kazzmazz
May 7th, 2002, 09:50 PM
I just bought a copy of the June edition of Tennis magazine TennisFan posted about a couple of days ago. GREAT interview, much more in-depth than I thought we'd ever get from Jen. Required reading for all her fans, really. Anyways, I just thought I'd share a few exerbs(sp?) that really made me smile.
On brother Steven
I'm just so impressed with how Steven developed and grew. Tennis has been a huge part of our lives, but we never had a problem with sibling rivalry. We just had this bond right from the start. Even when we were young, I always felt like I loved him more than myself. I always went out of my way to take care of him, and I tried not to boast in my fame. I wanted Steven to feel like his happiness was more important to me than anything because that was how I felt.
On the notorious 2000 US Open statement, and what it was like always answering the same questions
Just think of how a normal person reacts when he or she finds out that a neighbor said something bad about them. Nobody wants that. Nobody wants people saying negative things about them, especially if they aren't true. That's difficult to cope with, so just imagine the whole world saying the same thing over and over, not really caring about you as a person. That's what got me - the world can forget that you're still a human being. And that hurts your feelings.
I accepted how it was going to be. I knew that no matter what I said or did, I'd get the same question and comments. But I still believe there are questions I don't have to answer because neither the media nor the public needs to know. And there are things I don't feel like I have to go back to, and I can be firm about that, and expect people to understand.
On the other hand, I did realize over time that the things I say, the answers I give to some questions, can maybe help somebody else. And that's really why I do it, why I talk about my feelings at all. Still, there are lots of things in my life people don't know about, private things I won't share...I think about that and it makes me smile to myself - I have a certain amount of privacy that nobody can take away. I'm not just, "What you see is what you get." I know that even if other people don't.
On whether everything she's been through helped her win 2002 Aus Open
Probably. But then I've always been that kind of player, too, a fighter, the kind who never says die. I never, ever, gave up in my matches. So it's almost like the other way around - like the thing that helped me get through some of the other stuff in my life was the way I am as a player. I've been a fighter, I think, since the day I was born. It all goes hand in hand.
On playing a large part of 2001 with a broken heart (Xena) and whether that's a testament to her toughness or her sensitivity
I think I'm sensitive and tough. Maybe that's why I have obstacles, and why I can overcome them. I've learned to think differently about the things going on in my life - it's like, OK, so maybe I lose in this part of my life. Well, then I'm not going to lose in this other part. I'm going to rise above this and not let things get me down. In the past, I'd have let emotional stuff get me much more down. In the past, I'd have gone into my hole. But nothing in life is important enough to make it worth doing that. That's definitely something that changed about me.
I think our Jenny is going to be just fine. ;) Love ya Jen!!!!:kiss:
On brother Steven
I'm just so impressed with how Steven developed and grew. Tennis has been a huge part of our lives, but we never had a problem with sibling rivalry. We just had this bond right from the start. Even when we were young, I always felt like I loved him more than myself. I always went out of my way to take care of him, and I tried not to boast in my fame. I wanted Steven to feel like his happiness was more important to me than anything because that was how I felt.
On the notorious 2000 US Open statement, and what it was like always answering the same questions
Just think of how a normal person reacts when he or she finds out that a neighbor said something bad about them. Nobody wants that. Nobody wants people saying negative things about them, especially if they aren't true. That's difficult to cope with, so just imagine the whole world saying the same thing over and over, not really caring about you as a person. That's what got me - the world can forget that you're still a human being. And that hurts your feelings.
I accepted how it was going to be. I knew that no matter what I said or did, I'd get the same question and comments. But I still believe there are questions I don't have to answer because neither the media nor the public needs to know. And there are things I don't feel like I have to go back to, and I can be firm about that, and expect people to understand.
On the other hand, I did realize over time that the things I say, the answers I give to some questions, can maybe help somebody else. And that's really why I do it, why I talk about my feelings at all. Still, there are lots of things in my life people don't know about, private things I won't share...I think about that and it makes me smile to myself - I have a certain amount of privacy that nobody can take away. I'm not just, "What you see is what you get." I know that even if other people don't.
On whether everything she's been through helped her win 2002 Aus Open
Probably. But then I've always been that kind of player, too, a fighter, the kind who never says die. I never, ever, gave up in my matches. So it's almost like the other way around - like the thing that helped me get through some of the other stuff in my life was the way I am as a player. I've been a fighter, I think, since the day I was born. It all goes hand in hand.
On playing a large part of 2001 with a broken heart (Xena) and whether that's a testament to her toughness or her sensitivity
I think I'm sensitive and tough. Maybe that's why I have obstacles, and why I can overcome them. I've learned to think differently about the things going on in my life - it's like, OK, so maybe I lose in this part of my life. Well, then I'm not going to lose in this other part. I'm going to rise above this and not let things get me down. In the past, I'd have let emotional stuff get me much more down. In the past, I'd have gone into my hole. But nothing in life is important enough to make it worth doing that. That's definitely something that changed about me.
I think our Jenny is going to be just fine. ;) Love ya Jen!!!!:kiss: