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U.S. OPEN

September 2, 2007

Marion Bartoli

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Just in general how did you feel you played, and what was the difficulty? She served real well when she needed to.
MARION BARTOLI: That's typically Serena. I think from the baseline I was fine. I was hitting the ball pretty well. I think my game from the baseline was really good. On serve I almost just couldn't return it. I mean, when it's coming 125 miles or something, I don't even see the ball coming up. I can't see if it's middle or wide serve. It's coming so fast.
So in general I mean, even at 30-All at 5-4 in the second set she served two aces. That's it, it's finished. When you play against somebody who serves like this, it's really hard to win the match.

Q. Did you feel she was mixing the serve well?
MARION BARTOLI: Yeah, I mean, she's a great server. She can do every one: She can do the T, she can do the body, she can do the wide, she can do the key, she can do everything. So obviously you have to wait for your time.
You know, the thing is I break her in the first set and I was not able to hold my serve twice because I was beginning the wind and I have the sun right in front of me, so it was very tough for me it serve out on this side.
Overall my performance I think I'm very happy.

Q. How did her form seem to you? How in shape?
MARION BARTOLI: Well, I think, you know, with Serena she just elevates her game when she needs to. She's not obviously trying to play the hardest on every point. She just wait for the great moment, and then go for it and play some great shots when she really need to. She start maybe a little slowly, but then afterwards I think the level of game from 3-All or something in the first set was really good until the end of match.
So she seemed overall in great shape, yes.

Q. Sort of looking ahead, can she win this?
MARION BARTOLI: It's a long road. She's in the quarterfinal. There is three more match to win. Of course, I think the women is going to be on the top half will win the tournament. That's my guess.
But maybe also because the top half is so tough maybe she will get tired in the final. I don't know. But obviously for me the one that goes out in the top half will win the tournament, yes. But she have to beat Justine in the next match and then maybe Venus, her sister or Jankovic or Ivanovic. Three tough match coming up.
Definitely this year she can win this tournament.

Q. Can you compare trying to return Venus' serve on grass to Serena's serve on this surface? The similarities and the differences?
MARION BARTOLI: This is different. I mean, the one with Venus it's coming really higher because she is taller maybe, and on grass the rebound it's not the same. But on both surface they are very efficient, I mean, yeah, both of them.

Q. When you're not playing Serena or Venus, do you like watching them, the level of excitement and energy they bring to their matches?
MARION BARTOLI: Yeah, well, you know, I like the entertainment of course. And when they play some tough matches against some top players like maybe Justine or Maria the electricity and the battle going on, yeah, it's really exciting to watch.
But maybe when they play against a lower opponent and they win like 6-1, 6-0, no it's not exciting to watch. But the tough matches, the Miami final for example against Justine. She was down match point and she come back and she win it. Yes, it's a great match to see.

Q. Was there anything you felt you could do well against her today coming into the match?
MARION BARTOLI: Well, you know, I never -- I mean, I play her four years ago, which is not even counting. So I didn't know the way she was playing. You don't know the way an opponent is playing until you play against her because you don't know how hard the ball is coming and how she moves.
You know, it's difficult to say. So when I was going on court I was focusing first into my game and try to play the way I was playing the match before and see how she was reacting.
You know, I think when I was serving and when I was playing from the baseline I was really at the same level as her. What makes the difference is her serve. I cannot serve like her. I try to serve the hardest when I was 40-Love up and it doesn't go higher than 106 and hers is 125. You cannot compare it. That's it.

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