knew it would be a good match. After she lost, I really just tried to focus on my game. And just going out and enjoying the opportunity, you know, to be out there since this is my first Fed Cup. Just try, and like Zina told me, just enjoy the moment because you never know. And that's what I did, and I executed it and I had fun. I dealt with my nerves well, so I'm very happy with the way I played. Q. Was the experience everything you were hoping out there with the crowd? ASHLEY HARKLEROAD: Well, I play Team Tennis every year, so that crowd is crazy. I mean you have the commentators saying things in between points. So it wasn't as crazy as that. I think I was kind of ready for it. But at the same time I felt the crowd behind me, of course, like I would, and I just kind of enjoyed every moment. It was pretty much everything I expected it to be. Q. Who do you play Team Tennis for? And do you expect that to be something that might help a Fed Cup rookie? ASHLEY HARKLEROAD: I think it helped me. I just thought to myself because I watched a few games with Lindsay, and I thought this isn't as crazy as Team Tennis is. So it's just like playing a regular match. You just have to stay focused. But I definitely think it kind of helped me and my nerves and the excitement I had going out. Just knowing that I had been in a similar situation before with the crowd and a bunch of people behind you, so I think it helps. Sorry, that was for Sports Time. New York Sports Time. Q. Zina, Lindsay came in here and she said she felt flat right away, and she also said she doesn't remember the last time she was in a match where it was so one-sided against her. As the captain as this is unfolding, was there anything you could say to her or were you just -- you're in a funny role there, obviously? CAPTAIN GARRISON: Yeah, actually it was weird. I kind of knew what she was going through because it felt flat for her. She kept saying that she couldn't read the girl's serve. She wasn't feeling her ground strokes. For me, at first, I tried to think of little things to say. Then you realize sometimes you just have to back off and just kind of let her hopefully get within herself. I think she had some opportunities that just weren't able to capitalize. You have to give credit where credit was due. Lisicki stepped up and she played. She played well. She served well today, and she was painting the lines. Q. Just how crazy are these Team Tennis crowds? ASHLEY HARKLEROAD: I'm playing Fed Cup right now. No, it's not like -- well, it just depends on where you go. If you go to -- I can't remember, Dallas or somewhere. They ring cowbells in the middle of your first and second serves. Sometimes it gets a little out of hand. There's been some fights because people are getting mad at the other crowd. There's announcers that talk in between points, sometimes in between your first and second serve. There's music playing throughout in between points, throughout games, throughout the whole match. Also you just play to five, so it can go quick sometimes if you're not ready. And you also play no ad scoring, and you play lets. So you've got to be ready for anything. That's just kind of how it goes. Q. What do you think about the pace of today's game? And, Zina, do you think youth might still have the advantage in this series? CAPTAIN GARRISON: What do I think about the pace of the game? Well, naturally, I think that the girls are definitely bigger, they're stronger. Their racquets are made a lot lighter so they can really hit through the ball and they use different strings. So technology has also made the game speed up. But as we saw today, you take someone that's very athletic like Ashley and I call her old school because she can still be out there and still play. It's just a matter of going out there and realizing you can come to the net, you can change up the pace of the balls, and you can't be afraid. You can't be afraid that there's another hitter on the other side. Q. Now that you're playing the Number 2 player tomorrow. But it almost seems like she's Number 1 one now the way they were playing. Does it kind of feel like that to you? That you're in for a harder match tomorrow? ASHLEY HARKLEROAD: I definitely think the girl, Lisicki's got some confidence coming off the Australian Open. And she does probably hit a bigger ball than this girl today. She's going to be a good player if she continues with the way she's been playing. Also I'm quick, so I'm going to try to make her hit that extra ball and try to move her around a little bit. She threw in a lot of doubles today, double faults, that's what I noticed. So maybe just try and move around on her second serve. I'm just going to play my game, really, and just try to be quick and make her hit an extra couple of balls, because she does hit a big ball. Q. What do you like the best about being a professional tennis player? ASHLEY HARKLEROAD: What do I like the best? Well, I used to love to stay in hotel rooms and see all the different rooms and all the different places that I'd go to. I'm a little bit afraid of flying, but once I get in the groove of it, I'm all right. But I do enjoy just traveling and just seeing all the many different places of the world. That's what I enjoy the most. Q. How do you feel about going into tomorrow 1-1? CAPTAIN GARRISON: 2-0 would have been great. But I've done enough of these to know that anything can happen. Because there are players that play well for their country. Doesn't matter what you do or who they're playing against. I mean, they go out and play very tough for their country. Like I mentioned to Ashley before, I think she possibly could be one of those players. They get up for their matches. So going into the matches tomorrow, I'm happy that we're going in 1-1. I'm just happy we get to play. Q. Doubles seldom comes into play in Fed Cup. If it comes down to doubles, what do you think of your team's chances? CAPTAIN GARRISON: Naturally, I think we have a very good chance as I just said. Anything can happen. We're going to have to go out there and play. I've only played one tie that we've actually gone down to the doubles, and we've actually lost it. So, you know, I just would rather just take one match at a time. See what can happen. Then when we get into that doubles, you've got to go for it. That is the one thing I do know. You can't sit back and hope that they're going to give it to you. You've got to go for it. End of FastScripts |
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