"Spencer, how does it feel being only three matches away from another championship final?"

"I’m trying not to think about it."

"You’ve drawn Elena Dementieva in the quarter-finals. She’s got an oh-for-five record against you. Does that boost your confidence?"

"Elena’s a strong player, and very tough. I’d never go into a match with her overconfident."

Her hands folded loosely, Spencer sat behind the table facing the lights and reporters. The microphone in front of her picked up her calm, steady voice and carried it to the rear of the room. She wore her old team tennis jacket with loose warm-up pants and court shoes. Around her face her hair curled damply. They’d barely given her time to shower after her most recent win at Forest Hills before scheduling the impromptu press conference. The cameras were rolling, taping her every movement, recording every expression. One of the print reporters quickly scribbled down that she wore no jewelry or lipstick.

"Did you expect your comeback to be this successful?"

Spencer gave a lightning-fast grin—here then gone—something she would never have done for the press even two months before. "I trained hard," she said simply.

"Do you still lift weights?"

"Every day."

"Have you changed your style this turn around?"

"I think I’ve tightened a few things up." She relaxed, considering. Of all the people in the room, only Spencer was aware that her outlook toward the press had changed. There was no tightness in her throat as she spoke. No warning signals flashing in her brain. "Improved my serve particularly," she continued. "My percentage of aces and service winners is much higher than it was three or four years ago."

"How often did you play during your retirement?"

"Not often enough."

"Will your mother be coaching you again?"

Her hesitation was almost too brief to be measured. "Not officially," she replied evasively.

"Have you decided to accept the offer of a layout in Sports Illustrated?"

Spencer tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "News travels fast." Laughter scattered around the room. "I haven’t really decided," she continued. "At the moment I’m more concerned with the tournament."