2008 Australian Open - Quotes from the Interview Room Week Two
Selected comments from the players at the 2008 Australian Open…
Talking about entering a Grand Slam as a top seed versus being a lower-ranked player…VENUS WILLIAMS: Personally, of course, I love being a top‑ranked player. Being a floater is kind of fun, too. I enjoy that. I enjoy kind of the early matchups. It's pretty exciting for me. There's something about it for me that I love. I think Serena feels the same exact way. But, of course, I do enjoy being higher ranked. That's obviously where I feel like I belong, in the top 10.
Discussing which made him happier – reaching the quarters or his beloved NY Giants reaching the Super Bowl…
JAMES BLAKE: Let's see. It's been longer since the Giants made the finals, but selfishly I've got to say me making the quarterfinals. But I think it still would have been a good day if the Giants had lost and I had won. Either way, it's even better. I like it.
Discussing (before he played Federer in the quarters) how he’d feel if he never beats a top player such as Federer during his career…
JAMES BLAKE: I'm already so proud of my career that I won't worry about it at all. I mean, to have been at a point once where a doctor laughed at my idea of being a pro tennis player to being in a situation in 2004 of them telling me I'm probably never going to play again, to be in the second week of a Grand Slam at all is something impressive. To be a five-foot-tall, 16-year-old kid that was about 95 pounds, had no even dreams of playing pro tennis, to be in the second week of a slam is something I'm unbelievably proud of, the fact that I kept working as hard as I did to get here. And if my talent isn't good enough to get through the Roger Federers or whoever else, Andre Agassis who have beaten me in second weeks, I'll still hold my head high and say I'm proud of what I did, I'm proud of pushing them as hard as I did and being a part of these great tournaments. I think I still have a newspaper clipping of when I was about 12 or 13 years old, when I was -- I think I was the Athlete of the Week in the Connecticut Post. It said in there that my dream is to play in the US Open. Not to win a round, not to get to the second week, not to win, it was just to play in it. I've surpassed that a little bit now. A lot of people would think that every time this happens it seems normal to me now. Every time I walk out on Arthur Ashe stadium it doesn't seem normal. It seems like I'm still living a dream. I'm so happy and proud to be there. I know how much sacrifice has gone into it and how hard I've worked. I don't ever want to lose that feeling of it being abnormal. I know how abnormal my job is. I know how surreal my life is. I know how lucky I am to be here. I will never hold my head down low and say that I didn't accomplish everything I set out to do, or I'm not proud of the way I competed, because I've competed as hard as I possibly can. I've sacrificed everything I feel like I've needed to sacrifice. I've done all the work. It's just a matter of if my talent will take me there and if I'll be able to execute my best tennis at the right times. I'm hopefully going to do that on Wednesday. But if I don't, I might be a little upset, but I'll walk out of here with my head held high.
Talking about his work with coach, Tony Roche…LLEYTON HEWITT: … You know, you can do a lot on the practice court. But, you know, to make that transition from the practice court to the match court, it's never going to happen overnight, especially against these kind of players: Baghdatis, Djokovic, Federer, these top-quality opponents. So, yeah, there were patches out there tonight that I was pretty happy with. There was other stuff I think I could have done a lot better as well. So, you know, you go back to the drawing board, take the positives out of it, and there's still things to work on, which is a good thing, as well.
Talking about his approach to playing on hard courts…RAFAEL NADAL: I have to continue to play more aggressive, no? I -- I need start good the matches, like the match before against Mathieu, no? More aggressive, trying to go inside the court and trying to do the point with the forehand. Because I am touching perfect the forehand. So sometimes I play like this with my forehand, so it's easy to understand I'm a little bit more behind. But right now I have to go inside because I am touching very good the ball with the forehand, and I have to do for this in the semifinals if I want to win. And for sure everybody tell me you have to play more aggressive in hardcourt. You have to serve better. I am trying. I am working very hard always. This is what I do in practice. When I say a lot, it's a lot. Well, with my uncle -- well, sure, my uncle always repeat me the same: Go inside. Don't lose court. Don't go behind the line. I'm working very hard on this.
