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1999 Family Circle Cup - Hilton Head
2nd Round
Anna Kournikova beats Maria Antonia Sanchez Lorenzo
2:6, 6:3, 6:1
March 29, 1999

 

 

QUESTION: Did it take you a little time to feel comfortable out there tonight?
 
KOURNIKOVA: Definitely. It was my first match on clay, and my opponent already had a match yesterday on clay, so it was a little bit different for me and she's a very steady player. You really have to create pace yourself, so I started doing that, but much better in the second and third set. And the third set I think I just played great, and that's the way I should play always and I'm really happy with the result today.
 
QUESTION: Anna, were you going for too much in the beginning?
 
KOURNIKOVA: No. Like I said, she's the kind of player that you really have to make your own pace because if you are not going to try to do anything, she's going to bring the ball back and you're going to make mistakes because she can go forever going over the net, so you really have to create your own pace and attack as much as possible. And in the first set my balls didn't really go in, but then I got my points where I wanted to hit and the ball started going in and I started to play more aggressive and finishing the points.
 
QUESTION: Were you surprised about her range? It seemed early on she was getting to everything back and forth.
 
KOURNIKOVA: No. I wasn't surprised. I know she's a good player and everybody can play tennis who is playing, so there is no time to be surprised. You go out there, you know that the other girl is going to try to do her best. So I'm always ready for people to play good.
 
QUESTION: Did you have trouble with your serve like midway through the match, I guess, second serve?
 
KOURNIKOVA: No. Not at all. I think I served one of seven, one of six. So no, I didn't have any trouble.
 
QUESTION: How encouraging is this win to keep you going towards the later rounds?
 
KOURNIKOVA: Well, it's definitely a great win. Like I said, she already played one match and I just started, and I'm really happy with the result, and hopefully I'll be continuing to play that way. I've been working really hard. I've started practicing really hard and just mentally preparing, and I'm looking forward to the clay court season.
 
QUESTION: How do you see yourself among all the young players? There's a half a dozen of you, I guess, really great young players.
 
KOURNIKOVA: How do I see myself?
 
QUESTION: How do you see yourself in that picture?
 
KOURNIKOVA: What do you mean? In which way?
 
QUESTION: How do you compare yourself with the Williams sisters and Hingis and Serena and the French girl?
 
KOURNIKOVA: Well, this is, I guess, the new generation, the young players, and it's always good. It's the 3 new excitement. It brings more excitement to tennis and it definitely helps the game, but it's also great that the older players that have been playing on the tour they have a lot of experience so they're also playing great. So it definitely helps the tour to have the youngsters and experienced players.
 
QUESTION: What about Venus and Serena, what do you think about them?
 
KOURNIKOVA: What about them?
 
QUESTION: How do you see them? Do you think they're going to dominate the game?
 
KOURNIKOVA: Well, I think there is a lot of depth right now, and Martina right now is on the top. It's not the Williams sisters. So Martina is No. 1.
 
QUESTION: How does it feel to be the poster girl of tennis.
 
KOURNIKOVA: Well, I'm not the only one. I think there is the WTA calendar. Everybody is in there. There's 12 players.
 
QUESTION: How do you like the attention? I mean you do get a lot of attention. A lot of people come out to see you play. How do you respond to that? Is that something you like or is it a little bit too much at times?
 
KOURNIKOVA: Like I said, I think it's good. It brings attention to the game which I'm playing, tennis. A lot of people that wouldn't watch tennis before they're actually interested in tennis. So I think it helps to have different faces and different names, new names especially, on the tour.
 
QUESTION: How did you like playing at night?
 
KOURNIKOVA: Oh, I have no problems except I was wishing and hoping there would be no bugs, but I guess it was too cold for them. I have the spray all over me because I don't like ants, bugs, spiders. Yesterday it was like a cemetery at night. They were all over my legs. They were like sticking to me.
 
QUESTION: A lot has been made, I guess, in recent weeks about you being the sex symbol of the tour.
 
KOURNIKOVA: I don't think it's been in the last few weeks. But like I said, I guess it comes with the job and I'm just concentrating on tennis, and if it wouldn't be for tennis, I wouldn't be here.
 
QUESTION: How far does that go back? How many years have you felt like that's been the case? I mean you're only 17.
 
KOURNIKOVA: I don't really, like I said, follow that. I don't really focus on anything except tennis and just my game and preparing and everything. Tennis is my life. That's what I've been working for, what I was working for 13 years. So for me to think about something else -- of course, I do think about something else, but my main goal is tennis. Otherwise I would be wasting 13 years of my life.

 

 

 


Find out more at Anna's offical website:
www.kournikova.com