US OPEN
Date: 2005-09-07

US OPEN

September 7, 2005

Amelie Mauresmo
NEW YORK CITY
The Moderator Questions in English, please.

Question You had a fairly easy run up to the quarterfinals, not dropping a set. Mary also, but she had a tough match against Justine. Obviously, an adrenaline-filled match, out on the center court. Do you think in a way going in today she was a little bit more battle-hardened, if you will?
AMELIE MAURESMO: Yeah, that's a possibility. But I think also she, you know, not looking as -- I was saying in French, don't try to look where there's no point looking. I think she just played a better match than me today. She just played better tennis. She's hitting the ball very well for few months now, we know that, and she's moving better and better and serving very well also. And so, you know, there's, you know, maybe few things here and there that I could have done better. I haven't played my best match of the tournament, that's for sure, but also because she put me a lot of pressure, not only on her service games but also on the return on my service games. So, you know, that's all the credit to her I think.

Question You've played her a number of times over the past five or six years. A lot has been made about her recommitment to conditioning, a lot of time spent in the gym. At 30 years old, do you think she's probably playing some of the best tennis of her career at this tournament?
AMELIE MAURESMO: That's what I would say. I know that's what a lot of people would say, a lot of people who known her also when she was at her best level before her ranking dropped a little bit. I'm talking when she won in '95 the Australian Open. And I didn't know her at that time, but that's what a lot of people say. Knowing her for now two or three years, I think, yeah, for these last few years that's for sure the best tennis she's ever played.

Question Does she seem stronger now than when you played her earlier in the year?
AMELIE MAURESMO: Yeah, there's no comparison. Also she has the confidence now, which is huge, big importance in her game. She goes for every shot. So if you don't have the confidence, then it makes it little tougher. Yeah, she's improved a lot. As you said, she's worked a lot in the gym and on the court as well. So you can see that.

Question You were playing so well coming in. Is this a bit of a bitter pill to swallow?
AMELIE MAURESMO: It's a disappointment, obviously. You never want a tournament to end like this, in a straight-set lose. But that's the way it is. And the only thing I can do is go back to work and adjust, you know, the few things that didn't work today, keep working on serve, work on the return of serve as well, and try to come in more often. I felt I didn't take all the chances that I got, so that's a bit of a frustration.

Question Her first serve percentage was very high. She scored a lot of points on that.
AMELIE MAURESMO: Yep, uh-hmm.

Question What kind of pressure does that put on you as an opponent?
AMELIE MAURESMO: That's what I was saying, you know, explaining little bit the double-faults I made in that last game of the first set. When you know you don't have too many opportunities on your opponent's serve, then you have to serve to stay in the set and knowing that, you know, she takes every risk on the return, it makes it pretty tough. And that's, you know, all the credit to her for doing this today and being pretty good percentage-wise on that. So sometimes, you know, the opponent pushes you a little bit too far.

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