AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 16, 2006

Jelena Dokic

JELENA DOKIC: Yeah, I would have to say one of the most disappointing losses probably in my career so far. Yeah, it was difficult. I was already really happy, and then half an hour later I was, you know, the most disappointed that I've ever had. So definitely, yeah. But, you know, I think I did well to get in that position. Just the way that it had to be. You know, I felt like I played okay and like I've improved with each match. You know, six weeks ago when I got here, when I did the playoff, I mean, I could not even dream to play with a top 50 player and be able to beat them in two sets. So, you know, that's a positive thing, but just I was very disappointed.

JELENA DOKIC: It was great. I don't know if I even got that much support when I was here before. I think they also led me to be in that position to be able to win. It was great to play in front of that crowd. You know, that's why I'm disappointed as well not to be able to do it again. So it was great. I couldn't have asked for anything else. It's been definitely a good two months and was a great decision to come back.

JELENA DOKIC: Well, I was focusing on the match a lot, and I didn't want to get too nervous. That's what I did well. I wasn't nervous. I really -- I worked my way with the crowd. I used it to my advantage. I was really happy in that department.

JELENA DOKIC: I don't know. I think she called out the first ball of that point, and I think that put me off a little bit. We just kept on playing. Maybe that shot was out. I mean, probably was, I'm not sure. But just the lines person didn't make a call, and the umpire made the overrule. So, you know, just that's just what happened. It was more the fact that I was already, you know, pretty much with my hands up winning the match. Then it puts you down mentally. If it was a normal point and I lost it, I would have been in a much better position. But coming so close, it was a different story.

JELENA DOKIC: Definitely. I knew I would struggle after that point, and I did have another matchpoint. I had my chances. I was just unlucky. And once the third set got on, just couldn't focus mentally. It just was hard after that point.

JELENA DOKIC: My forehand?

JELENA DOKIC: No. I think I did well off my forehand. All the winners that came, I think they came off my forehand side. You know, it's not easy to play her. She had a good year last year, and she can play very well. So I think I did well considering, you know, the nerves and everything. Yeah, I think I did okay. I mean, there's always room for improvement. But, you know, to get in that position, to be able to win and beat her, I was happy with that.

JELENA DOKIC: Yeah, that's the type of tennis that I play. Unforced errors can come. But those shots also got me in the position to win. I was the one forcing the play. I had more winners than her, too. So it's just, you know, some small adjustments, yeah, definitely. But not something that I have to change, some, you know, big changes.

JELENA DOKIC: It's good because I think after the playoff, you know, everyone was kind of, you know, still saying, well, to be able to play with someone from top hundred is still long way away. I think playing someone that's ranked 50 today, and I probably should have won, is definitely a good feeling. I think I'm on the right track. It's just so much disappointment after not being able to win and. You know, I was halfway, you know, already happy to have won. That's just the way it goes.

JELENA DOKIC: It's been better and better since I got here. I haven't had any negative -- anything negative happen. I was confident that, you know, the people would understand what happened and the circumstances that I left under. I did regret that, and I wanted to make up for that. I said that a hundred times. I came back to make it right. If I didn't feel Australian, I wouldn't have come back. There's always some people that will have a different opinion. But, you know, just the people that were out there today just seemed to all be going for me. I was not too concerned when I was going out there. I just wanted to, you know, just wait and see what happens. And it was great.

JELENA DOKIC: I did. I don't think I'm still a hundred percent. I will not hide how disappointed I am. I definitely am. I had a great chance. You know, to be able to play in a Grand Slam again, just being so close, it's so disappointing. But I have to move on. I had a good match and definitely think that I'm on the right track. I've made so much improvement in the last four weeks since the playoff. I've really worked hard on a lot of things. You know, it paid off. I was one point away.

JELENA DOKIC: Thailand is the next one. So that's about two and a half weeks away. Then I have to see what happens with wildcards.

JELENA DOKIC: No, nothing.

JELENA DOKIC: Probably, yes.

JELENA DOKIC: Well, that's where, yeah, my base is. It would be difficult to organize things in Melbourne or Sydney or wherever right now. I have so many other things going on. But I would like to definitely try to base myself here. It's just Europe is a little bit easier for me at the moment with the travel and stuff. But it's definitely in the plans. It's in the back of my mind and it's something that I would like to do by the time the next Australian Open comes around.

JELENA DOKIC: Maybe just mixed it up a little bit more. You know, I felt like I did well with what I did, but when it got close, maybe I should have just changed a few things up maybe in the tiebreaker. But considering everything and how things have been going, I think I did well. I think I did okay. And, yeah, I mean, hopefully I can build on this.

JELENA DOKIC: I'm looking into that. I have some options. I didn't want to do anything just before the Australian Open, so I decided to do that after I'm done here. So I will definitely -- I have a few people that I need to talk to and that I've already been in contact with. It's something that I will do in the next ten days or so.

JELENA DOKIC: (Smiling). I won't talk about that, but I'm not focusing on that right now. I still have a long way to go to do something on that side, so, yeah.

JELENA DOKIC: Well, that's a long way away. I have so much to do until I get there - if I get there again. You know, the match today shows that I need to be able to finish a match off and win a match like this. So that's something -- I think that's the difference between a top 10 player and some other players. That's something that I used to do very well. You know, I had a little bit of that today. I came back in the second set when I was down. I just should have finished the match off. But that's a long way away. I still have to get in the first hundred, and the top 50 is my aim for the end of this year. I still think that's achievable; I can do that. You know, I've made a big progress in the last four weeks also. So if I can continue to do that, I think I have a good chance to play well in the next maybe two or three months. So I think I'm definitely on the right track and, you know, confident that I can do well.

JELENA DOKIC: Fitness?

JELENA DOKIC: I felt okay because we had a lot of tough games in the first set, which I got through and I won them. I think I dealt with it better. I don't think it was the fitness, especially not in the third set. It was more mental. I got so down after that second set and just couldn't get back up again. I felt like I was doing fine. I wasn't even, you know, getting tired or anything. I was really good fitness-wise, which I'm also surprised with. I could have -- even after the first set, I could have gotten really tired, with not having played for so long. So I think, you know, I think I did well there.