WIMBLEDON

June 21, 2005

Jane O'Donoghue

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

JANE O'DONOGHUE: Yeah, I'm a bit surprised about that. But I'm delighted to get through. All the hard work that I've put in this last year and over the many years has started to pay off.

JANE O'DONOGHUE: That was the best win of my career. Like I say, I've been doing a lot of work. My coach, Phil Farlow, has just been fantastic, backing me, pushing me, and now the results are starting to come.

JANE O'DONOGHUE: There was one lady in the crowd who was just going ballistic the whole match. She asked for an autograph, so I thought I better give her one.

JANE O'DONOGHUE: I had no idea who she was, but she gave great support throughout the whole match.

JANE O'DONOGHUE: At that stage, I was thinking of taking up football instead of tennis. But, no, I mean, before the match, I was so relaxed. It was one of the most relaxed I've ever been here. And that worries me a lot when I'm like that. And I started off the match and then I started not to get the serve in and panicked a bit. But then started the second set, took my time, then I started to believe and believe. Even though I didn't serve great the whole match, and now I've come off the court, I've beat someone 40 in the world. Maybe if I do start serving well, who knows what can happen.

JANE O'DONOGHUE: I think the start of the second set, I started just going for my shots and I started to dictate her instead of her dictating me. Then I start -- I mean, first set she served very well, hit the ball heavy. But then the start of the second set, I had nothing to lose then. I thought, well, it can't possibly get much worse. Let's start to pick it up a few gears.

JANE O'DONOGHUE: Well, I'm going to go and get a massage, something to eat. I've got doubles with Baltacha tomorrow. I'm sure she'll be up for doing well now after yesterday's performance.

JANE O'DONOGHUE: Dechy now. You know, she's a tough opponent, very experienced. But, like I said, I can't wait to get out there and play her again and serve better this time.

JANE O'DONOGHUE: Well, you never know, do you? I mean, tennis changes so fast. I was watching Tim Henman before I went out there. He was two sets down. All of a sudden he was up in the fifth. Tennis can change so quickly.

JANE O'DONOGHUE: No, I actually remembered -- 2-3 down in the third trying to serve to kind of stay in the match, I actually thought of the play I had to play to get into this tournament, four tough matches. I didn't lose a set. That gave me a lot of confidence under a pressure-cooker situation. I think my courage started to show out there and I really can hold my nerve when I have to serve the match out.

JANE O'DONOGHUE: That was funny because after Wimbledon last year, I had a few opportunities to make a move. I lost a lot of tight matches, which cost me dearly really. I started to lose the confidence. I didn't really know which coach I was working with. I'm now working with Phil Farlow. I'm very happy; he's got me back on track. I've started to believe in my game again, because I wasn't using the weapons in my game any more. I must admit it's been a terrible year. Over the last two years, had a great trip out in Japan, and the belief started to come back, all the hours of work that I've been doing. Because I've been practicing great, but on the match court not been playing that great. To actually now, I'm a year older, a year wiser, I'll get the schedule better this year because I made a few errors playing on the wrong surface and whatever. Now I've got, you know, to learn from the mistakes I made last year and try and not let that year, what's just happened, happen to me again.

JANE O'DONOGHUE: Oh, I had an opportunity to work with a coach in the LTA, and I wasn't comfortable doing that. But the end, I mean, you've got to be settled when you go away on a trip. When you come back, you've got to know where you're training. And I got a bit lost, to be honest, with my tennis. No one's fault really. It was just me being happy working with the right guy again. I've always worked with the guy I'm with now, but he's always been in the background. Now he's been working with me every day and pushing me. Starting to get results again.

JANE O'DONOGHUE: September really. Actually, on the court, you know. But, you know, it wasn't -- we kind of separated on good terms. It wasn't bitter or anything, you know what I mean? Basically I just had to work with someone who could give me a bit more time.

JANE O'DONOGHUE: Phil Farlow.

JANE O'DONOGHUE: I think the hardest thing, because you concentrate on your own game and not anybody else's, but the hardest thing is going to tournaments and there isn't any -- I mean, I've done a lot of traveling this year on my own. I must admit trying to actually find someone to warm up with before you step on the match court, sometimes you're actually already agreed in your head that you might not have somebody to hit with before you play your match. You have to get yourself in that frame of mind. It's very tough because there isn't many British girls around. But hopefully, you know -- okay, some of the British girls didn't play that great here this week, but tennis is an all-year sport. They've had some good results throughout the year.

JANE O'DONOGHUE: Hardly anything. And leading up to -- what was I going to say? Leading up to this tournament, I've hardly done anything. I kept a low profile, nobody's been kind of interested. It's been quite nice. I've been able to get ott and do my stuff. Now that I'm the only girl to have won, maybe people will start taking notice now.

JANE O'DONOGHUE: To my coach, Phil. He's the one who stuck by me. He's believed in me. I think a lot of people after last year had written me off. I'm 22. Suddenly I'm over the hill. I mean, come on, let's get real here. It's not the case. I was always going to develop late. I haven't had the best of years. Hopefully now this can actually kick start me off again. I've got to get the right schedule. I'm now working with the right guy. Hopefully in a year's time when I'm having this interview, the rankings have moved up instead of plateaued.

JANE O'DONOGHUE: I'm going to play Felixville 25, on a grass court. I'm sure they won't be as good as these courts. No, I'll be going there and then I'll be heading off to the States this year playing on hard court, which I think benefits my game. Whereas last year, I played too much on clay. I think that took the weapons away from my game because I should serve well, hit the forehand well. But on a clay court sometimes the power is taken off your shots. So I'll be heading on hard courts now, start to hit the ball aggressive.

JANE O'DONOGHUE: I think -- it's a very tough question. Personally, you know, I --

JANE O'DONOGHUE: I think the support and encouragement. Funding-wise, I've had hardly any. I haven't had too much. It's been -- it's tough to travel with my coach week in, week out, because I personally can't afford to do that. But I think it has toughened me up. But, you know, if I could get a bit more support financially to actually say to my coach, "Can you come away with me at least once a month," I mean, it sounds very little, but at least somebody watching my matches. The LTA encouraging girls to, you know -- just because if you have a little dip, maybe sometimes they are not interested. Come on, be positive. Not everybody goes up and up and up. We do have myself, Baltacha. We have got the potential to break through. But just, you know, if it doesn't happen in a couple of months, then I get the impression over here that you get written off pretty quick.

JANE O'DONOGHUE: I think obviously in the press there's more coverage on the men's decide, you got high-profile players like Henman and Rusedski. It is up to us to actually try and move the ranking up so we can get more exposure and stuff. But I think, you know, in the women's game, I've spoken to a lot of players and that, and if it could be a bit more encouragement and actually, like I say, if you are going through a bit of a bad patch like I was for quite a period of time, suddenly you're written off, you know, you get the bad vibes. I think with the LTA, they are starting to get a few things better medical-wise, you know, with the physios and the massage, trying to get things better. But, no, I think it's going to take a long time.

JANE O'DONOGHUE: I've been offered, you know, to travel with a certain coaches. If they're on the road, I can link in and hit with them, you know, which is a great help. Also I can go in there and use the medical support team, which is great. But, like I say, if I could get a bit more financial, you know, help to work with my coach a bit more. Then they've been great. They've paid for my courts when I train at Bishop Abby. But, like I say, it's expensive to have a coach come with you quite a few weeks of the year. That's the support I feel I need now. It's very lonely traveling week in and week out on your own.