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INTERNAZIONALI D'ITALIA

May 18, 2006

Dinara Safina

ROME, ITALY

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. It's a big surprise?
DINARA SAFINA: It is, yeah.
Q. But not for you?
DINARA SAFINA: No, no, definitely. Maybe I'm not so happy like I am inside because, no, it's maybe little bit shocked. Tired, you know. So I cannot, you know, show all my emotions that I have inside, you know. So I am like little bit...(smiling).
Q. It's the first time you beat Clijsters, seventh match.
DINARA SAFINA: Yes, you know (smiling). Never late, you know. I was coming out, I was like, "She's the only one player that I lost so many times to her," you know. I was like -- when I was going on the court, actually I didn't know what to think, you know. "I will win," or "Again I will lose," you know.
But then, you know, I think she didn't play her best match today, you know. I felt like she was doing a lot of mistakes, you know. She was getting a lot of free points, you know.
I just said, you know, "If I don't take this chance, then I will never again take the chance."
Q. You had a set point against you in the second set. If you'd lost that, lost the set, would you have been prepared for a third set? Were you ready physically, mentally?
DINARA SAFINA: This, I don't know. That was the key. When I missed the shot on deuce, you know, I made a good serve and I missed like little bit down the line, I was like, "No." Because the game before I had 15-40 on her serve.
And then I was a little bit aggressive on that game, actually, yeah, and I broke her also then straightaway.
And, I mean, lucky that it turned my way today.
Q. This is one of your best wins?
DINARA SAFINA: Yeah. You know, I don't have so many big wins, but I can say I beat last year Sharapova and this year, you know, Clijsters. So maybe slowly.
Q. Tomorrow, against Dementieva.
DINARA SAFINA: Another great fighter, you know. Another fight match, you know.
Yeah, it's gonna be again a tough match. I know she will give her hundred percent like always. Yeah, I have to, you know, relax now and think about this later on, you know, and just go tomorrow and give everything, die on the court (smiling).
Q. Now you are the No. 1 of your family, in this moment.
DINARA SAFINA: Yeah (smiling).
Q. Yes, it's true. Are you happy?
DINARA SAFINA: Yeah, very (smiling).
No, I mean, you cannot compare me and my brother. I am No. 1, but when he will put gasoline in himself, he will be again No. 1. But I have to enjoy my time at least when I am now No. 1 (smiling).
Q. So an important victory like this, you speak with Marat or not?
DINARA SAFINA: No, no. We speak. I know he is -- I SMS my mom because they're flying today to Valencia. So if my mom get the message, every family will know because they're all flying today.
Q. This is a heavy load now. You have to play three matches in a row in three days. Four matches in four days.
DINARA SAFINA: And doubles.
Q. And doubles. Yes, you are ambitious.
DINARA SAFINA: Yesterday, we finish at 10 in the night playing doubles. We won 7-6 in the third. Yeah, I'm still in doubles, so...
Not so funny.
Q. Will you stay in the doubles?
DINARA SAFINA: Yeah. It's definitely. If I am playing something, I am playing til the end. Doesn't matter, you know.
And especially she's Italian, you know, so she's playing at home. I mean, I cannot tank the doubles when she is playing home, you know. The people won't have respect to me otherwise.
You know, where I will never again play the doubles, or if I step on the court, I play.
Q. Yesterday you and Roberta won your match. It was a magic moment?
DINARA SAFINA: Yeah, it was a big fight yesterday, 7-6 in the third. So, yeah, I mean, at least in my history I can say not in singles but in doubles I beat Navratilova (laughing).

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