An Interview With Anna Kournikova

Q: What does it feel like to be in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon?

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: I feel unbelievable right now. I feel very happy, and I'm very happy with the way I played today. I mean, it's unbelievable. I'm very happy.

Q: Beating Helena, is that a sort of special thing?

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Yes, she's a very experienced person. She's played long on the tour and she has a great game for the grass. She comes to the net all the time, and she played very well today. But, at the end, you know, I returned some serves, starting to return. She served very well today, but it's a good win for me.

Q: And you have Majoli in the next round?

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: She won?

Q: She's won, yes.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: We've never played before, no singles, no doubles, so that's going to be a new match, an interesting match for me, a new match.

Q: It seems as if in every match it takes you a while to get used to your opponent here. Is that what's happening out there?

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: No, not really. It's just that, you know, I waited today six hours before I got on the court. I was supposed to play second match at 11.00, and I've been waiting since 12.00 until - you know, we didn't get another chance to practise. So I just got on the court, and I didn't feel it really well. And I had a long match before me.

Q: Have you been nervous before the match because of the waiting?

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: No, I wasn't nervous because of the waiting, or nervous at all. I just didn't get any feel of the court before, or, you know, didn't get right there.

Q: Has this given you the confidence to maybe go all the way?

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Well, you know, I'm happy to be through this round and I'm looking forward to the next one.

Q: Are you playing the best tennis you've ever played?

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Well, maybe not the best tennis, but I'm playing good tennis. I'm happy how I'm playing right now.

Q: Why do you think both you and Martina Hingis have had a lot of success at early ages? Do you think there are any advantages that younger players have against older players in an arena like this?
A. That's a hard question. I don't really know that. But I don't know, you know, maybe because we are, you know, fresh, we've come to the tour and, you know, have the desire maybe to play, you know.

Q: You've just played now an older player and a very young player. If you had to choose between going up against a very young player or a very old player, which would you choose?

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Well, in both there are advantages. One has experience, which you can never get, you know, by being young, and the other one has probably freshness and the ability to, you know, not be scared, or anything, to just go out there and do your thing.