K.CLIJSTERS/A.Ivanovic
62 61


Q. Despite the loss today, how would you rate your overall performance in the Open this year?

ANA IVANOVIC: Speaking beside this match today, I think I played really well. I probably played better than I expected, considering, you know, the circumstances and everything and how much, you know, I practiced beforehand.

But, yeah, so that's -- I'm very pleased with that overall.

Q. Are you beginning to get the feel again?

ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, I definitely do. I was feeling really good in the court, and, you know, just swinging through, and, you know, hitting my favorite shots again.

You know, today I was just a little bit, you know, slow. I think nerves crept in, yeah.

Q. What were you nervous about?

ANA IVANOVIC: I don't know. Just felt like, you know, I was on the big stage again. I didn't have that feeling for a long time. You know, lots of kind of emotions came back, and I felt just a little slow and just a little bit, you know, out of it.

But she played well. I had my opportunities in the beginning that I didn't convert, so that was a little bit disappointing.


Q. But you've been on the big stage before, so you got on this morning and thought, Maybe I'm just not quite ready for this moment yet?

ANA IVANOVIC: Um, yeah, in some way a little bit, I felt like that. I just had some doubts a little bit, you know, just, you know, whether I can last a tough match.

But it's still, you know, kind of a process, and I made big steps. You know, it is disappointing in the way I kind of played today. But still, I had a really good week. You know, I probably got further than I expected to in the first place, so I'm really happy about that.

Q. Has it given you a flavor to want to be on the big stage? Does it give you the appetite to drive, to get yourself further to where you want to be again?

ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, it does. It definitely does. Actually, you practice and work hard for these kind of matches, you know, to be in a position to play against top players in a big stadium and big moment.

You know, that was in some ways a nice feeling. You know, that's what I want to work hard towards achieving, playing more of these matches, you know, and putting myself in a position to do so.

So I'm really -- you know, kind of last couple of tournaments gave me, you know, incentive to work harder and to get ready for these kind of matches.

Q. Have you ever looked at a tape of the French Open when you won it just to sort of see what you were doing then? When you were having problems, and see if you could figure out something you could change?

ANA IVANOVIC: Not really. I saw, you know, a few bits and pieces on YouTube, and never like the whole match. Yeah, I just felt like I was really consistent, you know, and I was doing everything solid.

You know, sometimes still I pull trigger too early. But, you know, I feel like I'm doing the right things, and I'm playing a lot better.

You know, I just have to be positive and don't let this match today set me back.

Q. If you had played this match on a back court with no one watching as well as you've been playing the last three matches, if it wasn't on the big stage, do you think it might have been different?

ANA IVANOVIC: Could have been. It's hard to say. Probably if it was not wind, maybe it would be different on the center court, as well. But that definitely didn't help.

Like I said, I felt my intensity was really low. Obviously my footwork went, and on the gusty conditions you need your feet. That's what was lacking today.

Q. How would you assess Clijsters' chances of winning it all?

ANA IVANOVIC: She has really good chances. She's playing really well. She lifts her game up when it's tight situation and when it's close and when she needs it. That's what all the big champions do. I think she has really good chance of doing well again.

Q. Maybe you don't know, but in Russia you have a lot of fans. What do you think about Russian tennis? Maybe you have any Russian friends in the locker room?

ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, you know, I played doubles with Maria Kirilenko a few years back. We're still friends. There's lot of players doing so well, and it's great to see. You know, it brings a lot more competition.

Q. What would make you happy at the end of the year after the Championships is over? What would satisfy you?

ANA IVANOVIC: Ranking-wise or...

Q. Anything.

ANA IVANOVIC: You know, I really try not to look so much at the rankings. You know, I still have few tournaments to go. I'll go to Asia a little bit early. You know, to actually win a title would be nice, because I really feel, you know, I'm actually in a position to do so, because I've been playing really good and have been playing a lot of matches after each other. So I really think I can do it. That would be nice.

Q. You were No. 1; then the tumble. Were you saying to yourself, This can't possibly be happening? What's wrong? Were you questioning yourself?

ANA IVANOVIC: It's tough. You do question a lot of things. You know, you doubt certain things. But I've been really lucky with people around me. Many times they believed in me more than I believed in myself, and many times they would help me get through a tough time.

Also, sponsors, they stuck with me. That gives you confidence. I know I have a game that it's, you know, kind of the future of tennis, a powerful game. I just had to work hard and to, you know, to stay focused on what I have to do to get back to the top.

Q. What were your problems with your belief, your self-belief?

ANA IVANOVIC: Well, you obviously doubt if you lose a lot. That's the way it goes.

You know, it's just, you know, whether I have in me, you know, to win big matches. You know, I proved -- I beat a lot of top 10 players this year, even more than other players did.

Just, you know, because of my poor performance in other tournaments it doesn't seem that way, but I know I have a game to compete with the top and to be the top.

Q. Is this the happiest you've been? You seem not that disappointed considering, you know, you went out today. Is this the happiest you've felt on court playing tennis for a long, long time?

ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, it definitely does. I do feel really happy about, you know, my game and everything. I'm a little bit disappointed about the way I played today.

But like I said, you know, there were lots of things happening, you know, with lots of stress about, you know, whether I was gonna play or not. I just tried to hold these emotions, and I just felt today I kind of relaxed a little bit, because I also didn't have anything to lose. It all kind of came crashing down.

I really lost my way a little bit. That's disappointing; but overall, I'm just very happy about where my game's heading and the way I've been working and practicing.


(via ASAP Sports)

US Open 2010: Ana Ivanovic's 05. September Interview