Discussing whether she was nervous in the final game of her match (which she won) against Serena Williams…JELENA JANKOVIC: I did get shaky actually after the match. I went to her chair; I was so lost. I was like, I didn't even know where I am now. I was so shaking. Then I got to match point, and I was like hold the racquet in your hand and just try to hit it, you know, just go through the shot. Somehow I won that point, and it was amazing.
Talking about how she felt during her loss to Jelena Jankovic…SERENA WILLIAMS: I wasn't moving the way I wanted to and the way I was in the previous rounds, but I was -- and I wasn't able to serve the way I wanted to, so I think maybe that could have affected my serve, at least. But I think Jelena played some good tennis and she hung in there.
Talking about her loss to Maria Sharapova…JUSTINE HENIN: …she did her match. She played very high level of tennis. I have to agree with that. So she started the match much better than me. I came back, but I wasn't good enough. She just did everything better than me today. And she served consistent and she's been much more aggressive and looked like it was her day and probably her tournament, so she -- she's in great shape... I think that I have no excuse. You know, she won the match. She's been the best. I can tell I wasn't at my best level, and that's for sure. But the story is she won the match, and I'm going back home now. So it's kind of a disappointment for sure. It's very hard to be at your best level all the time, and I'll have to think about that and build again for the future… I think that I haven't been aggressive enough. I haven't taken the opportunities. And, yeah, it's kind of the day that happens sometimes. She did put on me a lot of pressure. I knew I had to play my best level, and I wasn't today. So that's tough to accept, but you have to.
Talking about whether Rafael Nadal is different from other players…JO-WILFRIED TSONGA: Yes, maybe, but he has two arms and two legs like me, so we will see on the court.
Talking about her approach in playing Justine Henin…MARIA SHARAPOVA: …I had to be aggressive. When I'm playing well, that's what I do. I'm not a passive player. I don't want to -- I don't want to lose the match by giving my opponent an opportunity to miss shots. I want to be the one that's forcing their errors. I did a really good job of that today.
Discussing how much she focuses on her opponent versus her own game…MARIA SHARAPOVA: I guess. I don't know. I try not to -- I really -- I personally, when I'm out on the court I try not to worry about what my opponent is doing out there. Like if she's -- I mean, if she's hitting backhands to the fence one after the other, I mean, it's logical that you want to hit there all the time. But we're playing -- I mean, this is not junior tennis anymore. This is professional tennis. It's not like one shot is going to be so terrible. I mean, everyone's playing at a high level. Yeah, before the match you might have some ideas on things you want to do in the match or what you want to accomplish and what you feel will help you win the match. But during the match, personally I'm all about instinct. I love playing by instinct. If I come into a match thinking, You have to hit two volleys to the forehand and then go to the backhand, I mean, I'm screwed, completely screwed.
Talking about learning to be more patient…MARIA SHARAPOVA: I'm not patient on and off the court. I'm -- forget about it. I don't know. That's -- that's just the way I am. But you learn, you know. You learn -- there are not many things you can do off the court that are going to make you more patient on the court. I think maybe losses teach you. When you lose certain matches where you come off the match and think, I wasn't patient enough or, I didn't make my opponent work hard enough, that teaches you. But, I mean, what else is there that's going to teach you to be more patient? … But I think that also comes from experience and playing matches and winning -- winning certain matches and coming back from behind and realizing during the match what you have to do better. Experience is just -- it's amazing how much confidence that can give you in a certain match, and that teaches you patience, and all those things.
Discussing how he approaches matches…ROGER FEDERER: Well, look, I usually concentrate on my own game. That's what's happened over the last few years. And I go a lot with my feeling throughout the match. If I need to adjust something, I'll do that during the match, to play more aggressive or more defensive, playing counter-punching. You can always decide during the match. I used to concentrate much more when I was younger, my opponent, where does he serve, what is his better wing. Right now it's all automatic. I don't actually have to necessarily change my game a whole lot. Obviously with Rafa it always changes because he's a lefty. But that's the only difference. He's a lefty. You have to adjust a little more where you serve, where you attack. That's not because it's him; it's against any lefty like that.
