00:00:11.000 - 00:02:16.000

Camera Crew Member #1:: Stick it. Camera Crew Member #2:: Black Champions, Zina Garrison in, interview, camera roll three-fifty. Interviewer:: Zina Garrison, you had a relatively late start to the game of tennis compared to [inaudible] . How much has that mean for people who don't know the game very well, how much does starting at eleven as opposed to starting at six or seven really mean to a tennis player? Zina Garrison:: I think actually it has a lotta difference, because you have a lotta ground to catch up in experience, but coming from the public park that I did, and from the program that I did, I caught up relatively fast, due to the fact that I was playin' with a lotta guys the majority of the time. [[slate]] Interviewer:: Now, one of the things you, you say is that the two-handed backhand is the shot that made you, [inaudible] really has to, you have to begin early to use a weapon like that. Tell us why. Zina Garrison:: I think it basically has a lot to do with the person is not very strong enough to hold a one-handed backhand are, lot at times coming up in the, I guess basically when Jimmy Connors or Chris Evert were dominating, the two-hand backhand was more to be brought out for younger players. In our program, basically, a lot of us use one-hand backhands. Interviewer:: What do you feel your strenth in the game is now? What do you feel, let's say over the past couple of years, that you have developed into your premier strength as a tennis player? Zina Garrison:: I think basically now I'm really gettin' into myself and I understand what's going on. I also realize that my speed has a lot to do with the way I basically got here and the people that I've had behind me. Interviewer:: Is there anything about your game that you seek to change now or are you, are you pretty settled into the way you're playing? Zina Garrison:: I'm never really satisfied with anything that I do, because I feel like if you wanna be a champion, you can't ever just satisfied of the things that you've already accomplished. I feel like there's a lot more things to accomplish in professional tennis, and for me being a person, so I keep tryin' to learn from others and understand things that are going on.

00:02:17.000 - 00:05:03.000

Interviewer:: [inaudible] from around the world, millions of people play this game; all want to play better. There obviously are things that separate people out level by level. What do you think are some of the things that cause some people to stay at one level and others to be able to rise up to the concentration and ability to put other things out of your mind, or out of your life? What are the key elements between somebody who ends up playing on the weekends and somebody who can go on to think about championship? Zina Garrison:: I think basically it has a lot to do with self-motivation; being a, able to be coached by someone, understanding t-persp, perspectives into things that you wanna do; learning to understand yourself, has a lot to do with those things. Interviewer:: Coaching, of course, I think most of us realize is very important. I wonder if you would tell us about your relationship, your introduction, meeting your coach, and how that-I know it can be pretty difficult sometimes [laughs] . Zina Garrison:: [laughs] Interviewer:: But tell us a little bit about your, your relationship with your coach. Tell us who he is- Zina Garrison:: Well- Interviewer:: -and a little bit about that relationship. Zina Garrison:: Basically I met my coach John Wilkinson at MacGregor Park in Houston, Texas and I've been with them now for about eleven and a half years- Camera Crew Member #1:: Cut. Interviewer:: [inaudible] Zina Garrison:: [laughs] Camera Crew Member #1:: Yeah, we do. [[cut]] Camera Crew Member #1:: Slate. Camera Crew Member #2:: Take two. Interviewer:: Zina, your story is that you went to MacGregor Park in Houston to watch your brother play softball. And tell us what happened after that. Zina Garrison:: Basically I was sitting on the park bench at MacGregor Park and my coach that I have now, John Wilkinson, was there, and he basically asked me what was I doing; and at the time I wasn't really into anything. And I'm coming from a majority of black people, my neighborhood, I really didn't know anything about tennis. So, I met John there and we've pretty much extablished a relationship. He's pretty much like the father that I really didn't have at a young age because my father died when I was about ten months, so. We're having; we have our little difficulties here and there as a father relationship would, but we pretty much understand each other and know what's going on. [[slate]] Interviewer:: Is tennis hard work? Is it a, is it a tough job? I mean, in terms of people thinking, Well hey, I go to work eight hours a day and- Zina Garrison:: [laughs] Interviewer:: -they work at a factory, and she's just kind of skippin' around on a tennis courts. Is it a hard- Zina Garrison:: No, actually I think it's very hard. It's a lot harder than people realize it, because you have to deal with a lotta stress, and you also have to deal with, maybe being in the public's eye, and d, doing the right thing. Sometimes you give up a little more than you really want to, but I think that's all in the meaning of being the champion that you might wanna become.

