Day 7 - An interview with Patty Schnyder - Saturday, June 2, 2007

Q. I'm Italian, so I have to ask about the match of Karin Knapp. We are surprised because she's very young. What do you think about her, about the attitude, and about the shots she has?

PATTY SCHNYDER: Yeah, I was surprised also. I mean, she's ‑‑ I saw a little bit of the match against Bondarenko. And I saw the dangerous serve she has, the forehand, big forehand. It was kind of same against me. I think she was a little nervous at the beginning, and then, maybe, she really came into the match.

And then I started to be a little nervous because I felt her presence and her game. And it was really tough to break her. She has a huge first serve and also the second serve, it's really fast and high bounce. And, yeah, at the end it was just a matter of, yeah, who can make those crucial points.

It was really, yeah, the same level we were playing. And I think she has a big tournament now, and has many weapons she can improve.

Q. You next play Maria who won today but, clearly, has shoulder problems. She double faulted a lot of times. You have a good record against her on clay. You beat her in Rome in the semi. What are your thoughts about playing a less than fit Maria?

A. She's a champion. And once you go on the court and have to beat a champion, it's very tough. And she can win without serve. She can win without being the greatest mover on clay court. But she's a champion, and that's the way I approach the match. My serve, I wasn't happy the way I played today, so I have many things to work on and to think about tomorrow. So it's a very open game for me.

Q. What memories do you have from that match in Rome?

PATTY SCHNYDER: Yeah. There I was on top of my game, and I really dominated her from the back. And it was very obvious that I felt my movement on court was great and hers was not. So that was the memory I have. But the feelings I have from today, it's not the way I want to play. So, I definitely need to really get that feeling back, to, yeah, have a chance.

Q. Can you get that feeling back in a couple of days?

PATTY SCHNYDER: It can happen, yeah. On clay, with me, it can happen in a day. But, yeah, it's all part of the nerves and the game. And so it's not easy to start new on Monday and to be on top of my game.

Q. Would you be nervous going out to face her?

PATTY SCHNYDER: Just normal. It's not going to be too special. Because I've played many champions in fourth round grand slams. And, yeah, it's going to be pretty similar than in other years.

Q. You know very well also Oprandi who is Swiss? Do you think Knapp has even better potential than Oprandi? Oprandi just made an unbelievable one tournament in Rome, and then didn't go up so much. What about Knapp in your opinion?

PATTY SCHNYDER: Yeah, I think it's two young players you cannot compare. She's really like physical, and she has a big ‑‑ you can see she worked a lot on her game, and Oprandi she's the talent. She's like playing with instinct. And doesn't have the great body, I mean, for tennis than Karin. I think they both have to work on their stuff.

It's a tough competition, the women's side. You really have to play good. And also for Karin, now she plays good one time on the big stage, but she has to go back into the quallies. And, yeah, day in, day out, they play, yeah, in front of no crowd and just work her game through.

And it's never easy to maintain your level one year or, yeah, three, four, five years.

Q. I saw your husband clearly being Chakvetadze's coach the other day.

PATTY SCHNYDER: Yeah.

Q. You know, the draw is shaping up. There is a possibility. Does this make things tricky for you?

PATTY SCHNYDER: Not really. I mean, I know he's my husband and my coach. And so if it would be a match against Anna, all of us know what he's doing and who he's rooting for. So there is no point for me to worry in any stage.

Q. How did that all come about?

PATTY SCHNYDER: It was a long time ago. We did it just, yeah, behind the scenes or whatever you call it, in the background. And she was always wanting him to do it, but he never wanted to do it officially.

And we'll see what's going to work out. And she's always, yeah, together with her dad. So we have to see how things work out. But I don't want to be too much involved in it. And I like Anna, and maybe we do some workouts together and hit sometimes, very few. But, yeah, better ask him.

Q. There were moments today when I saw you were a little bit nervous around the end. There was one moment when your father ‑‑ sorry ‑‑ your husband encouraged you. And you looked at him like, you know, you were some kind of ‑‑ some sort of angry. Why were you so nervous, 'cause you didn't expect that Knapp was playing so well or you were missing a lot of forehands or what?

PATTY SCHNYDER: Yeah, I was not happy with my game and the way I played out of my forehand corner. So I, yeah, there's always the stress moment, I mean, in those big matches. And there is someone who fights with you and again, the man, he cannot play the shots. It's always between us. And that's what we need. It's the only thing I have on court. I mean, I have to do everything a shot. And, yeah, he's just there to help me. And then it gets ‑‑ it's a lot of tension between ‑‑ on the court and for him as well just watching.

And so it's just a normal thing that can happen. And, yeah, he's like suffering with me. And he always wants me to feel better on the court. It's how things happen.