TENNIS WTA MONTREAL – 4th of August 2014. An interview with Arantxa Sanchez Vicario.
Q. In the 1990s you dominated the tournament here. You were in three finals and won two. Do you have a favorite of those three? What is your best memory of those three?
ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: Well, it’s hard to pick only one because, as you said, I played great players at that time. I know they were great finals. Obviously I definitely had to beat Steffi and Monica. They were my biggest rivals at the moment.
I remember the crowd was always behind me. I feel like at home here in Montréal. As I say, was one of my favorite tournaments to come and play.
At that era, I was probably one of the players that was doing really well in this tournament, and I was fighting to win the trophy. I have great memories.
I had big battles in the finals. But it was great tennis. I was very aggressive to win those matches. I played my best matches to win those finals.
I’ll take both because even if I see on TV, I still remember how the match went. It’s nice to be back after so many years, feel welcome again and feel like I’m at home.
Q. Are you still involved in tennis, playing, doing TV?
ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: No. At this moment, no, I have two kids. I’m kind of busy being mother. That takes me very busy at the moment.
I leave the door open. Hopefully if it comes opportunity, I will either do something with tennis. But we’ll see. Maybe the WTA hires me, who knows (laughter).
Q. As a Hall of Famer yourself, Serena is approaching 18 Grand Slam titles, you played her sister in her first tournament. Could you talk about what strikes you about Serena compared to the other great champions and yourself. Did you expect her to be here this long?
ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: Well, first of all, I think that she’s still hungry. As you can see, she still wants to win more and more. Definitely, you know, if the injuries is not going with her, she can stay long enough to be there.
She’s definitely a big champion. She’s close, you know, to win 18 Grand Slams. As long as she’s happy and confident with her game and healthy, I think she will stay as long as her body keep fit with her mind and her game.
She’s dominating for a while. Maybe when she’s injured, there is a door open there with other players willing to win other tournaments and to fight with her. But when she’s in the top, she’s clearly the strongest at the moment.
She definitely will be long enough on the courts, but she will continue winning as much as she’s been doing.
I played both sisters, you know, many times. Definitely, you know, if your body and your mind is all together, you can keep as much as you can. She’s still hungry, so that’s easy to continue.
Q. In your opinion, what is the greatest change in women’s tennis since your era?
ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: Many players now have an aggressive game. They play fast. Our game had more variety. But now a new generation is coming with players like Eugenie Bouchard, who plays very well. Of course, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova have the experience. But Halep is also coming, and Li Na is a veteran almost.
Q. It’s crazy around Eugenie Bouchard here right now. Do you think she can play well in this tournament?
ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO: On one hand it is an advantage to play at home, but she will also have a lot of pressure because she will want to do well here.
I can’t speak for her, of course, but I believe she’s going to play match after match. She’s top seven in the world now and she has a lot of experience winning tournaments and doing very well in Grand Slams like in Australia, the French Open, and Wimbledon too.
Next time she’s going to be in a final like this, she will play even better. It’s good for Canada to have good players like her. I believe she’s a favorite for this tournament.