00:05:04.000 - 00:08:18.000

Interviewer:: Let me ask you about some of the people you, you confront. I, I would assume that for everybody you face on the tennis court, you have to have a basic game plan, because they're all different; there are a number of different styles of play. Talk about some of the people who it's particularly difficult for you to play; and tell us how you would approach your matches with them. What do you have to do special to get ready for a match? Zina Garrison:: I think basically I just try to deal with myself. I don't really try to deal with individual personalities on the court or the way they play because I feel like if I have a lot of confidence in myself and can do the things that I'm capable of doing, then the chances of me winnin' a lot greater than me whining about the person's weaknesses all the time. Camera Crew Member #1:: I'm sorry [inaudible] Interviewer:: Oh, right. We have to repeat one question because of [inaudible] . We talked about the reason many players come into the game with the two-handed backhand; you did not, and part of it has to do with the fact that you started a little later than [inaudible] . Perhaps you could explain to us [inaudible] . Zina Garrison:: Well, I think basically people when they start at a younger age, they're not really strong enough to maybe hold a one-hand backhand, so they get caught in the element of usin' a two-hand backhand. As in my case, I was pretty much the same heighth and the weight that I am now, so a one-hand backhand was, I was pretty strong enough to do it; and also my coach used a one-hand backhand, so that was basically all the tennis that I really saw is through him. So- Interviewer:: Zina, as I've watched you play over the past couple of years, things come to mind to me about seeing the difference in your game. One is your backhand. It seems to me much, much stronger. You seem to come up over the top of the ball a lot harder on your backhand side. And your service-your motion seems to have changed, and your, your- Zina Garrison:: [laughs] Interviewer:: -service seems to be a lot more effective. Can you tell us about those, those changes? Zina Garrison:: Well, I, basically, I've been working on doing an all-around court game to get my serve and volley game together, and also my groundstrokes together; and I used to underspin my backhand a lot; and now I'm startin' to hit a lotta more topspin, and gettin' a lotta more confidence in. As far as the serve, I, my serve is definitely gona have to be better if I want to be the player that I think I'm capable of being, because you look at all the top players that hit a very high percentage of first serves. That per-pretty much keeps a person off of you. Interviewer:: You play server volley, you almost have to work on a high percentage of first serves. And nobody's- Zina Garrison:: [laughs] Interviewer:: -doing that on their second serves. Is that the toughest single aspect of the game? I know when I was learning to play, I thought I'd never learn how- Zina Garrison:: [laughs] Interviewer:: -to serve a tennis ball. It seemed there's so much to the motion, the mechanics seem so complicated, and there are all these interrelated motions that seems impossible to learn. Is it just repetitiion? Do you have to go over and over-? Zina Garrison:: I think it's basically something that you have to work on. As you said before, repetitions, but I think as far as my case, I started winning at a younger age with my groundstrokes; so as far as the serve, I didn't really need it; I would just get it in and then after a while you start to see that there is a point in your life where you need your serve.

00:08:19.000 - 00:11:08.000

Interviewer:: Can [siren] you tell us about your decision to turn professional, which I assume was a big decision in your life. How did that come about? Who, who advised you? What part do you play in just making up your own mind. If you could talk about that. Zina Garrison:: Well, I think basically at the time I, I went through a pretty much de, depressed stage, because all your friends and everyone else is goin' to college. And here you have a chance to become a, a professional tennis player, and I spent a really hard three months tryin' to decide what I really wanted to do. Then I came up with the decision that I basically played everyone that I've played in juniors that was goin' to college and I wanted to play other people and, as far as I was concerned, I'd have to play professional tennis. [[siren]] Interviewer:: Was there any key element in your, for you in making that decision; was there something that came to you at a point, said now I'm ready to make this decision; this is what I'm gonna do, or was it an accumulation of many things. Did people advise you, [inaudible] or was it pretty much your own decision? Zina Garrison:: I got pushed a lot. [laughs] I got pushed a lot, I mean, to be truthful, a lotta people thought that I should turn professional; and some people say, Go to school. But I think at the time I made the right decision because I came on the computer at number 29; it's, it's actually really high for a person to come on the computer, so I really didn't have any choice after that. I kep-, wanted to do better and better, and before I knew it, I was in top ten. Interviewer:: Most people, I think, look at the life of a tennis player and think the traveling must- Zina Garrison:: [laughs] Interviewer:: -absolutely wear you out. What kind of things do you have to do after all these plane rides to see that you're in condition to play? I mean you're in country after country; certain different parts of the United States. Are there times when you just don't feel like playing? Tell me [inaudible] . Zina Garrison:: I think basically, most of the time you, you get that period of time that you don't really feel like playin' at the end of the year when things aren't; I mean you've just done about every trip possible that you can do, but you kinda know to push yourself and know that you have to go ahead and play, and usually in my point of view, I usually play my best tennis when I'm pretty tired. Interviewer:: Most people think of the major tournaments in professional tennis as the U.S. Open, and the French Open, possibly the Australian as well; I guess they're all part of the grand slam [inaudible] . Are those the events that, I mean as you really have participated in professional tennis, are those the tournaments for you, are those the ones that you really have to get up for? Is there a special atmosphere for New York or London, Paris?- Zina Garrison:: [laughs] Interviewer:: -Tell us about your experience. Zina Garrison:: There's definitely, in every grand slam- Zina Garrison:: -there's definitely a different typeatmosphere- Interviewer:: Gonna hang and come back- Camera Crew Member #1:: We gotta cut. Zina Garrison:: OK. [laughs] Interviewer:: We're gonna try and get- [[rollout on camera roll]] [[wild sound]] [[cut]] [[camera roll #351]]

