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INTERNAZIONALI BNL D'ITALIA

May 9, 2016

Heather Watson

Rome, Italy

H. WATSON/S. Errani

6-4, 3-6, 6-0

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What happened after -- there was a long delay, wasn't there, at 5-3?
HEATHER WATSON: She called the trainer out.

Q. She seemed to make a fairly miraculous recovery. Did that put you off your stride a bit?
HEATHER WATSON: No, it didn't. I think as soon as we went back to playing, we were both playing how we were before. I don't think it affected any of us.

But those next couple games were long and very physical.

Q. I mean, to beat the 14th seed, clay court specialist, Italian player in Rome, and then bagel the final set, you must be pretty satisfied with the way you finished?
HEATHER WATSON: I'm very pleased with how I played today. I stuck to my game plan throughout the whole match. Even in the second set when I started to make a lot more errors, I knew that was the way to play.

There is no point trying to outgrind her or step back. I had to be the more aggressive player today. That was the only way to win.

So I was just very pleased with how I did and how I continued to execute it.

Q. To beat one of the best players on clay on her home soil must come as one of your best wins in your career, isn't it?
HEATHER WATSON: No. Like I said, I'm very pleased with today, and in the conditions and her being at home on the clay court, it's definitely very satisfying and I'm very pleased with myself.

She's a tough opponent, great player. Yeah, happy.

Q. How much of an advantage was it having already played two three-set matches?
HEATHER WATSON: I think it was actually an advantage. I hadn't been feeling so great on the clay. In Madrid I couldn't find my footing properly yet and my movement's a major part of my game. I think it's definitely helped, and I'm just continuing to get better the more matches I play.

Q. The Olympic cutoff is June 6.
HEATHER WATSON: It's after the French.

Q. End of the French.
HEATHER WATSON: At the end of the French.

Q. Your ranking this week is 56.
HEATHER WATSON: I think so.

Q. Which means you're pretty much on the edge, isn't it?
HEATHER WATSON: Yeah.

Q. What are your thoughts on that just over the next couple of weeks?
HEATHER WATSON: That I'm on the edge and I need to just get safe. I'm just -- I think I have said this to all of you, that the Olympics has been my main goal this year. I had one of the best experiences of my life in London 2012, and I would just love to go back and play the Olympics.

So, yeah, I'm just -- every week I just want to make the most of it to get my ranking up to feel safe.

Q. What's the coaching arrangement this week?
HEATHER WATSON: What's the coaching arrangement? Just Diego this week.

Q. No parents?
HEATHER WATSON: No parents. They're having a break. Dad's 's on holiday again.

Q. Where has he gone?
HEATHER WATSON: He's in Egypt.

Q. So you're without parental support, then?
HEATHER WATSON: Yeah, I'm fine. I actually tried calling him the other day, and he's useless on his phone. I haven't spoken to him for like three weeks. So, yeah.

Q. You played three matches in three days, three kind of grueling three-setters. How are you feeling after all of that? Still feel good?
HEATHER WATSON: I was expecting to feel a little stiff and sore, but I have been totally fine. Yeah, I'm absolutely fine.

I had an injury before the clay season in my quad, and I don't even think about it anymore. It's just not there.

Q. Am I right in thinking you played Strycova in the French or is that another British player?
HEATHER WATSON: I did, but that was like two, three years ago.

Q. Court 7?
HEATHER WATSON: Yeah.

Q. You won, didn't you?
HEATHER WATSON: Yes.

Q. She's quite a tricky player, isn't she?
HEATHER WATSON: Am I playing her next?

Q. I think so, yeah.
HEATHER WATSON: Oh, okay. I had no idea.

Q. I assumed you knew that.
HEATHER WATSON: No. Yeah, she's a toughie, and I think she's got great variety in her game. She can come to the net. Yeah, she's just got lots of variety and she's a good fighter. That would be a really tough match on the clay.

Q. Just back on the Olympics, have you thought at all about playing the mixed? And in particular, having played with Andy at the Hopman Cup, have you ever talked to him about that prospect?
HEATHER WATSON: No, I haven't. I don't really know how it all works and how we'd be teamed up or if we'd be teamed up. I don't know.

But if I get the opportunity, I'd want to play singles, doubles, mixed doubles.

Q. At the moment, did you understand what was going on with Sara at the end of that set? And how difficult is it to maintain your focus when you see your opponent having such difficulty?
HEATHER WATSON: No, I had no idea what was going on. And like I said before, like the tennis was still the same. It didn't stop her from playing how she was playing before. I actually think the rest was kind of nice, because we had quite a physical game before.

Q. Have you ever got distracted or affected in that kind of situation in previous matches?
HEATHER WATSON: No, because it happens so often. I think the worst one I ever had was at the Australian like three years ago. I was playing Pervak, and she went for a toilet break and it was about half an hour before she came back. And, you know, I think it just -- it happens all the time. I'm so used to it. So, no, it doesn't affect me.

Q. You won that one? You beat Pervak?
HEATHER WATSON: Yeah, I think I saved three match points that match, so it was even sweeter.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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