Discussing why experience matters…ROGER FEDERER: No, I think experience can be a benefit, you know. Knowing, having been there, not getting so nervous anymore. I remember when I made my first Grand Slam semifinals or my finals, I was so nervous, you know, back in 2003. And now it's been so many that it's almost become some sort of a routine for me. That's helped me a great deal being able to cope with those moments. For instance obviously with Tsonga, it's a totally new situation, whereas Rafa has been there. So he's, in my point of view, obviously experienced. I was obviously also joking a little bit. Novak has been there four times in a row, as well. First time at the Australian Open. And it's a different situation, and maybe they blink a little bit in those important moments, whereas maybe usually they wouldn't.
Responding to whether she thinks the “Williams era” is ending…
VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, there's been a lot of talk every single year. I think what's important to me is what goes on in my head. I've been a champion. I have full expectations and aspirations to continue to play high-quality tennis and to continue to be a champion. And I think Serena and I, we don't have anything to prove. We get out there and we play our best. I think the way we're playing still maintains what other women are doing in tennis. So I think we still set a very high standard. Players are still playing very well. Everyone's improving. I don't get too caught up in what the next person thinks.
Discussing building tennis centers in Serbia…NOVAK DJOKOVIC: There is two stories. One is that country is trying to build up a national tennis center. And the other story is that family, my family and me, we're trying to build up our own national tennis center. So we want to build up a tennis center. This is -- this was one of our -- my lifetime goals, really, because I love tennis, and I really would like to have many facilities, professional facilities, for my brothers and for all the kids and in the end for me, because everybody wants to spend more time at home.
Discussing how the match slipped away from her and she ended up losing to Ana Ivanovic…DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Good question. If I knew that I think I would have changed it while I was still on the court. You know, that's tennis. Sometimes you can do I think all the right things, all the best things. Maybe you just need a little more luck to get through. Honestly I thought I was very close. I had a great opportunity but it just didn't happen for me today… Yeah, it's tough. It's very disappointing at the moment, but I think with days to come, I think I will go back and look at the tournament as a very positive thing. I think it gives me a lot of hope for the whole year. I think I proved once again, myself, that if I play my game I can beat anybody. Just a matter of doing it for the whole match.
Commenting on the noise her sneakers make when she moves her feet as she waits to return serve…ANA IVANOVIC: …If you see other matches I was doing exactly the same thing. It's just the way these courts play. And if you listen to the guys I think they're doing the same thing. You know, I just tried to move my feet, to return the ball, so it really was not intentional.
Describing her attitude and feelings about her game since last year…ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, definitely I felt like different player since, for example, US Open last year. I felt much more experience. I was -- I felt fitter also, and obviously injury-free. And, you know, match by match I had feeling I was raising my form and I was playing better and better, so it's something that gives lots of confidence. So, you know, now I'm starting to believe I'm one of the top players, and I think that's the biggest difference in my game. And, also, when I'm out on the court, you know, I just believe I can beat anyone, and that's, I think, a big step for me.
Discussing her preparation for the Australian Open…MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well I think it kind of started in Madrid. I came off a really good performance, and I -- most importantly, I just, before Madrid, I was very close to just saying, you know, this was a pretty difficult year. I needed to go to Ireland and just get my mind off things, and get healthy no matter how long it took. But I kept working, and although I had so many setbacks, it never really crossed my mind to just put down my racquet. Because after a few days off when I couldn't play because of the injury I'd miss it so much, and sometimes you just -- you forget how lucky you are to be able to go out on the court and really do what you love to do. And do it well, as well. Just that feeling of hitting the ball and running and hitting again, and I really missed that because I didn't get a chance to do that for most of the year because I had so many of those setbacks. And before Madrid, I just said, Look, I'm feeling pretty good. It was like a week before the tournament. I'm just going to go there and give it a chance. I did, and I didn't really expect too much from myself that week, and I really played great tennis. I felt like a lot of things had come together, and the off-season was great. I was able to work on the court; I played a lot of tennis; I had some fun times; I had a great holiday with my friends and family. You have your bad moments in your career and you have your good moments, and it's been, you know, it's been a good ride so far. But it's not over yet.