00:11:09.000 - 00:13:51.000

Camera Crew Member #1:: Slate. Camera Crew Member #2:: Camera roll three fifty-one. Interviewer:: Zina, we were talking about the atmosphere at places like Wimbledon and places like the U.S. Open, the Paris Open. I wonder if you could talk about your experience in that particular kind of tournament. What is it like to be in those places. Is, is there something special about the place themselves? Zina Garrison:: I think basically the grand-slam tournaments, they control a lotta pressure on individuals due to the fact there's so much prestige in tournaments of that nature as a grand-slam tournament; [helicopter flies over] such as Wimbledon or the French Open, or the U.S. Open and- Interviewer:: [inaudible] [[slate]] [[helicopter flies over]] [[cut]] Camera Crew Member #1:: Stick it. Camera Crew Member #2:: Three fifty-one. Interviewer:: Zina, I wonder if you'd tell us again about the, the special atmosphere of places like Wimbledon, New York for the U.S. Open; Paris, for the Paris Open- Zina Garrison:: Well, I think they're basically all different. The crowds are different, the atmosphere is different. Take for instance in the U.S. Open here. The, the crowd is definitely different because they get really involved with the matches no matter who's playing or what the score is; there's always someone that's really involved in. As far as you have Wimbledon, maybe, where the people m, little more low-key; they kinda sit back and watch the matches and that's about it. And then you have Australian Open where the people are just really friendly and they just enjoy tennis totally and they really don't really care who really wins, they just love tennis. [[slate]] Interviewer:: Of course, tho-those tournaments also involve different surfaces; there's grass at Wimbledon and I believe at, still at the Australia; that very, very weird grade clay [inaudible] [laughs] . How do the surfaces affect a person's game? I mean, most people figure, Well hey, it's, it's still flat; the lines are still the same. But the surfaces are very different, I think. Zina Garrison:: I think basically it depends on the individual. If they believe that they can only play on grass then that's, that's the only pers-, only place they will play on; if they believe that could play all surfaces, it really doesn't matter what game you play on what surface then. I think basically Martina Navratilova has proven that. Interviewer:: Do you feel now comfortable on all of the surfaces, or is there one you prefer? Zina Garrison:: I'm starting to begi, to begin to be a little more comfortable on every surface that I'm playing on. Hard court is always been my hardest surface to play on, even though I've grown up on it. I have pretty much have a, a complex about it here and there, but I think now my game is improving; my serve is improving, so I should do pretty well on hard court surfaces.

