	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

INTERNAZIONALI D'ITALIA

May 21, 2006

Dinara Safina

ROME, ITALY

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Dinara.
Q. Were you tired at the end, or did you feel that if you could just get into that third set, you'd be all right?
DINARA SAFINA: I cannot say that I was -- yeah, maybe I was little bit tired, you know. Like I felt like I'm not as sharp, you know, as the other matches, you know, I was like yesterday. Other matches, I was like more into it. But today I was like I know really much less energy than usual.
Q. Were you encouraged by your comeback? I mean, for a while, it seemed that you weren't in the match at all.
DINARA SAFINA: Uhm, yeah. Well, first set also I left like 5-0. Then 5-2, you know.
I mean, she is the one player, she doesn't make any mistakes. So everything, it's on yourself. Like where you make a winner or you miss shot, because you know if you don't make a winner, she will finish making the winner. So it's really tough to play against her.
And second set I think at 4-1 I just -- I think she -- maybe she was little bit tight, but I felt like I made -- like I start to hit more wider, I start was looking more for the lines, and it was working.
But, yeah, unfortunately I couldn't break her at 6-5. I had Love-40. I mean, bad luck. But, I mean, she played great that point.
Q. You beat three top 10 players. Does that make this the tournament of your lifetime perhaps?
DINARA SAFINA: I could say yeah, you know. Of course I'm disappointed, you know, today. Not because maybe like first set I couldn't maybe play as I played the other matches. But, you know, life continue.
But still, you know, I had the great week here, you know. I never even dreamed about that I could be in the final here by beating three top 10 players.
Q. Could you feel that she was a little bit nervous at the end, maybe fear to win?
DINARA SAFINA: Maybe she was, but I think I can -- I start at that moment to be more aggressive, you know. Maybe she didn't expect. But I tried, you know, to push her, you know, like I had nothing else, you know. When I tried to play back, I had to run every time around the court, you know.
But I just tried to, you know, to make her run.
Q. Was she the toughest opponent you faced this week? Do you think she's in better form than Clijsters, for instance?
DINARA SAFINA: You know, they're different players, completely different players. You know, like Clijsters, she's looking every time for a winner. Martina, you know, like -- and also Kim, she makes mistakes, you know. So it's kind of, you know, at least you have mistakes from her. But from Martina, you don't get any free points. It doesn't matter. Even it's 40-Love, you still have to fight for it to win a game because she will play it in and she plays so deep, you know, so it's tough to play with her.
Q. What will your mother say?
DINARA SAFINA: I don't know. I mean, she's my mum, you know, she's not my coach. So who can be maybe little bit angry what I did wrong is my coach. But my mum, she's my mum. She has to take like -- I think she will say like, "bad luck" and just, "you had a great week."
Q. And did you talk to your coach?
DINARA SAFINA: No, not yet because he was sitting up there and I couldn't see him. After I will talk to him.
JOHN DOLAN: We were doing you a favor bringing her into press so fast, you see.
Q. Do you think this is going to give you some more confidence for the French Open in a couple of weeks?
DINARA SAFINA: Couple weeks? Maybe days.
Q. Sorry?
DINARA SAFINA: French Open, couple days.
Q. Couple days, yeah.
DINARA SAFINA: Couple weeks (smiling). It's actually in one week already.
Q. Yes, you're right.
DINARA SAFINA: Yeah, I hope so. You know, last year I came to Paris also looking not playing so big tournament, but also I come with a title and, you know what, lose first round. So by me, you never know. Sometimes I have no confidence and I play good, and sometimes I am full of confidence and I play terrible. So depends on which leg I wake up in the morning (smiling).

End of FastScripts...

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297