1999 Family Circle Cup - Hilton Head
Semifinal
Anna Kournikova beats Patty Schnyder
6:7, 6:0, 6:3
April 3, 1999
Semifinal
Anna Kournikova beats Patty Schnyder
6:7, 6:0, 6:3
April 3, 1999
QUESTION: Anna, how exciting is it to get to the finals?
KOURNIKOVA: Well, like you said, it's very exciting. So I feel great about it and I'm really happy with the way I played. You know, I have no other words.
QUESTION: Anna, how are you feeling right now? You looked a little exhausted at the end of the match.
KOURNIKOVA: Well, it was very hot, humid and very wet out there. It was heavy. So we had a very difficult first set and that took a lot of energy out of me. And the whole match was just you had to do a lot of running with Patty because she has that spin and you really have to stay behind the baseline a lot and just run a lot of points. She makes you run, and you have to be patient with her, so that takes a lot of energy out there. So definitely I'm a little bit tired, but just looking after any other match.
QUESTION: You were using some drop shots against her. I was surprised she didn't do the same thing to you, playing back so far.
KOURNIKOVA: I think she did, but I missed only one drop shot, I think. And I got to it, I just over ran it. So I don't think it would really work against me.
QUESTION: Anna, what was your mind set after losing the first set in the tiebreak? You obviously didn't let it get you down at all.
KOURNIKOVA: Well, I just relaxed. I really completely let it go, everything. I said if I lost the first set, I can as well lose the second. Not like I didn't care. I just relaxed completely and just started to go for my shots and said what the hell, I'll just start to play my game and just go for it.
QUESTION: What about tomorrow against Martina?
KOURNIKOVA: What about?
QUESTION: Going against Martina tomorrow. Give us a preview of what you're going to have to do to knock her off.
KOURNIKOVA: Well, obviously I'll have to play some good tennis. You know, she's a very tough player. She's No. 1 in the world, and I'll just try to get ready for that match just like any other, not to think who I'm playing against. Just try to concentrate on my tennis, and like I said, play my game. There is nothing else I can do.
QUESTION: You beat her, though, one time you played on clay; correct?
KOURNIKOVA: Yes.
QUESTION: What happened that day?
KOURNIKOVA: Well, it was a year ago. It was in Berlin. I played really, really great. It was on red clay. It was 6-3, 7-6. But I think I just played great that day, so that's what I have to do tomorrow, and I'm feeling great, so just if I would be moving well and everything, I should do well.
QUESTION: It's been kind of a magical week. It just seems like this is your week. Do you get that feeling that everything is going your way?
KOURNIKOVA: Well, tennis wise, yeah, for sure. I'm winning matches, but it's a normal week in life. It's nothing different. I'm just winning some matches, more than usually, so that's good, and I'm really, of course, happy about it. But other than that, I feel fine, and I try not to get over excited and just look forward to tomorrow.
QUESTION: You know, last week at the Lipton with the Williams sisters in the finals and now you and Martina advancing in this final, does that show that the people who are really talked about in women's tennis now are kind of rising to the top of the list?
KOURNIKOVA: Well, I don't know. But probably I think if people are talking about somebody, that means they must know how to play or they must know how to play on the courts, so I guess it's just becoming true. Everybody's different. You know, some people become good players early in their careers. Some people become good players later in their careers. So like I always say, Martina when she was really, really young, when she was 16, she won her first Grand Slam. And Lindsay or Novotna, they won really already later. So everybody's different, and for everybody it's their own time.
QUESTION: How much pressure do you feel, this being your second final?
KOURNIKOVA: I don't feel any pressure at all. Martina, she has to show that she's No. 1 and she has the pressure probably. I don't have any pressure at all. I guess it helped me to win a couple of doubles tournaments and especially the Grand Slams at the Australian Open. So I don't feel like I have to do something special.
QUESTION: Is it going to be hard?
KOURNIKOVA: Of course it's going to be hard. Nothing is easy.
QUESTION: I mean trying not to get overly excited about playing in the final.
