Anna Kournikova defeated Kveta Hrdlickova 2-6, 6-2, 6-3
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.
- 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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