D. SAFINA/V. Diatchenko
6‑1, 6‑1


Q. Two matches, two games.
DINARA SAFINA: Yeah, pretty good start for the tournament. I think last year was a little bit different.

Q. Talk about your level out there. Everything is clicking? What's happening?
DINARA SAFINA: Well, I think I just played good game today,good enough to win.
She's still young, and she's ‑‑ I think she respects me too much.

Q. Did you already have a chat with your coach? Was he happy?
DINARA SAFINA: If one day he's going to be happy, I think I'll finish my career. He's never happy. Even today, he's not happy.

Q. You seem extremely fit physically. How do you rate your fitness level? What kind of effort did you put in to get so well in shape?
DINARA SAFINA: Well, I just ‑‑ I don't know. I'm doing the basic things. Not much. Once the tournament starts, of course, you cannot do much, because you just have to stay in shape. So I do little exercises just to be fresh and quick.

Q. Your next opponent will be Pavlyuchenkova. Can you talk to us about her? What do you know about her? How you feel about that?
DINARA SAFINA: I mean, she's having great results this year. She's playing great, and it's not going to be easy match. We never played each other, never practiced. It's going to be exciting, and I'm looking forward to play against her.


Q. In Australia, you said during the early rounds you were making a lot of mistakes and almost fighting against yourself in your head. What's different now, a few months later? Are you just feeling more comfortable, or why are you playing so much better now?
DINARA SAFINA: Well, you know, it's always tough at the beginning of the season. Some people,they're playing straight, their best tennis. Some people need some matches, some tournaments, few months to get everything out after off‑season.
For me, it was more after a great season that I had last year to start playing again great. So I think just needed few tournaments, and with every tournament I started to feel better and better. Of course, it helped me to win two titles,and I just started to play better and better.

Q. It's probably a little far to look ahead to your quarterfinal opponent.
DINARA SAFINA: That is too far.

Q. But, I mean, you and Ana played in the final last year...
DINARA SAFINA: We both have to still get to there.

Q. You both seem to ‑‑ you seemed to take that success and it really helped your career, and she struggled more. Why do you think you've taken different paths since that final?
DINARA SAFINA: I cannot talk for her. I can think just ‑‑ I can only talk about myself. I don't know. After the final, actually, after the two tournaments, Berlin,French Open, I started just to believe much more in myself.
You know, I didn't go away from my routine. And for my team, I always have the same team. Okay, I changed the fitness coach, but overall, the same tennis coach. That's helped me.
I don't know if she had a tennis coach at that time. I know that Sven was helping her, so it was not really her coach. He was not fully with her, as I know. But I always have a coach with me, so this is a little bit different situation I have.

Q. Do you feel that she's capable of winning this tournament?
DINARA SAFINA: For what I am here?

Q. What's that?
DINARA SAFINA: For what I am here? I mean, you are telling me she can win this tournament, and for what I'm sitting here? I guess I also want to win the...

Q. Sure, but you were the finalist last year and she was the winner, so...
DINARA SAFINA: I don't know. We'll see.


(via www.rolandgarros.com, photo/Getty Images)

Dinara Safina - Roland Garros 27. May Interview