KOURNIKOVA: We'll see tomorrow. I can only tell you tomorrow.
QUESTION: Anna, you have generated a lot of talk in your career. Do you feel that maybe your first title gives you some substance to go with this title that's gotten you so much attention?
KOURNIKOVA: Like I said, everybody's completely different and everybody's time is different and it will come sooner or later, so I try not to think about it. I just try to show good tennis to people. That's why I'm there is to play for the people. If there would be no people, we wouldn't be there. So I just try to enjoy, and like I said yesterday after my match, it is really, really satisfying when you win such a tough match that you can know that you really, really worked hard and you won.
QUESTION: Who's going to be your coach?
KOURNIKOVA: What do you mean?
QUESTION: Do you have a coach?
KOURNIKOVA: Yes.
QUESTION: Who?
KOURNIKOVA: Well, Pavel. He's having a break right now. But mutual we talked to him and we decided to take a break from each other for a little while.
QUESTION: So you don't have a coach. So who's going to coach you? Pavel's not coaching, who's going to coach?
KOURNIKOVA: What do you mean coach me?
QUESTION: You don't have a coach.
KOURNIKOVA: Is there any other coach?
QUESTION: Most people who win have coaches.
KOURNIKOVA: Well, good for them.
QUESTION: So you're not going to have a coach?
KOURNIKOVA: Well, like I said, I'm having a break right now and I seem to be doing really, really well during this break. So people who win sometimes don't have coaches.
QUESTION: So you're saying you're not going to have a coach?
KOURNIKOVA: That doesn't mean that I'm not going to have a coach. I'm saying that right now I'm having a break. Maybe one day, tomorrow I'll get a new coach or maybe I'll get one in ten years. Right now I'm having a break. I don't like to think up front. I just take it step at a time and day at a time.
QUESTION: In that last game you seemed to be holding your foot or something.
KOURNIKOVA: Yeah. It was a little bit tired, and I think I started to cramp a little bit, but it wasn't much. Just a little bit. Because it was really, you know, the last game and I was --
QUESTION: You wanted to go ahead and finish it off.
KOURNIKOVA: Of course. I wanted to finish it.
KOURNIKOVA: Well, like you said, it's very exciting. So I feel great about it and I'm really happy with the way I played. You know, I have no other words.
QUESTION: Anna, how are you feeling right now? You looked a little exhausted at the end of the match.
KOURNIKOVA: Well, it was very hot, humid and very wet out there. It was heavy. So we had a very difficult first set and that took a lot of energy out of me. And the whole match was just you had to do a lot of running with Patty because she has that spin and you really have to stay behind the baseline a lot and just run a lot of points. She makes you run, and you have to be patient with her, so that takes a lot of energy out there. So definitely I'm a little bit tired, but just looking after any other match.
QUESTION: You were using some drop shots against her. I was surprised she didn't do the same thing to you, playing back so far.
KOURNIKOVA: I think she did, but I missed only one drop shot, I think. And I got to it, I just over ran it. So I don't think it would really work against me.
QUESTION: Anna, what was your mind set after losing the first set in the tiebreak? You obviously didn't let it get you down at all.
KOURNIKOVA: Well, I just relaxed. I really completely let it go, everything. I said if I lost the first set, I can as well lose the second. Not like I didn't care. I just relaxed completely and just started to go for my shots and said what the hell, I'll just start to play my game and just go for it.
QUESTION: What about tomorrow against Martina?
KOURNIKOVA: What about?
QUESTION: Going against Martina tomorrow. Give us a preview of what you're going to have to do to knock her off.
KOURNIKOVA: Well, obviously I'll have to play some good tennis. You know, she's a very tough player. She's No. 1 in the world, and I'll just try to get ready for that match just like any other, not to think who I'm playing against. Just try to concentrate on my tennis, and like I said, play my game. There is nothing else I can do.
QUESTION: You beat her, though, one time you played on clay; correct?
KOURNIKOVA: Yes.