00:13:52.000 - 00:16:09.000

Interviewer:: What do tennis players do between tournaments? What hap-I mean, is there a regimen? Do you have a daily program? Do you run? Do you have practices? H, how does it work for a person on the tour? Zina Garrison:: I think basically you go out and practice; some people practice two to three, four hours; and other people do a lotta running. Myself, I practice in the mornin' and the afternoon, the middle of the, in the heat of the day I run to get used to the heat; and I work out in the gym. Interviewer:: What are the gym workouts? Weights, or-? Tell us about that. Zina Garrison:: [laughs] Yeah, basically I've been learnin' to work out with weights, Nautilus and also free weights. I'm doin' a lot of aerobics and stretching and basically the stretching part, I'm tryin' to build up a lot of confidence and concentration. Interviewer:: Most people think because tennis is a pretty safe game, but there is an injury rate in tennis. You can have problems; I think [inaudible] with your legs. Have you, you've experienced some difficulties or, or injuries. What, what causes most of them? Zina Garrison:: I think basically has a lot to do with stress. Sometimes an injury can be caused by stress. Also, a lot of pounding on the body can cause stress, goin' from different surfaces can bring out some of the worst injuries. Recently I've gone through to where I've had a nerve injury in my wrist but other than that, I've also had maybe a thigh injury, but I've been pretty enough fortunate to not have a long line of injuries. Interviewer:: Coming into this tournament, you're, you're getting ready now for the U.S., U.S. Open Tournament, how do you feel about yourself? Are y-, are you in good shape, or have you been in better shape before? Are there things that you would prefer to do between now and the tournament, and not have time to do? What do you feel about being here for this particular tournament? Zina Garrison:: Actually, yesterday I was really excited to come. After you've stayed home a while when you're used to being on the road and playing, then you really wanna go out there and play. So I feel really good at this point; I think that I'm in some of the best shape that I possibly can get in; and fundamental shape is going all right, and I should do pretty well.

00:16:10.000 - 00:18:21.000

Interviewer:: A lot of people have spoken recently about the toll that the tour takes on a lot of the younger players. Have you seen that happen? Zina Garrison:: I've seen it. Actually I wasn't as young as some of the people that have gone through it, but I went through it for about a half a year. It's a differnt type pressure. Coming from the public and maybe your family members are coaching and taken at a young age, a lot of stress can be built up- [laughs] Interviewer:: You got it. Zina Garrison:: I think it's definitely different; comin' in at a young age, you might be able to deal with the pressures on the court, but once you're in the public's eye it's a lot different, because you start to believe that people expect things of you; which, really all you should do is believe in yourself and not really worry about what other people might think that you should be doing. [[production discussion]] Interviewer:: Zina, have you set goals for yourself in this game [inaudible] ? Zina Garrison:: Yes, actually I want to be the best that Zina that can possibly be, and be happy with myself on and off the court. No matter whether people believe that I should be the champion, or whether I'm just maybe, say, two or three in the wall, I think that I should be happy with myself on and off the court. Interviewer:: Is that involve a time frame? Do you think of yourself as playing in five, ten, fifteen years? Have, have you thought about it now? Zina Garrison:: You think about it, but I, I just want to be; stay in really good shape and maybe go to the age of twenty-eight, and who knows what takes from there. That's about seven years from now, but I really don't know. Interviewer:: W, we talked just briefly earlier about your Wimbledon this year, which I thought was very fine- Zina Garrison:: [laughs] Interviewer:: -tournament for you. I was especially thrilled with your match against Martina. Were you as pleased as perhaps some of us who watched the match? [inaudible] watch the tournament [inaudible] . Zina Garrison:: I thought I played well, but I also thought I had a couple chances to win the match and I wasn't really that happy. I thought that I served extremely well, which I've been working on, but I, I thought I missed a lotta easy volleys that could have maybe helped me win the match.

00:18:22.000 - 00:20:46.000

Interviewer:: You also had a very high match against Chris Evert Lloyd earlier in the year, your, really your first major tournament win. Tell us about that match. Zina Garrison:: Well, actually the win over Chris, before I went out, my coach told me that he thought that if I'd ever beat Chris, I'd beat her here, and I felt that way. And even though I was down four-one, I really felt that I can win the match no matter what it took. And I thought I kept my head on really well and played exactly the game plan that we had to play. Interviewer:: Is concentration-I think I hear you saying again and again- Zina Garrison:: [laughs] Interviewer:: -that concentration is the big thing you just really have to get into the game; and for that amount of time, two hours, or two and a half hours, whatever it is, just gotta shut everything else out, and kinda be in that zone where it's just tennis where the court is your whole world- Zina Garrison:: [laughs] Interviewer:: -as Zen players- Zina Garrison:: [laughs] Interviewer:: -perhaps I should say. Is that your experience? Tell me- Camera Crew Member #1:: [inaudible] Interviewer:: Oh. [[cut]] Camera Crew Member #1:: Slate. Camera Crew Member #2:: Take five. Interviewer:: Zina, in so many of the things you've said, I, I keep hearing the concept of concentration, this finding ways to put your mind and really your body into the game, and not allow things to distract you, but when you travel so much, when you're a public figure, when I'm sure people recognize you on the street and want autographs, it seems it must be awfully tough to keep your mind on the game of tennis. How do you do that? Zina Garrison:: I think basically, I've been helped a lot about my family and also my coach to pretty much keep things in perspective and to know where I came from, and I think basically if you know where you came from and where you have to go, you never really p, lose perspective of life. And I think life is b, d, basically tennis. [[slate]] Interviewer:: You, you play singles and doubles, and, for those of us who try to play singles and- Zina Garrison:: [laughs] Interviewer:: -doubles, it always seems to me, is, is the tougher of the two. Is it, is it a different game? Can you describe what, if elements you have to put into your doubles game? Zina Garrison:: Doubles is definitely different, and I haven't really learned the basics of doubles yet. I've been playing now for three years and I'm basically starting to understanding things that you need to do. It's a team sport and you have to learn to work with the other partner whether they're down or up, and they have to do the same to you.

