Li Na
| Q. Her weapon seemed to be the slice backhand. What did you do to counter that?VICTORIA AZARENKA: I practiced yesterday. (Laughter.)
I practiced yesterday for that. She has a really, you know, deep slice and it’s a little bit tricky. It took me first few shots to kind of adjust and feel her ball, but, you know, I had to stay aggressive and not to let her try to command me with that shot.
Q. Jie Zheng in the next round. VICTORIA AZARENKA: Okay.  I didn’t know that.
Q. Would you describe shopping as your hobby? VICTORIA AZARENKA: No. Not hobby. I think it’s something that every girl enjoys to do when they’re in a good mood, but mostly when they’re in a bad mood, I would say. (Laughter.) It’s just something ‑‑ for me, it’s when I have free time, which I don’t have a lot, I can do something. You know, I like to shop. I like to look at things around. I like to buy gifts most of the times. MALLORY BURDETTE: Yes, as of now, I am going back in the fall.
Q. This doesn’t change? MALLORY BURDETTE: No, not as of right now.
Q. Even the money? Even leaving the money on the table? MALLORY BURDETTE: I have already checked the amateur box, so if I know correctly, you can’t go back once the tournament starts. So it’s done.
Q. You aren’t even going to look at what you could have won today? MALLORY BURDETTE: No.
Q. Even without Andrew Luck you’re actually going to go back to Stanford? MALLORY BURDETTE: Yes.
Q. You have had great results in the other three Grand Slams. Does that give you confidence here at the US Open? PETRA KVITOVA: I think for me it’s always the worst Grand Slam here. I will try to improve my result from, I don’t know, 2009 or what was it. I know I played well in the Grand Slams, and I hope I can play well. Who knows?
Q. What is the reason you think this has not been the easiest for you? PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, I think so. I mean, for me, it’s tough to breathe here and to moving and be really ready. It’s really not very help me.
Q. You were saying the other day you’re feeling more comfortable this year than you have in the past on American hard courts. Is that feeling continuing? NA LI: I mean, like you say, today is another story. Yeah, I mean, I was feeling like first set was okay, like normal. But after first set, I was follow the rhythm of her. I was follow her, what she does on the court. Suddenly 4‑Love down, I was feeling, What happened? One second, 4‑Love down already. (Snapping fingers.) I was like, Okay, don’t think about how is score. Just try to keep going. If I lose second set, it’s still like one set all. I still have chance.
Q. You’re happy with the way you were able to get out of trouble? NA LI: I mean, I sure happy I still in the tournament. I didn’t play best tennis today. At least I can stay in New York. I don’t need fly back to China, yeah.
After you were on the court after you won the French Open not playing well, were you actually thinking about things off the court, getting your picture taken, or I have to go do a commercial? Why did it distract you so much? NA LI: I’m not movie star. I’m athlete. I have to do good job on the tennis court. So I was feeling if I can’t doing well, why the sponsor should come for me? They can come for another athlete. I really wanted to do well, but sometimes didn’t work. I think I was make a lot ‑ how you say ‑ pressure for myself. I was feeling after I win a Grand Slam, against some player, face to face, they are feeling they nothing to lose. They come to court, boom, boom. Suddenly I’m losing match so easily. It’s not still strong in mind.
Q. Will you drink if you win the next round? NA LI: Fortunately I not do the same. Maybe a couple of the beer, but not all the time. But for me I was feeling it was very tough match. I think it’s tough ever. If Kim’s win today, I mean, she’s very like good player, a tough player, a very good athlete. It’s really tough to play her. I know, because this is her last professional tournament. I mean, I really want to beat her. But if I beat her she has to left, so, you know, is really tough to find balance.
Q. Feels a little strange? NA LI: Yeah. Why should she retire this one?
Q. You would feel bad if you beat her because you would be the bad girl who beat Kim Clijsters in her last professional tournament? NA LI: I mean, if I can beat her, I would like to beat her. I mean, if I didn’t beat her, I have to go home. So is very tough. But for sure it’s good match.
Q. Plus two Australian Opens you were very close to beating her, no? NA LI: Yes. So I didn’t want to replay again from Australian Open. So I will try my best.
Q. We’re playing here in New York. There’s so much media. Could you step back and say the one or two things we Americans don’t understand about your country, what would that be? NA LI: Why Chinese still use chopsticks? Why Chinese have to put the family name first, right? I think lot American people couldn’t understand, yeah. Two thing already. I couldn’t find a third one.
Q. Do you feel like the girl that shot Bambi? LAURA ROBSON: I wouldn’t go that far. I would say that was Becker beating Agassi here a few years ago. |
Q. When you were playing, were you reading press? Did you realize that the press was most of the time very positive about you, which doesn’t happen with most players?