QUESTION: What happened that day?
KOURNIKOVA: Well, it was a year ago. It was in Berlin. I played really, really great. It was on red clay. It was 6-3, 7-6. But I think I just played great that day, so that's what I have to do tomorrow, and I'm feeling great, so just if I would be moving well and everything, I should do well.
QUESTION: It's been kind of a magical week. It just seems like this is your week. Do you get that feeling that everything is going your way?
KOURNIKOVA: Well, tennis wise, yeah, for sure. I'm winning matches, but it's a normal week in life. It's nothing different. I'm just winning some matches, more than usually, so that's good, and I'm really, of course, happy about it. But other than that, I feel fine, and I try not to get over excited and just look forward to tomorrow.
QUESTION: You know, last week at the Lipton with the Williams sisters in the finals and now you and Martina advancing in this final, does that show that the people who are really talked about in women's tennis now are kind of rising to the top of the list?
KOURNIKOVA: Well, I don't know. But probably I think if people are talking about somebody, that means they must know how to play or they must know how to play on the courts, so I guess it's just becoming true. Everybody's different. You know, some people become good players early in their careers. Some people become good players later in their careers. So like I always say, Martina when she was really, really young, when she was 16, she won her first Grand Slam. And Lindsay or Novotna, they won really already later. So everybody's different, and for everybody it's their own time.
QUESTION: How much pressure do you feel, this being your second final?
KOURNIKOVA: I don't feel any pressure at all. Martina, she has to show that she's No. 1 and she has the pressure probably. I don't have any pressure at all. I guess it helped me to win a couple of doubles tournaments and especially the Grand Slams at the Australian Open. So I don't feel like I have to do something special.
QUESTION: Is it going to be hard?
KOURNIKOVA: Of course it's going to be hard. Nothing is easy.
QUESTION: I mean trying not to get overly excited about playing in the final.
KOURNIKOVA: We'll see tomorrow. I can only tell you tomorrow.
QUESTION: Anna, you have generated a lot of talk in your career. Do you feel that maybe your first title gives you some substance to go with this title that's gotten you so much attention?
KOURNIKOVA: Like I said, everybody's completely different and everybody's time is different and it will come sooner or later, so I try not to think about it. I just try to show good tennis to people. That's why I'm there is to play for the people. If there would be no people, we wouldn't be there. So I just try to enjoy, and like I said yesterday after my match, it is really, really satisfying when you win such a tough match that you can know that you really, really worked hard and you won.
QUESTION: Who's going to be your coach?
KOURNIKOVA: What do you mean?
QUESTION: Do you have a coach?
KOURNIKOVA: Yes.
QUESTION: Who?
KOURNIKOVA: Well, Pavel. He's having a break right now. But mutual we talked to him and we decided to take a break from each other for a little while.
QUESTION: So you don't have a coach. So who's going to coach you? Pavel's not coaching, who's going to coach?
KOURNIKOVA: What do you mean coach me?
QUESTION: You don't have a coach.
KOURNIKOVA: Is there any other coach?
QUESTION: Most people who win have coaches.
KOURNIKOVA: Well, good for them.
QUESTION: So you're not going to have a coach?
KOURNIKOVA: Well, like I said, I'm having a break right now and I seem to be doing really, really well during this break. So people who win sometimes don't have coaches.
QUESTION: So you're saying you're not going to have a coach?
KOURNIKOVA: That doesn't mean that I'm not going to have a coach. I'm saying that right now I'm having a break. Maybe one day, tomorrow I'll get a new coach or maybe I'll get one in ten years. Right now I'm having a break. I don't like to think up front. I just take it step at a time and day at a time.
QUESTION: In that last game you seemed to be holding your foot or something.
KOURNIKOVA: Yeah. It was a little bit tired, and I think I started to cramp a little bit, but it wasn't much. Just a little bit. Because it was really, you know, the last game and I was --
QUESTION: You wanted to go ahead and finish it off.
KOURNIKOVA: Of course. I wanted to finish it.
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