00:20:47.000 - 00:23:36.000

Interviewer:: Martina Navratilova has said that part of a change in her regimen included her change of diet and a number of other things.- Zina Garrison:: [laughs] Interviewer:: -How do you eat [helicopter flies over] properly when you're on the road? I mean you, hotel to hotel, I guess you're staying perhaps in people's homes. How do you manage to maintain a reasonably balanced diet? Do you take things with you, or do you sort of have to depend on [inaudible] . Zina Garrison:: Well, bas, basically anywhere you go, [helicopter flies over] you're gonna be able to find a lot of vegetables and pasta- Interviewer:: Oh, we got- Zina Garrison:: -helicopters. [laughs] [[helicopter flies over]] [[helicopter flies over]] [[cut]] [[camera roll #352]] [[sound roll #351]] Camera Crew Member #1:: Slate. Camera Crew Member #2:: Camera roll three fifty-two, take seven. Interviewer:: Zina, I wonder if you can recall for us some particularly special moments in tennis. Was there a match that you remember; is there a time when you came back from being way down that was especially exciting, thrilling for you? What are some of the things that will stand out always for you in your tennis career? Zina Garrison:: I think basically one that I've come across recently has been against a girl by the name of Molly Van Nostrand that I had in the quarterfinals in Wimbledon this year when I was down six-three-three-love and I came back to win the match. I don't think she won a game after that, and matches like that, they s-tend to build up your confidence a lot. [[slate]] Interviewer:: What happens in a match like that? Do you reach a point where you say, I just gotta dig my heels in and turn this around? I mean, do you just talk yourself- Zina Garrison:: [laughs] Interviewer:: -into changing things? Zina Garrison:: I think basically in that match I just said I was just gonna go for it, and give it all that I got; and I hit a lotta great shots and made shots that I really didn't expect to hit; and it's kinda like you dig down into something that you never thought you really had. Interviewer:: We have to go back and review the injury question because we lost it in the- Zina Garrison:: [laughs] Interviewer:: -in the helicopter flying over. But you've, you've had injuries and you know I'm sure how devastating they can be, not only physically but I'm sure they take a strain on your spirit, knowing that an injury may nag you; it may come back; you may have to change your style in the game. Tell us about the experience that you had. You've had a couple of injuries that have, could have been harmful to you. Zina Garrison:: My first injury, I tore the fibers in my thigh muscle; that's the first one I had. The most recently one I've had, I hit my racket on a nerve in my wrist that damaged the nerve in my wrist, and in both incidents, they make you pretty much depressed because you watch tennis on television and see tournaments you might've should've been in and you get a little depressed, and you kinda really wanna be there but after that, you feel like if you rest a little, maybe it'll get better. And I've been pretty fortunate enough to get better each time.

00:23:37.000 - 00:24:52.000

Interviewer:: Do you feel pressure as you play, particularly in the United States from, I'm gonna say young student black communities across the United States who say, Gosh, here's somebody who's really, really special. [inaudible] What do you say to kids who say, Gee I'd like [helicopter flies over] to be like you or I'd like to be an outstanding tennis player. What do you advise them? What kind of suggestions do you give to them? Zina Garrison:: Well, actually, I really love kids and I really like to talk to kids, and I always tell them that make sure that that's exactly what they wanna do, and not maybe what someone wanna, someone else might want them to do, because they'll never really be happy with themselves; and also, I basically tell them to really go for it and give it everything they ha, have, if that's what they want to do. [[helicopter flies over]] Interviewer:: One final question and then we'll let you- Zina Garrison:: [laughs] Interviewer:: -go. How would you complete the sentence, and use these words if you will. How would you complete the sentence, To be a champion. Zina Garrison:: I would complete the sentence by saying, To be a champion, you have to be self-motivated, definitely. I think there's something that has to be in you; it's not something someone else can put into you. Camera Crew Member #1:: Cut. [[cut]] [[end of interview]]