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DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

February 20, 2016

Sara Errani

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

S. ERRANI/B. Strycova

6-0, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Congratulations.
SARA ERRANI: Thank you.

Q. We saw you run to your coach and you were very emotional. Can you just talk us through what this title means to you and why it was such an emotional win.
SARA ERRANI: Yeah, it's unexpected title for me. It was tough moment, tough year. So my coach is near me, so he helped me a lot. And he know how much we suffer. I don't know how you say in English.

So to win here is amazing. I mean, it's such a good tournament. I come in here, we was thinking, oh, so maybe to not come here, just stay home and recover and try to make it good.

But we came here, and every day was really tough. Every match, from the beginning, from the 5-1 down in first round against Zheng, and even in the quarterfinal with Brengle, a lot of tough moment. But of course if we won a tournament, you have to pass a lot of also bad moments.

Q. Were you surprised you won so comfortably today?
SARA ERRANI: Yes, yes. Maybe was not her best day. But of course I was just trying to be really focused and not miss balls, prepare that she will serve good, she will come to the net, she will try to change her game. Just try to be focused.

I was try to not think too much about it is a final, about it is tough match, but just try to play my game, stay there every point, even in the 5-1, 5-2, a lot of match point. Really happy in the end.

Q. Why do you think you played so well this week, winning every match?
SARA ERRANI: I don't know (smiling). There is no explanation. Of course you work to be ready to the matches, but you never know which days you can play better or worse. The only thing I know is that I was ready to suffer, to stay on the court also in bad moments, or when I was not playing really good and just stay there.

This is my mentally always. I know that doesn't matter if you play good, bad, or whatever. Just the more important thing is just to stay there and try your best.

Q. You're still young. What are your next objectives in 2016?
SARA ERRANI: Well, when you ask me these things, I always say the same things. I just want to give my best because I don't know. I can come here and lose first round, but if I try, everything is good for me. Doesn't matter.

Maybe you won the tournament is unexpected but really happy. You never know what can happen.

Even in 2012, never thinking to do a final in Roland Garros and then it comes. So you cannot have objectives before because maybe can come something more or something worse.

So I just try to be ready for whatever comes.

Q. You're saying you may not have come here?
SARA ERRANI: Yeah.

Q. Were you considering taking like a break this month or just this tournament?
SARA ERRANI: Yeah, maybe taking two or three weeks to just relax, try to recharge the energy and everything. But in the end with my coach we think it, and he say, Come on. Let's go. You are ready to suffer. You are ready to fight. This is important. Doesn't matter how it goes. If it goes Love and Love in the first round, doesn't matter for me. I just want to go there and try to do the best that we can because there are many weeks that you don't feel 100%.

So you just have to be ready to whatever comes.

Q. You normally play well at a tournament you like. You have been in the final here twice now. What do you like about being in Dubai?
SARA ERRANI: Yeah, I love it here. I mean, for us is amazing, to sleep here and have the courts and it's really comfortable for everything. Even the conditions for me are favorable here.

So I like a lot the court. The balls, they bounce, the balls. So it's good condition for my game.

Q. Can I just ask you, it's a great time for Italian tennis and experienced Italian players. Flavia won the US Open. Roberta did well in St. Petersburg. Why do you think there is this renaissance in Italian women's tennis?
SARA ERRANI: I don't know. We are four, Schiavone, Flavia, Robbie, and me, that maybe we help each other to take more and try more things and be confident to can do more things. We had unbelievable result, all four, and we help each other. I don't really know what happens.

Q. Flavia had told us that you guys have a WhatsApp group, the four of you. Is it still going?
SARA ERRANI: Well, not too much, but yes, it's still there.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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