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U.S. OPEN

August 29, 2007

Ahsha Rolle

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. New territory for you. How does it feel to be in the third round of a Slam?
AHSHA ROLLE: Amazing. It's just unreal. I've worked so hard to get here. It's good that my hard work is finally playing off. It's an amazing feeling.

Q. Are you surprising yourself by how you're playing?
AHSHA ROLLE: No, I'm not surprising myself. I always knew that I had the ability. It's just now that it's coming to pass. So I'm just the excited. Ready to ride it as long as it will go.

Q. Describe the moment the last point, what you're feeling.
AHSHA ROLLE: I'm thinking -- first I had a match point where I had the easy volley and I missed it. I think I missed it because I was thinking about what I was going to do when I won, was I going to fall, was I going to jump in the air. I was thinking about way too many things. I was like, okay, just think about the point and then do it. That's what I was thinking about at that time (laughter).

Q. So you decided not to jump, to fall?
AHSHA ROLLE: Right, exactly (smiling).

Q. There were a lot of points there, key points, you would mess up, got down on yourself.
AHSHA ROLLE: Yeah.

Q. Is that something you've learned to do, to be able to put that behind you better?
AHSHA ROLLE: Definitely. I was working with a sports psychologist for a while because I was just getting angry, then I'd lose. So it wasn't good.
But I think I'm starting to control my emotions a little bit better. But I'm an emotional person, especially on the court. I'm competitive. So, you know, when I lose a point, then you're probably going to know I lost a point.
But I'm trying to hold it together a little bit better.

Q. The New York crowd was really behind you. Did you really feed off of that?
AHSHA ROLLE: Definitely. The crowd is amazing, playing on these big courts is just unreal. It just gives me so much energy. Everyone in the stand is like, c'mon, Asha, you can do it. They definitely pushed me through so many third sets, the last two matches I've had.

Q. What was the book you were reading?
AHSHA ROLLE: It's actually my Bible. I just have notes, little things I say to myself about tennis in there.

Q. Is that something you've had for a long time? Looked pretty beat up.
AHSHA ROLLE: Yeah, it is beat up. I've had it for maybe like five years or so. I've had it for a while.

Q. You use it for tennis matches?
AHSHA ROLLE: Yeah, I use it for tennis matches.

Q. For the last five years you've always had that?
AHSHA ROLLE: Yes.

Q. It's an actual Bible, though?
AHSHA ROLLE: Yeah. It's like a teen study Bible. I guess I had it when I was a teen, so five years ago.

Q. What kind of tennis sayings?
AHSHA ROLLE: Just like "stay focused," "you can do it," "believe in yourself," "move your feet," stuff like that.

Q. Your parents have gone through a lot to help your career along. Did you talk to them after the match?
AHSHA ROLLE: It's amazing. My parents have sacrificed so many things for me to be able to play this sport. I'm forever indebted to them. They've sacrificed so much for my sister and I. She plays as well. Tennis is a very expensive sport.
My parents are great. They're the best. They haven't been the "crazy tennis parents" that have been on me, on me, on me. They've always been positive whether I win or lose. They are great. They're awesome.

Q. They were so exuberant. Do you hear them during the match?
AHSHA ROLLE: I heard my mom once. I was like, "shh." She said something. I was like, "shh." I don't hear them, uh-huh, I don't hear them very much. My friends were sitting next to them. They said they were very loud between the points. My dad has this thing where he moves like during the point, fidgeting his feet every point. So it's kind of funny.
But, no, I don't really hear them, uh-uh.

Q. What was on your back?
AHSHA ROLLE: The New York Skyline.

Q. Who made that?
AHSHA ROLLE: It was this lady. She does the outfits for Dancing for the Stars. She makes the dancers' costumes. She made it for me last year. Her company's name is Design to Shine.

Q. Do you know what bridge is on the back?
AHSHA ROLLE: No. I'm sorry, I don't know.

Q. It looked like the Brooklyn Bridge.
AHSHA ROLLE: Cool. There you go. The Brooklyn Bridge.

Q. Your opponent looked like she was losing from the time she won the first set. Even when you got upset, you never seemed -- you seemed to be enjoying yourself. Were you?
AHSHA ROLLE: I was enjoying myself. The atmosphere is incredible. Even if I lost the match today, I would still take a lot of things from the environment. I knew that I just had to hang in there. I felt my energy was a little bit low in the first set. She was playing well. She was serving big, hitting big shots. I just knew I had to hang in there and just keep competing.