KIM CLIJSTERS:Â I don’t know.
Q. Thinking about that, would you like to become a journalist?
KIM CLIJSTERS: No, not at all. (Smiling.) Sorry.
No, I definitely read the press in my first few years that I was on tour, and then I completely ignored the press. Also because positive, negative, I didn’t want it to get to me. It did when I was younger whether there was negative press, positive press.
Q. You had more positive than anybody else.
KIM CLIJSTERS:Â Oh, I don’t know.
I’ve always been a sensitive person. I always took things very personally, so after a while I completely not just ignored, but I had a habit the not even reading.
I followed results on tour and I watched the news, but whenever I saw my face somewhere I either skipped through the page or kind of changed the channel quickly.
Q. So you don’t want to be a TV commentator?
KIM CLIJSTERS: No, no. It’s too easy to comment on players on court. You know what I mean? No.
Q. Are you able to talk a little bit about what happened at the ending with the shuffle?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, LMFAO was sitting in the box. I met him before my match. I figured, well, there’s only going to be maybe one chance you can do that at the US Open with him there.
Q. How did you meet him?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, he loves tennis. He’s friends with one of the WTA staff. She was showing him around the center here. Yeah, came by the table, said hi. Yeah, worked out that he’s a mad tennis fan, loves playing, is going to be here for a fair while. It was pretty cool.
Q. Was it a spontaneous thing?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: I thought maybe I would, but then I thought I would chicken out. Then I thought, I got to do it. I got it out there.
Q. Did you nail it?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: I don’t know. I’m sure I looked like a goose. I’m waiting for someone to tell me if it was all right or not.
Q. You’ve said that you feel like the game owes you a few years because of all the time you’ve been out. How do you feel physically?
TOMMY HAAS: I guess the disappointing thing is when you lose a match you’re always disappointed, no matter what. But obviously at this stage it really hurts. You know, I’ve had some great last four months. The position I’m in right now, I don’t think I would have ever thought to get back for it. Just kind of hoped for it and tried to do everything to make that happen.
To be seeded here and be in this position is fantastic. You know, to go out in the first round is frustrating. But the sad thing is really, too, even Wimbledon, if it’s a best‑of‑three sets I win the match, even like today. I end up losing it in five.
Sure, it’s tough when you are getting a little bit older, the recovery, even when you are quite fit. Maybe one half step or just a half step might be missing. You know, it’s just not enough against these young, fit guys sometimes.
You start playing tennis that you’re not supposed to play, go for too many shots and you’re not really playing percentage tennis, and that’s how you can end up losing.
Q. I remember when you were one of the young guys here. It’s hard to believe this is your 15th US Open. More than any other man in the draw, how many more of these do you see yourself playing?
TOMMY HAAS: You know what, I love this game. Even days like today, this is part of the sport, even though I’m obviously very, very frustrated. I’m going to be in a shitty mood for a couple days, that’s for sure.
You know, you look back, you look at some of the wins that you had and the feelings that it gives you, the positives, the negatives, and it’s always a rollercoaster ride when you’re in sports or competing.
That’s what you get to love about it, but it can also be brutal. That’s certainly one moment right now.
But I’ve put myself in a position to pretty much have a full calendar year next year. And why not?
Q. Max Eisenbud is outside signing autographs.
MARIA SHARAPOVA:Â (Laughing.)Â He deserves a little attention once in a while.
Q. What would you say is the best fashion statement you ever made on the tennis court, in your mind?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I think the successful ones are always the ones that are unexpected and different. I think for me it was during the time when my dresses weren’t for sale yet. They were quite expensive to produce, so you could do a little bit more.
You could, you know, use materials which are just too expensive to go into the mass market or details that are just too hard to perfect when you’re doing many dresses.
I mean, the dress that I won in here was pretty special. It would be extremely expensive to have at retail. That’s probably why you can’t replicate something like that. If you ever do, it will never have that special feel to it.
I’ve had a few. I mean, I’ve wore this corset top that was part of the Nike dance collection in Miami one year which zipped up the front which was different for the tennis court. A few here and there.
Q. Was there ever one that inhibited you from playing properly?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: No, because I usually wear‑test all the dresses that we design.
Q. Do you prefer sometimes being the bad guy, not being cheered? Does that drive you at all?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: It’s a different type of emotion. I’m usually in my own little bubble when I play. You can certainly hear the crowd, the emotion, the energy from the crowd.
But I try to stay pretty levelheaded about the energy swings. Or if you’re up so much, you’re winning games, your opponent wins a game, the crowd goes crazy. I try not to focus too much on that and let that affect me.