Talking about her mom…MARIA SHARAPOVA: My mom is just -- she brings such good energy and positive chi into myself and all the people that are around her. She's a very quiet and intelligent woman that, you know, that just is happy with life, with her life, you know, is happy for me. You know, both of my parents sacrificed so much in their life to get me where I am today. You know, and my mom was very keen on keeping me educated and, you know, when I -- when she came to the United States after -- I didn't see her for a couple of years. She just -- she kept working me on my Russian essays and she made me read. She's like, You didn't do this for two years. I can tell. And she's the one that always takes me to museums. She knows when this exhibition is going on. She'll take me to the musicals. She's a very wonderful woman… She has before. When I played juniors, she went to some tournaments. But it's -- it's one of those things I feel like if she did travel around I would really feel like I'm taking her life away from her, because I -- I mean, it's wonderful having one parent around you that knows you best. I mean, apart from my dad I also have Michael, who I've known since I was 10 years old. The people around me I can trust and believe in because they've been with me since I was young, before all of my success. But my mom, my mom takes care of, you know, all the things at home, and she looks after both of my hoists (houses?), and, you know, she just -- she does all my fan mail and all that, you know.
Talking about winning their first Grand Slam title in women’s doubles…ALONA BONDARENKO: We don't know yet.
KATERYNA BONDARENKO: Yeah, probably not really know yet that we won a Grand Slam. I mean, we know, but --
ALONA BONDARENKO: -- we don't understand it.
KATERYNA BONDARENKO: Yeah, not realizing.
Discussing dealing with pressure and what he learned from previous matches against Federer…NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, yes, that was one of the positive facts, I think, in tonight's match. I was able to deal with the pressure in the best possible way. And if you do that against the best player in the world, you know, you should get the positive outcome, which resulted of course with the win tonight. I'm very happy that in crucial moments my serve was serving me, and it was probably my best element in the game tonight in the important moments. So it is a positive thing for the future… As I was saying before, you know, you always learn something from the matches against Federer or Nadal or whoever you play. And obviously everybody was trying to figure out the way they can win against Roger. I knew that I have to believe in myself on the first place, and I have to be positive on the court, not nervous, just to stay with him all the time, and be aggressive. That's what I did tonight. You know, I showed some impressive tennis throughout all these two weeks, but I'm very, very especially happy with my performance tonight.
Discussing his loss to Novak Djokovic…ROGER FEDERER: Well, it was a tough match, I thought. You know, a lot of ups and downs, like the usual matches we have actually against each other. It always comes and goes. But I think he made the more important points today. It was a bit unfortunate for me, but he did play well and served really well when he had to… Well, like I said, the second set he started just unloading. You know, that's not usually what he does. He can, obviously, and play aggressive. But, you know, not on every shot. The way he played, he picked up every serve. It was fantastic, you know. He did play great. Like I said, it cost me the match, maybe not serving it out the first set. That's what happens sometimes when you don't take your chances early on: you'll pay the price later on. That's what happened for me against Tipsarevic almost. I just got out of that one. Definitely didn't play my best on big points. That's been sort of something that's stuck with me throughout the championships maybe. But, look, it happens. I've done it so many times it went my way. It's okay. Unfortunately it goes the other way, too, sometimes.
Talking about her mom…ANA IVANOVIC: No, it's like mother, daughter and friend, because she's like my best friend, too. It's so important to have her on the road with me because it's already a few years now that she travels. If she wouldn't be with me, it would be much harder. You know, it's hard enough already being so much away from the rest of my family. So, you know, whenever I go back, I have someone to talk, not only in my mother language, but also to ask for advice. Because who can give you more honest advice than your mom? It's such a great thing to have her there. And she's also my biggest supporter. You know, she never really, you know, beat me up or gets upset on me (laughter). So it's great because I feel like she understands me.
Comparing her second appearance in a Grand Slam final at the 2008 Australian Open to her first appearance at Roland Garros in 2007…ANA IVANOVIC: It was definitely a better experience. I won more games. It's a little bit disappointing because I thought I had a lot of chances in that first set but didn't use them. But, you know, still, it's a learning experience for me. I fought hard, you know. I just felt a little bit let down with my forehand, made some big mistakes in crucial moments. So, you know, that wasn't something I was hoping for. But, still, she played well and she had a great tournament.
