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CONNECTICUT OPEN PRESENTED BY UNITED TECHNOLOGIESAugust 21, 2014Samantha StosurNEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT S. STOSUR/K. Flipkens THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. You seemed to be struggling with her serve for most of the match, then the last two service games. Was there something different, something you noticed? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, it was a tough night to return serve. Both of us probably didn't do a great job of getting inroads on each other's serves. Yeah, as that second set was going on, I felt like things, yeah, weren't great for me on the return, which probably led into playing a poor service game at 5‑4 to lose serve and then lose the set. The last couple games I just tried to return a little bit smarter, tried to place it, then do what I was trying to do on the next ball. Once I was able to hit a return to a better part of the court, I felt I was in more control of the point. Throughout the second and early in the third, she could really hit that first ball well, hit good forehands, and then I was in trouble. Q. Seemed like all night she was picking on your backhand. How did you weather that storm? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I guess we were both kind of picking on each other's backhands for most of it. I know most girls are going to try to do that against me. I guess that's where you have to be smart and put the ball in a position where it makes it harder for them to do that. I didn't get flustered with that. It was really the return of serve I was struggling with. Yeah, I'm aware of how girls are going to try to come out and play me. But, like I said, it's what I try to do to them to try to make that more difficult. Q. A couple players have talked about treating this tournament for preparation for the US Open. Petra was saying when he comes here, she really wants to win it. Some of the more experienced players are really looking to win rather than have the preparation be their top thing. As you get older and realize how tough it is to win tournaments, does it make it more of a result here than it would have in the past? SAMANTHA STOSUR: For me, if I enter a tournament, I want to try to do as best as I can in it, no matter what's the next week or the week before. Yes, of course the US Open is coming up. Everyone wants to be playing their best tennis next week. Having said that, you can't pick and choose what week everything is going to come together, when you're going to play well, when you might sneak through a tough match, or play an unbelievable one. I treat every week as much of an equal as possible. Having come here because I wanted to play more matches, I think every single match I can get here this week is important, whether that was one or win the tournament. Doesn't matter to me. I'm here for the purpose of trying to do well in this event. I'm not looking at it as a lead‑up, if you lose, it doesn't matter. You want to win every match you go into. At least Petra feels the same. Q. Your coach was quite vocal especially towards the end. Is that something you listen for? Do you need that? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, look, I think he's pretty calm most of the time. I think he realizes that I'm pretty tough on myself as it is so he doesn't need to be there, Do this, do that. But yeah, look, he's there to support me. If he feels like I need to be, you know, lifted up or I'm a little bit flat, whatever it is, he tries I guess to get that message across to me. No, it was an important time in the match when I was finally able to break serve and get that lead‑in. I guess it, yeah, really turned the match. So that's probably why he was a little bit more up and about at that time. Q. What do you have to do to turn the tables against Kvitova? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Look, I've got to go out there and try to play aggressive. I can't go out there and be passive against someone like Petra. She hits the ball very, very well, hits it really clean. She goes after her shots. You know, once she's in control of the point, makes things very difficult to turn it around. It's important to try to get that first strike in. She's got a good serve. Sometimes playing lefties, it pulls me out of court the way I don't necessarily always want to be. It's a matter of trying to do things well at the start of the rally and then keep control of it once you've got it. Q. When David was working with you, I don't think I ever saw him come down to the court. When Miles was there, he came down to the court a couple of times. What would you prefer with Simon? SAMANTHA STOSUR: I guess we're still trying to work it out in a sense. We've done it some matches. Other matches we haven't bothered. Like last night, didn't bother. A couple before we haven't either. I think at the moment we're still trying to work things out together. We've got that option there to use it at a tournament like this. Okay, if it's needed and warranted, then we'll do it. Obviously next week you can't. I think it's important not to be too reliant on your coach while you're out there playing those matches because at the biggest tournaments of the year you can't do it. I haven't always been such a huge advocate for the on‑court coaching. But at certain times, yeah, if it's there, why not use it? Q. Have you seen the US Open draw? SAMANTHA STOSUR: I know who I play. Q. You don't go beyond that? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, I've lost my fair share of first rounds, so I've got to go with that first one first (smiling). FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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