K. DATE‑KRUMM/D. Safina
3‑6, 6‑4, 7‑5

Q. Difficult defeat today? Can you tell us how you felt physically in the match?
DINARA SAFINA: Well, physically I was feeling better than her, I guess, because she was the one who first started to cramp.
But that's it.

Q. You were struggling with your serve. Is that part of your back problem?
DINARA SAFINA: One part, yeah, because I couldn't work on my serve for ‑‑ I mean, until I came here, basically. And the other part is ‑‑ first I thought I was doing pretty good, but then I lost ‑‑ I got tight and I lost the motion.
I started to basically just I got tight and the serve started to make more double faults.

Q. What did you know about Kimiko, your opponent, before the match? And second question is what do you think makes her tough to play?
DINARA SAFINA: Well, she's ‑‑ unfortunately, I never seen her play ‑‑ I knew how she's playing because I saw her practicing and something like this. It's tough to say.
First set I was pretty dominant. Second set I was up a break. Third set I was 4‑1 double break up. I should have close it in two sets. She plays aggressive. That's it. She takes the ball early. She plays little bit different. She plays pretty flat.


Q. So I know you haven't been playing that much, but why did you get tight, necessarily, when maybe your expectation was not to do so great here, given that you just came back to the tour?
DINARA SAFINA: I mean, of course you want to win, and especially I saw her, she's cramping. Then I just started to look at her instead of thinking what I was doing until 4‑1.
And then I just ‑‑ I was more thinking about her than about myself, what I had to do. I lost the momentum.
At least I started to play a little bit better. I just immediately get tight.

Q. Was it because this tournament is so important to you, or just because you don't feel that comfortable yet because you're back on tour and you're not sure about your shots?
DINARA SAFINA: More because I didn't play much, you know. So, yeah. That's it.

Q. You separated with your coach, I hear. You want to talk a little bit about that? I know he was important to you.
DINARA SAFINA: Yeah. After Madrid I took a decision to stop. I mean, definitely he did the best job than everybody could make with me. He brought me to No. 1 in the world. I mean, not him. Together we came together to No. 1.
But I decided that I wanted to stop, and that's it. I won't say anything.

Q. Was it getting too intense or...
DINARA SAFINA: I don't want to comment anything else.

Q. Maybe another voice...
DINARA SAFINA: I don't want to comment more than this.

Q. So it's difficult for you today, but are you optimistic long‑term for your future?
DINARA SAFINA: Yeah. You know, I am for sure I will not give up. You know, I will have to swallow this loss and keep on moving. I mean, there is nothing more than this, you know.
I was in the worst situations, and I mean, that's life. After rain, always sun comes. I will do my best.

Q. Do you think can you get back to No. 1?
DINARA SAFINA: I don't want to think about this. First I would like to go, to start to play my game, and then I will think about the ranking.
If I start to play my game, the ranking will take care of itself.

Q. Talking about your new coach, are you going to work with Argentine Gastón Etlis? And if it's right, what do you expect about that?
DINARA SAFINA: Well, it's the first tournament. I mean, he's the fourth day here. So I don't know. I don't have ‑‑ I just want to ‑‑ there's not much to say. What can I say? We just met each other, so let's see after a while how it's gonna go.
I'm pretty happy, and that's the most important.

Q. How did you start your collaboration with him? How did you decide?
DINARA SAFINA: Well, after Madrid, Hernan Gumy was helping me a little bit. And he said like, Well, if you want to try, try with him. And that's how we ‑‑ because I had the coach from men's tour already, I wanted the coach from the female tour. So that's how we started.

Q. He was a double player, so does that mean something in your game in the future? I mean, especially to improve your attacks or...
DINARA SAFINA: I mean, if the guy understands, that's the most important thing. He was double player, swimmer, ballet dancer. But if he understand tennis, I mean, it doesn't matter.
On the female tour there is many who didn't even touch the racquet and they're coaches. But they just ‑‑ the person has to understand the game.


(via Roland Garros)

Roland Garros 2010: Dinara Safina's 25. May Interview