An Interview With Anna Kournikova

Q. Anna, are you pleased with being able to come back in a match the way you did?

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Yes, definitely. I mean, she's a tough player, she had some good results at the end of '99 and I knew the match was going to be very tough and she was playing very fast in the beginning and, you know, hitting everywhere in the corners, but I'm happy I turned it around and got through it.

Q. Do you feel better at this tournament than maybe other Grand Slams you have been at?

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Yes, I feel great here, every time I play here I have a lot of support. I'm happy about that, and this Grand Slam is very relaxed and it feels like a home atmosphere, so it's great.

Q. Anna, does it distract you when everyone is yelling out "Go Anna" and everything?

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: No, I'm used to that; and, second, that they're yelling my name, so it's good to have the crowd with you. Q. Do you have a sense now of how well you can do at a tournament like this? Do you know yet how good you can be? A. Well, you know, this kind of tennis, I mean, there's so many good players, you have to take it a match at a time and I know that my next round is going to be very, very tough, so you just have to take it a match at a time and try to get ready for the next one.

Q. Anna, would you like to clear up what was written in the papers this morning, the rumours about you and Mark Philippoussis?

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Well, we're just friends. I know him from Florida, I've known him for a very long time, we played juniors together.

Q. So there's no romance in the air?

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: None that I can tell you.

Q. So you're not denying it?

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: I'm not saying anything. I would not want to discuss my private life. No comment.

Q. Did you enjoy watching his match the other night?

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Yes. Well, me and my coach discussed many times that it's good for me to watch men's matches, you know, just to watch the way they play, because their game is different and they're doing a lot of things right.

Q. What do you think of his game?

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Shouldn't you ask about my game?

Q. Does he help you with your game or has he given you any advice?

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: No, no.

Q. Do you practise together?

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: No.

Q. How important is it to you to get that first tournament win?

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: It's obviously very important. I'm working on it, so just, you know, trying to be patient and trying to play my best game and bring my game together. We've been working with my coach on a lot of different things, so they just all have to come into one piece.

Q. How do you rate your chances against Lindsay?

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Well, it's going to be obviously a tough match. I played her last week but I wasn't a hundred per cent physically, but now I feel pretty good, at least today, so I feel it will happen. We will see what happens after tomorrow, but definitely it's going to be a tough match, but I like to play against her, you know, we've had some good matches in the past.

Q. Anna, you had to play out there in the wind and the sun; Mary was inside under a roof.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: It is closed?

Q. Do you feel you are disadvantaged by that, do you think that is unusual?

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: You know, you have to get used to that already. It's been like that for a while, so you can't complain now. I mean, I felt okay, it was fine. If I lose, maybe it would be different. But, I mean, the schedule is the schedule, whatever they schedule. I've already played once on centre court, so if that day it rained I would have played inside, so you just have to look at it that way.

Q. Anna, could you say something about the advertising you did with Adidas, about the bear named Misha; you did some advertising for Adidas with a bear, Misha is the name?

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: The commercial?

Q. Yes, the commercial. Can you say something about the story of that?

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Well, it was very fun doing it and I don't think it's out yet. Is it out?

Q. Yes. What happened?

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: It's about the kids, they are playing in an amusement park and this guy was cheating on the kids, the one that was selling the tickets to play the games or something, and I come there and I win the bear for them; because you had to hit targets, so I hit targets and I win the bear for the kids.

Q. What sort of relationship do you have with kids generally?

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Oh, great. Which kids?

Q. Supporters.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Well, I always - I always said before that I like a lot teaching little kids playing tennis and stuff like that, and I know how they feel, because I'm not that old yet, so I remember everything and it hasn't been that long ago - and I have a cousin who I always have fun with, he's 10, and I have a lot of fun with my coach's daughter, so I'm having a great relationship with kids.