Talking about winning Israel’s first Grand Slam title in the Men’s Doubles…ANDY RAM: It's an unbelievable moment. It's a great, great moment for us. I won two Grand Slams in mixed. This happiness, I mean, it's not even close to what I had during Wimbledon 2006 or French 2007. This is way over the expectations. I mean, winning with one of my best friends, partner for years.
JONATHAN ERLICH: I thought I'm your best friend (smiling).
ANDY RAM: We are like a family. We're like brothers. We have a couple of tennis players in Israel, like four or five guys, we're really good friends. And that's it. I mean, so happy to be the first Israelis. We made history today. Very happy for both of us. We believed we could win the Grand Slam title. We really believed in this. And we were talking about it a lot in the press in Israel and all over the world. We believe we are one of the best teams in the world, especially today when a lot of teams change. It's a great day for us, for our family, for Israel, for everybody.
Discussing her feelings after winning the Australian Open title…MARIA SHARAPOVA: So exciting. Uhm, I don't know. It's amazing. You know, sometimes you just -- when you're putting the work in it just seems so, so hard, and you never know when that work's gonna pay off. When you're going through tough moments, you never know when you're going to have good moments. I'm just so thankful that I got this one.
Talking about whether experience helped her win in the finals…MARIA SHARAPOVA: I don't know, because when you're -- going into the match, I mean, I certainly wasn't thinking about the Grand Slams that I've won before. I was just really concentrated on the current match, on my opponent, on the things I had to do in order to beat her today rather than thinking what I've done in the past. You know, yes, when I was down Love-30 on my serve, when she had that opportunity to break me and win that set, I think experience definitely helped me because I didn't get -- you know, I didn't get impatient. I was just steady. I knew that, you know, it was for her to take. I mean, she's two points away from winning the first set in a Grand Slam final. You know, if you want it, take it. And she didn't. You know, was that experience? You know, I was just calm. I just did the right things.
Talking about how she got to know Billie Jean King…MARIA SHARAPOVA: It's interesting. I think the first time I met her was when I was playing a junior tournament in Roehampton when I was 13 or 14 years old. I remember her coming to both of my parents and myself and just having a normal conversation, like, Hello, how are you? How is everything going? How is your training? I was like, Whoa. That's pretty amazing. Billie Jean King just came up to us. From that point on, she's just always been, you know, really supportive. I actually don't see her that often, apart from World TeamTennis and some of the Grand Slams that she comes to. But, you know, she's always one of the first people to text me when either I'm having a tough moment or a great win. It's wonderful because she's just done so much for the game and such a great supporter of the sport. You know, to spend whatever it is, a minute of her life sending me a text, is wonderful, you know, wishing me the best.
Describing his feelings after losing the Men’s final…JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Lot of things. I'm very proud of myself. I'm happy for Novak, because he played unbelievable today. I don't know if I have to be sad or happy of this final, but I feel great.
Describing the feeling of being a Grand Slam champion…NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It's probably undescribable feeling, something that I always dreamed of, of course. I think every player dreams about winning a Grand Slam, whatever. And, you know, it's something special. It's a special event. It's two weeks long, all the best players in the world playing. Then you come up in the end as a champion, you know, only one guy to win the tournament. I mean, I'm still not aware of the big achievement I have had in these two weeks. I'm very proud of myself, of course. And, of course, the support of my family and everybody who's been with me in these two weeks has been very important to me. So right now I feel kind of relieved because I've played at least the semifinals in every Grand Slam in last year, and I was pretty close in US Open. So probably today I was a bit nervous on the start 'cause I found myself in the strange situation: that I am the favorite in the finals of a Grand Slam, which is not usual for me. So it was dangerous, but I managed to cope with the pressure well and to win.
Describing what the difference was in this Grand Slam final which he won…NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I didn't play Roger (smiling). Well, you know, as I said, it was kind of strange feeling to get into the match as the favorite. As I was saying in the preconference, it's always dangerous to play against the underdog, the player who doesn't have really anything to lose. He was really aggressive, going for the shots since the start. That's where I really needed to calm down and really try to keep my focus. And obviously playing in a Grand Slam final in US Open gave me a lot of experience which I used today, I think. In these crucial moments I was being probably more patient and more focused, so I think that's one of the turning points.
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