Anne-Gaelle Sidot defeated Anna Kournikova, 6-3, 6-4
An Interview With Anna Kournikova
Q. Must be very disappointing result for you?
ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Yeah. Any loss is, for sure.
Q. What went wrong today in your game?
ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Well, I think, first of all, Anne-Gaelle played pretty well. She didn't make many mistakes. I didn't get into the match, I think. We waited so long. I didn't get into the match right away. Then she just played really well afterwards.
Q. She seemed to be hitting a lot of winners she wouldn't normally hit. Were you trying to hang in there and wait for things to calm down a bit?
ANNA KOURNIKOVA: She's the kind of player that one day everything can go absolutely right, one day it can go wrong. Today she was just playing too good.
Q. You're still in the doubles, mixed doubles. How long do you think you'll remain in that for?
ANNA KOURNIKOVA: We'll see tomorrow.
Q. What was disappointing you most about your game today? What went wrong in your game that you could pinpoint?
ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Well, I think that I didn't quite attack the second serve. I think I could have done more. I should have just played out the point a bit longer. She didn't give me too many chances. I had a few chances in the games which, you know, I made a few bad returns, then she played just too good on the important points.
Q. How does this defeat compare to any other one?
ANNA KOURNIKOVA: What do you mean?
Q. Is it the worst defeat you've ever felt or not so bad?
ANNA KOURNIKOVA: No, I mean, you know, you could say that she played just too good. I mean, I tried to do my best. I tried to get out of that situation that I was in, tried to get into the match. She, you know, played good until the end.
Q. Do you feel the pressure of the expectations?
ANNA KOURNIKOVA: No.
Q. Here in the past you've normally tried to get into the net a little more. Was it her play that kept you from getting in there?
ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Well, she played quite deep and fast. I mean, I didn't have too many short balls, didn't have too many opportunities to come to the net.
Q. In which way do you feel the crowd support? They keep pushing you all the time, even till the last game. Does it support you?
ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Yeah, for sure. It helps a lot, feels good.
Q. Do you have any message for your fans, particularly male fans?
ANNA KOURNIKOVA: (Shaking head.)
Q. Do you think this is one of the tournaments you've got a best chance in? You prefer grass, don't you, as a surface?
ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Well, I would say that I played the best tennis probably here. But I pretty much feel comfortable on all surfaces, but I played my best tennis here.
Q. Is this one of the tournaments you would consider in the future is a good chance for you to win?
ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Yeah, I feel good here.
Q. Any problems with your ankle?
ANNA KOURNIKOVA: No, not really.
Q. I've heard when you grew up, you met Marat Safin very early at the club. Is that true? Can you describe the situation when you two met in Moscow?
ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Yeah, we grew up in the same tennis club since like six or seven, I don't remember exactly. Six, I think. His mother was a coach also at that club. It was a very small club, had only like ten courts. Basically we played with each other all the time, hung around with a group of kids, played a lot of matches, always had a lot of fun. His mother was working there also as a coach.
Q. Did you keep contact?
ANNA KOURNIKOVA: What do you mean?
Q. Afterwards when he left Moscow.
ANNA KOURNIKOVA: I left before him.
Q. So did you keep contact later on?
ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Yeah, we saw each other at the junior tournaments.
Q. But there was nothing like because you grew up in the same club, there wasn't a sort of friendship?
ANNA KOURNIKOVA: There was a lot of different kids that grew up, and we all played Juniors together and everything. We saw each other all the time.
Q. Have you spoken to Sergei?
ANNA KOURNIKOVA: I don't think this has anything to do with my match.
Q. Have you or haven't you?
MODERATOR: You don't have to answer.
Q. Your ankle is okay? Wasn't anything to do with that?
ANNA KOURNIKOVA: No. Like I said, I was waiting all day. Probably got overexciting (sic), overtired, I don't know. I wasn't very explosive, I don't think.
Q. What are you going to do now? Are you going to try to take the rest the tournament easy or keep pushing because of the doubles? Are they just as important to you as the singles?
ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Well, I played mixed and doubles. We'll see what happens.
Q. How far are your endorsement contracts connected with the success you have in tournaments?
ANNA KOURNIKOVA: I don't understand the question.
Q. Is your endorsement contract, any of the endorsement contracts you have, in any way connected with the success you have in tournaments?
ANNA KOURNIKOVA: What do you mean, success?
Q. Do you get more money when you get further in the tournaments?
ANNA KOURNIKOVA: I don't want to talk about my contracts.
Anna Kournikova pages at quickfound.net:- Anna Kournikova Interviews Archive
- News and Links (Kournikova Home)
- Anna Kournikova News Archive
- Anna Kournikova 2002 Record
- Anna Kournikova 2002 Australian Open Photos
- Anna Kournikova 2001 Record
- Anna Kournikova Misc. Photos and Posters (4 pages)
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