Q. There are so many girls in this sport who do well young. It's been a longer process for you.
AHSHA ROLLE: It has been. I think it's 'cause I have so many things in my game, like I have a one-handed backhand, I can slice, I can come to the net. There's so many things that I have that I can do on each ball, whereas the girls that do young pretty much are just big hitters, they know what they want to do with each ball.
I think it's taken me longer to develop my different shots and just how I want to play each point, stuff like that.

Q. You've probably dreamed about advancing in a tournament like this. Being in the third round, the big press conference room, on the grandstand, is it what you thought it was going to be? Is it better? How does it compare?
AHSHA ROLLE: It's just like what I envisioned really. It's amazing. It's great. I knew I was going to be here one day eventually. So I'm glad that it came now.

Q. You kind of joked the other night about Venus, how she better say hi to you. Has she said hi?
AHSHA ROLLE: She has. She has.

Q. Today?
AHSHA ROLLE: Today. Two days in a row.

Q. Before her match?
AHSHA ROLLE: Before her match today and then yesterday like, I don't know, it might have been after. No, she didn't play yesterday.

Q. Does that mean you've sort of arrived?
AHSHA ROLLE: I don't know. I guess so. I don't know. She's cool.

Q. Do you know both of them at all?
AHSHA ROLLE: Not really. I mean, when I was younger, I went to their house one time to watch them practice. This guy, he was maybe like 18, a highly ranked junior. I knew him. He dragged us along. We were like nine at the time. We were watching them play. This was before they really hit it big. I don't think they're going to remember a nine-year-old being at their house.

Q. Where was the house?
AHSHA ROLLE: It was in Jupiter.

Q. Did you know they were something special when you were watching them back then?
AHSHA ROLLE: Definitely. They hit huge. I knew they were going to be great. From a nine-year-old's perspective, I guess.

Q. Are you still working with Lori McNeil?
AHSHA ROLLE: I am not. The USTA changed me to Ola.

Q. What do you need to improve in the third round?
AHSHA ROLLE: In the third round, I'm going --

Q. You were slicing a lot.
AHSHA ROLLE: I was slicing a lot. I usually slice a lot. Sometimes I mix it up. It just depends on how my opponent is reacting to it, like if they're hitting winners off of it, then obviously you have to change something.
I think my serve, more than anything. I need to have a higher first-serve percentage, just continue to compete, you know, hang in there in the rallies and see what happens.

Q. When you watch the Williams sisters playing now, what goes through your mind? Do you feel like you can get to that level?
AHSHA ROLLE: Yeah, definitely. I mean, I work hard, just as hard as they do, so why not? Yeah, for sure. I mean, I've always looked up to them. I still do look up to them, ever since I was a little kid. I'm still a fan. I love watching, seeing them play, being in these close matches. I'm like, c'mon, Venus, c'mon Serena. It's amazing to be in the locker room with them, saying hi. It's cool.

Q. Is this the biggest press conference you've ever had? How is it going? Are we a piece of cake?
AHSHA ROLLE: This is cool. I mean, it probably is the biggest. You guys are nice. No mean questions. So it's cool. It's fun.

Q. Do you get more support from the USTA now?
AHSHA ROLLE: I do. I've been working with them for two years now. I'm in the high development program, I guess. My fitness coach is Mike Nishihara. My coach is Ola Malmqvist. So, yeah, definitely.

Q. Your parents were doing it all until then?
AHSHA ROLLE: Right, they were. I was just like with private coaches jumping here, there. Sometimes no coach. Just practicing with my sister. So it did help in that I don't have to pay for coaching. So it was a huge help.

Q. How has the fitness coach helped?
AHSHA ROLLE: He's helped a lot. Like seriously before the summer started, I took like two weeks off, and he kicked my butt every day. Like 6:00 a.m. workouts, beach workouts, track workouts. I definitely think that's helped me in these third sets I've been playing.

Q. Are you happy with your fitness?
AHSHA ROLLE: It can always get better. Right now I'm hanging in there. There are some things that can get better, but it's not bad.

Q. Do you feel more pressure with each round?
AHSHA ROLLE: Today in the first set, I felt pressure, and I should not feel pressure because I have nothing to lose. Like she's still ranked higher than me. Like why did I feel pressure?
But I'm gonna stop trying to feel pressure and keep playing. So we'll see.

Q. Did you catch any of the Althea Gibson celebration the other night?
AHSHA ROLLE: I caught the beginning of it, then I had to go right on the court. It was amazing. I saw when they called up all the first women or whatever. It really motivated me the other night to really do well.

Q. You were awed by that collection of women, what they've achieved?
AHSHA ROLLE: Definitely. Althea has been great. She's paved the way for African-American women and women in general, so for sure it was a great night.

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