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BNP PARIBAS WTA FINALSOctober 22, 2014Ana IvanovicSINGAPORE, SINGAPORE A. IVANOVIC/E. Bouchard THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Pretty comprehensive start to finish. Seemed to be pretty much in control for that match. How did you feel out there? ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, definitely started very well. You know, I was very happy with that. I knew I was having a tough match against her. I lost twice before. I really tried to be aggressive. From the beginning I was playing well. You know, that first game was also very important to hold my serve, and then on to that I managed to break her straightaway. That gave me confidence. But you I really tried not to think about the score too much and tried rather to play one point at a time and be aggressive and do what I've been working on. And also to enjoy it, because I worked so hard to get here. Sometimes can be a little bit overwhelming. These are the moments you also have to enjoy. Q. You were really consistent at the net today. How happy were you with that. ANA IVANOVIC: Very happy. Yesterday, or actually two days ago I had one tough miss on my volley, so I was happy that today was better. I tried to move forward a little bit when I had chance. But I think I can do that a little more in the future. Q. You said you wanted to enjoy and savor the tournament. Are there certain moments during the match where you snap yourself out of playing the match and kind of, I don't know, soak it all in, or is it just a matter of playing and focusing and enjoying it later? ANA IVANOVIC: Well, you know, sometimes you do have to play tricks on your mind. And whatever works, you know, at any given time. Sometimes really try to embrace the atmosphere, too, especially when we walk on the court. It's amazing feeling to just have that energy. And especially in my first match. The stadium was packed. Yeah, the atmosphere was great. This is something that we work hard towards, to enjoy these moments, and it's always nice to see this. Q. You've been on the receiving end of some of the biggest ovations from the fans. Are you surprised by kind of how you've been welcomed here in Singapore? ANA IVANOVIC: It's great feeling, you know. We're here because of fans, and it's always nice to see that and the support. They are also very knowledgeable about tennis. When we play, they really know when to get excited and when to be quiet. It's really very thrilling to play in front of these kind of fans. They really come out in big numbers also to support us. It's great it see. Hopefully they can enjoy some tennis and, yeah, show that we put on. Q. Historically you have a great result playing in this part of the world. Amazing result in Bali. Do you think you can translate it here? It's not that far from here: ANA IVANOVIC: No. I wish I would have the same energy here. It's definitely nice place to play and to compete. People are very passionate about the sport. That's what is exciting for us to see. I'm very emotional player and I like when crowd gets behind, you know, when you have big points. And today we did have some big points. This is what we play for, and Bali was the same. Here is obviously bigger standing and more at stake. Hopefully I can perform just as well. Q. I'm sure you're still happy about tonight, but looking forward a little bit, Serena and Genie play tomorrow, but you play the day after. You'll know exactly how many games, ‑ or you might know exactly how many games it takes to advance. ANA IVANOVIC: At one point in my match today I started counting, and I'm like, Why am I doing this? Sometimes in a group that's why it's tough. You know what? I don't want to know. I want to go out there and play the best I can and fight for each game. In a group every game matters, and that's what I'm going to try to do. Obviously I want to give my best and hopefully win. It's going to be a tough match. She's playing very, very well. But I don't want to think too much about how much is enough and how much is not. Q. So when were you counting? You were counting everyone's games in the group? ANA IVANOVIC: No, no, I was just trying to see, Okay, if I win this game or that... It's sometimes too much, but sometimes it keeps your mind occupied. Q. Before tonight you have not beaten Genie before. Also at the Australian Open you were saying that her game was hard to read. How did you overcome that tonight and come out on top? ANA IVANOVIC: There were few things I definitely tried to focus on in my game and what I had to do out there and try to change from how I approached previous matches. Also I felt today I had advantage at different situation because it's her first Championships. Also, this is the first time that she's ranked higher than me in all of our matches, so pressure was on her. I really tried to use this as my advantage and tried to be aggressive and play free; it worked. Q. Have you watched the match of the Serena and Simona? ANA IVANOVIC: Actually haven't seen any. I was warming up at that time. Q. Ana, you mentioned that you might have changed a couple things after the last meeting with Genie. Can you talk a little bit about what those are? Did she not do some things tonight that she might have done in previous matches that also made the difference, in addition to your playing a really good match? ANA IVANOVIC: I think it was just more me being aggressive and making more shots. She's definitely a tough player. When you give her chances, like in the second set few times I was hitting a little bit shorter and she would use this and hit very powerful. So I really tried to take this away from her. I knew she liked that style of play. I tried to keep her on the run. Every match is new situation, and I really tried to focus on my game. Q. Back to Australia. Quarters; you lost; good match. Did it take like a month, two months after that? You could have won. Would've been a big win. Semifinal again. Were you thinking about it a lot? ANA IVANOVIC: No. Actually, to be honest not, because I felt I tried my best and I made mistakes that I shouldn't have. But I tried to really take the positives because I had a great summer in Australia. So I really tried to take this on build from that. But, yeah, I didn't find it that disappointing because I felt there is so much more I can work on and improve. Q. So you just saw Serena two days ago, and then she loses easily today. A little bit of a shock losing so quickly knowing how good she is? ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, definitely I was surprised when I saw the result. Like I said, this is Championships. This is round robin system, and every match is tough and every match is different. Also, it depends how you prepare, how you adjust. This surface is a little bit different, too, so it might suit other players better than the others. So, yeah, anything can happen. Q. I think before today you had lost 19 out of 20 matches again top‑5 ranked players. You beat her today. Do you think now you have the game... ANA IVANOVIC: Great. Thank you. You boost my confidence. (Laughter.) Q. That's what I was going to ask: Do you think now you have the confidence and the game to be able to beat those top players? ANA IVANOVIC: You see, this is why it's good not to know statistics. You know what? I really try to approach every match as a new challenge and new opportunity. But haven't I beat Sharapova? She's top 5. Q. You beat Serena. ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, and Serena, and Halep in Fed Cup. So I have some. They were all top 5. Your statistics are not good. (Laughing.) Q. Blame the WTA. ANA IVANOVIC: No. We just signed with SAP. We have great statistics. I mean, every match I tried to approach it as a new challenge. Obviously you want to compete against the best and to be one of them. It's hard work. It's definitely different, different level. I've been very fortunate that in the last year actually I worked hard to get deep in tournaments so I faced a lot of top players. Then you can really make a difference between top players and maybe players outside of top 20. In important moments you can really feel this difference on court. Every match I really try to see it as a new experience and try to learn and to improve in certain things. Q. I'll ask you something not about statistics. Novak. ANA IVANOVIC: Amazing. Q. Just want to get your thoughts on that. You have known him since you guys were kids and now he's got a kid. How did you find out about the news? ANA IVANOVIC: It's actually scary thought. We're the same age. But it's great news. I actually found out this morning after I woke up, and I was really thrilled for them. It's one of the best moments you can have in life, you know. I got goosebumps. It's really thrilling, and I'm really happy for them. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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