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U.S. OPEN

September 1, 2014

Casey Dellacqua

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

F. PENNETTA/C. Dellacqua
7-5, 6-2
An interview with:
CASEY DELLACQUA

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Quick get away, go right back home?
CASEY DELLACQUA: From here?

Q. Yes.
CASEY DELLACQUA: Yeah, I'll go home after this tournament. Then I've got three weeks in Asia. Just get ready for that.

Q. How do you sum up your tournament?
CASEY DELLACQUA: Yeah, I mean, I'm obviously disappointed for that loss. But overall I'm happy with where I'm heading, I'm happy with the tournament I've had, the tennis I've played, the tennis that I am playing. Yeah, I mean, it's been a great tournament for me. Obviously I would have liked to have won that today, maybe played a little bit better. Yeah, as a whole, the whole tournament, I'm happy with how the tournament went.

Q. First set was a big key today.
CASEY DELLACQUA: Yeah, I thought it might take me a little bit more time to find my feet because it's a little bit different court out there, Arthur Ashe. Flavia has done it before here, and I haven't. I was just trying to take it all in to begin the match. Yeah, I did feel pretty good out there. I think there's just a few too many errors in the end. She started serving well, and I didn't think I was serving as well as I should have been to beat someone like Flavia. I need to serve better than that. Probably just a few key things from the match. But, yeah, then it just kind of got away from me. She was serving better, I was struggling a bit. I guess that's why I'm 30, she's 11, and why I have to keep working harder.

Q. Small window at 4-5 in the first set. A big missed opportunity?
CASEY DELLACQUA: Yeah, I think that was when I felt like, C'mon, I can get this first set. I obviously didn't get that point. I think she freed up a little bit saving that one, swung out a little bit. She found her feet a bit better, her rhythm. That was probably a crucial point of the match and felt like I was finding my way, too. Yeah, a bit disappointing not to get that.

Q. You mentioned about playing on Ashe, not having enough experience on there. Did it feel intimidating because of the size and dimensions?
CASEY DELLACQUA: Yeah, it's obviously an extremely big court. Sometimes you can get a little caught behind the baseline because it's such a different visual thing for you out there, more than probably any other court in the world purely because it is so big. We played on it in the doubles final, but it's different when you have a partner out there, you're not hanging out there by yourself. Yeah, it did take me a little bit to probably find my shots. It is a different feel. I mean, that's not the reason why I lost today. It was purely Flavia is a great player. Like I said, she's 11 in the world, done well here before for a reason. Today she was better on the day than me. I hope she does well next round.

Q. What do you think was her best shot today? Better on backhand than forehand?
CASEY DELLACQUA: Yeah, it was actually a little bit swirly conditions out there. I think it probably took us a little bit to get used to the breeze and all that. Yeah, I mean, her backhand is world class. One of the best backhands in the world. I think her forehand, it's tricky. I don't think she hit it poorly. She varies it up on the forehand side. You get different looks. You get a hard, flat ball. You get the slow, loopy ball. That's why she's tricky to play.

Q. Did you practice in the conditions yesterday? How muggy was it today compared to yesterday?
CASEY DELLACQUA: I practiced late in the afternoon yesterday. It was extremely hot and humid. It was humid today. Probably hotter yesterday afternoon I would think. It was fine out there today.

Q. You've been asked many times about your Italian last name. Do you know where is the region where your family comes from?
CASEY DELLACQUA: It's from Como region.

Q. Never been there?
CASEY DELLACQUA: I have been there. On my dad's side, both grandparents were born there.

Q. You're probably leave here with another career-high ranking. The goal is to secure a seeding for the Aussie Open?
CASEY DELLACQUA: It's really good to have losses like that today because I'm now, like you said, at a career high, but it doesn't mean I stop working or stop improving. Yeah, I'm definitely not complacent with where I'm at because I'm reaching career highs. In the last 12 months, there was only one way I was going to go, and it was that way. Now it's at a crucial time where I need to continue to work hard, consolidate my space in the top 30. I have tournaments left to go for the rest of the year. This is where I really just knuckle down, work hard, try to get the most out of the next tour I have through Asia, really just to try and keep improving, I think the great tennis I already have played this year.

Q. Have you got much to defend till the end of the year?
CASEY DELLACQUA: Not really, no. Because I was 200, I played Asia. No. I think I won those 250s, Bendigo, but not too much.

Q. When you say about working hard for the rest of the year to build things, are you talking more on the mental side or the physical or the technical side?
CASEY DELLACQUA: I'm going to say a bit of everything. I think technically, I'm 29, I'm not a spring chicken, I'm not going to go out there and start changing things within my game. I think it's more the game style I like to play, executing the way I want to play, the way I need to play to win those matches. It would mean just honing in on the things I do well. Physically I 100% want to keep working hard. I do try and do something every day to improve that. I will do that through the off-season as well prior to January. Yeah, I think it's just a combination of pretty much everything I've been doing for the last 12 months, doing that day in, day out. Working on the process, not worrying about too much else except that I'm doing the right things. So I feel when I walk out on the court I have done everything possible to get the best out of myself.

Q. Looking forward to getting on the plane?
CASEY DELLACQUA: I am. I am I've been away for five weeks. I'm looking forward to getting home, seeing Blake, being home, being a mum for the next week, just relaxing, switching off a little bit. It will be nice to freshen up before Asia.

Q. Three times fourth round. Like to end up your career a Grand Slam quarterfinalist?
CASEY DELLACQUA: Would love to. I thought that was a good opportunity for me today, so disappointed. I guess I've got to look at the positives, know now I've done it overseas, I've done it in Australia, but it's nice to know you can do it outside of Australia as well. I've played some pretty good tennis consistently throughout the year. I have confidence one day I'll get there. I've made a lot of finals in women's doubles, but singles is still my priority. Like I said, I'll keep working hard, keep knocking on the door, keep getting another opportunity to go one further.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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