| April 14 2002 Interviews |
| JENNIFER CAPRIATI |
| April 16 2002 Interviews |
| MONICA SELES |
| MARY PIERCE |
| CONCHITA MARTINEZ |
| ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO |
| ANNA KOURNIKOVA |
| SERENA WILLIAMS |
| April 17 2002 Interviews |
| JENNIFER CAPRIATI |
| CONCHITA MARTINEZ |
| JILL CRAYBAS |
| STEPHANIE FORETZ |
| SERENA WILLIAMS |
| April 18 2002 Interviews |
| AMANDA COETZER |
| STEPHANIE FORETZ |
| MONICA SELES |
| FRANKIE WHELAN AND MIKE FINLEY |
| April 19 2002 Interviews |
| SERENA WILLIAMS |
| PATTY SCHNYDER |
| STEPHANIE FORETZ |
| April 20 2002 Interviews |
| JENNIFER CAPRIATI |
| PATTY SCHNYDER |
| SANDRINE TESTUD |
| IVA MAJOLI |
| April 21 2002 Interviews |
| PATTY SCHNYDER |
| IVA MAJOLI |
A POST-MATCH INTERVIEW WITH: CONCHITA MARTINEZ
FIRST ROUND WIN OVER ANNA KOURNIKOVA
7-6 (5), 6-1
Q. When you won that tiebreaker, did you feel like then things kind
of started to roll for you?
CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Well, yeah, they did. It was very important to win
that first set. I felt we both were not playing our best tennis, and to
end up winning that first set, and then I felt like she kind of went away
a little bit.
Q. Do you get up a little bit more to play somebody who kind of comes
in with all the media limelight and the stature of that? Do you get a
little more motivated to play somebody like her?
CONCHITA MARTINEZ: No. Every match is very important. All the players,
doesn't matter who it is, it's going to be a great fight, and you just
gotta always be up for any player you play. And today I felt I was ??
I didn't have my best tennis, but to win a match when you don't have your
best tennis, that's the important thing, you know, so that it makes you
stronger and then you can win the next match. Hopefully you have a better
day.
Q. Are you 100 percent healthy these days?
CONCHITA MARTINEZ: I wouldn't say 100 percent, but enough to play good
tennis and not hurting like I was last year.
Q. Did you expect the points to be so long?
CONCHITA MARTINEZ: You know, I didn't think they were that long, some
of the points. I mean that was ?? it wasn't much, you know. I have to
be patient because she doesn't have a lot of patience sometimes.
Q. You said she just went away in the second set. Did you put her
away or do you think she got tired?
CONCHITA MARTINEZ: I don't know. It was hot today, but I didn't think
we played very, very long points to where you get really, really tired.
I just think sometimes when you lose a tiebreaker in the first set, you
know, you have to be very strong in your mind to keep fighting, and but
yeah, I think I felt like I was playing better in the second set. I mean
I felt more comfortable. I was a little nervous at the beginning.
Q. Were you surprised at how much the fans were on your side?
CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Yeah. Sometimes it's difficult to play Anna because
all the fans are always rooting for her, and here it was ?? I mean, you
know, they were rooting for her a lot, but there was some other people.
I mean I came to this tournament so many years in a row, and I think the
fans are familiar with my face, and you know, I would say that they like
me, so it was great to play and win, of course win during my birthday.
Q. How will you celebrate? Will you do any celebrating for your birthday?
CONCHITA MARTINEZ: I'll just go to dinner with my friends. I mean I would
like to party until tomorrow, but of course, I'm in a tournament and I'm
professional enough not to do that, but so I'll have a nice dinner with
my close friends and that's it.
Q. Do you have a special fitness routine that keeps you from getting
injured?
CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Well, yeah, but it's difficult. We always have injuries
here and there, but you try to keep as fit as you can to prevent injuries.
So I have a trainer here working with me, and the trainers from the WTA
also help you to do exercises to prevent injuries.
Q. Do you feel like winning when maybe you weren't at your best will
give you a little momentum heading into tomorrow and the rest of the week?
CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Yeah. I think those matches are the important ones.
You know, like sometimes when you don't play or you don't feel the best
and you lose, you know, it's just not good. So I was hanging in there
very tough, and I'm very happy to win a match when I'm not 100 percent.
Q. Looking back now because it's been a long time since '94, but does
it surprise you that your Grand Slam was at Wimbledon? Just kind of laughing
at it at all?
CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Well, you know, looking back, my results, I've been
?? I have wins in every surface. You know, it's like, you know, of course,
I'm more comfortable on clay and I'd rather clay over other surfaces,
but I won titles in every surface. And yeah, I mean surprise a little
bit to win on grass before any other surface, but I was playing great
tennis and I had a great year there. So it was great looking back. It's
a great memory.
Q. Where is the trophy?
CONCHITA MARTINEZ: The trophy? At home, in Barcelona.
Q. Someplace special?
CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Yeah. I have like ?? I don't know how you say ?? it's
??
Q. A case?
CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Yeah. It's like this, and I have all the trophies,
all the important trophies I won. So yes. It's a very special place in
my house. I look back once in a while and I see, you know, this year I
won this, da, da, da. So it's really great.
Q. For our U. S. open this year we're asking this of several players.
Where were you on 9/11 and how has it changed your life since then?
CONCHITA MARTINEZ: I was actually in San Diego. I have a house there,
and I was in San Diego, and when it happened I was, of course, sleeping
because it was 7:30 in the morning, but the phone rang, and I didn't answer
it. And it was my father, left me a message saying that what was happening,
so I turned on the TV, and I cannot tell you how ?? how much it affected
me. I mean I ?? I mean I had to pull myself to get out of the TV, because
I mean I was crying every time, you know. It was an amazing thing, and
you know, it's pretty unbelievable that something like that can happen.
It was just ?? I have no words, and I was feeling very sad for the family
and for the people that, you know, when you think how many planes it would
take, and you know, it's unbelievable. So that tells you that you have
to live life, you know, because anything can happen any day, and it's
just crazy what's happening in the world right now.
Q. Has it changed the way you see other people in the world or travel?
CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Well, you know, I tend to trust people, you know, but
I think, you know, like I said, you just have to live life and hope for
the best. But of course, I mean I was scared of traveling for a while.
I was in San Diego, and the whole thing was going with the war and everything,
my parents calling me, are you coming to Spain, you know. I'm like, well,
why don't you take the plane. I don't really want to take that plane.
But also I didn't feel that secure in the States. They're like, you know,
we want you close to us. So it's just hard.
Q. Changing the subject back to tennis, what would you think was your
most spectacular point today?
CONCHITA MARTINEZ: I wouldn't recall. For me it's hard to recall points.
Q. When you were up 4-1, the one where you lobbed over her head?
CONCHITA MARTINEZ: Yeah. That was a good one. I liked that one. I mean
I ran ?? she almost had the volley to put away and I ran, and yeah, that
was like good. But I couldn't tell you other points.
END OF INTERVIEW