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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 15, 2017

Simona Halep

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How are you feeling?
SIMONA HALEP: I'm okay. I feel good. I have already one week here. I was preparing pretty good during this week. I'm waiting. I'm a little bit nervous. But it's normal.

Yeah, I'm fit.

Q. Do you feel a little bit as if you want to make amends for what happened last year?
SIMONA HALEP: Oh, I hope is going to be better this year. Last year, yeah, it was tough for me. I lost first round. But the opponent played well. She made quarterfinals, so was not that bad.

But still, yeah, I'm looking forward to start tomorrow, even if it's first match on center court. Will be very nice. I will be excited to be there.

Q. How do you feel about playing the first match on the main court at a slam? Obviously not like Wimbledon where you're the defending champion or something. Special status?
SIMONA HALEP: Yeah, it's special to open the tournament actually on the biggest stadium. But I've played before. Also French Open twice. So it's okay. I'm not thinking very much at that thing. I just have to go there. I know the opponent pretty well. I played at US Open against her.

Is going to be a tough match. I will expect a good one. Just trying to give everything I have, and I really want to win it.

Q. What is the speed of the court for you?
SIMONA HALEP: The speed? It's okay. I had the chance to practice on Rod Laver a few times. It's nice. It's very big. Yeah, we need little bit time to get used to it. It's okay. I feel good on it. The speed, it's okay. It's normal.

Q. Have you had an opportunity to play practice matches or anything this week?
SIMONA HALEP: No, just the biggest courts. I'm lucky. When you are in the top, it's good (smiling).

Q. There's a new feature on the tournament website about analysis of certain features. One of the features has you as the fastest player, man or woman, currently playing in terms of speed over three meters. Did you hear that?
SIMONA HALEP: I heard. Actually my coach told me. Yeah, it's nice to hear that. Maybe because I'm not that tall, that's why I'm fast.

It's my advantage, I can say, the speed during the matches, during the game. I work on this every time. I think it's helping me a lot during the matches, important matches, that I can move fast.

I think, like, it's in my system. I work on it, but still I have it since I was a kid.

Q. Were you aware of the advantage? Is it news to you that you're the fastest? Is it something you use as part of your strategy?
SIMONA HALEP: Yeah, I think my game is fast. Sometimes I go back and I defend a little bit. But what I have in my mind is just to go to take the ball fast and to finish the point faster.

So, yeah, everything I try, I try to play fast and to be fast on court.

Q. Is your preparation for the Australian Open any different than your preparation for the US Open? Have you made changes? Is it kind of the same?
SIMONA HALEP: No, nothing special. Everything is the same. Just one thing I changed, I came earlier to Australia to try to, like, get used to the heat. In Romania, it's very cold.

I haven't been in Romania for Christmas, my home. This is different. But nothing else.

Q. How have you gone with the heat? Do you generally struggle with it? You must be happy to playing tomorrow instead of Tuesday.
SIMONA HALEP: Yeah, I heard that Tuesday is going to be hotter.

You know, it's always tough because I'm not like a kid, used to stay in this heat this period of time. Now I have already four weeks here in the heat, so I'm used to it now.

Q. What is the average temperature at home at Christmas?
SIMONA HALEP: Minus 20.

Q. You spent Christmas in Adelaide. How different is an Australian Christmas from a Romanian Christmas?
SIMONA HALEP: Very different. They were in the flip-flops, in the pool. In Romania, we were used to stay like a formal dinner. Everyone is very well dressed. You don't have to move much.

Yeah, with his family, I had very different Christmas. It was fun. I was in the shorts. So it was, yeah, a big difference between these two.

Q. Against Shelby, what do you expect against her in the first round?
SIMONA HALEP: Like I said, I played in US Open against her. I remember that was a tough match. She's a good player. She played really well last year in French Open, I think.

It's going to be a tough match. I'm feeling good. I'm trying just to stay focused, to give everything I have, and to be confident. I didn't play much at the beginning of the year, and also I lost in China second round. I had time to work on my game a little bit, and now I'm more relaxed. I chill more. I just want to go to take every match the same and nothing special. Just go there for it.

Q. She can be a big hitter.
SIMONA HALEP: Yeah, she is. I know that.

Q. Take a lot of rhythm away from you. What do you do to get comfortable on court?
SIMONA HALEP: To move fast (laughter). To block a little bit. Actually, I have to do my game, even if she hits strong. I've played before with few players that are hitting very strong, so I know how I have to play against them.

But you never know. It's going to be a new match, new day. Just going there to fight till the end, even if the game is not working sometimes. I have just to stay there and to fight.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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