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AUSTRALIAN OPENJanuary 19, 2008Maria KirilenkoMELBOURNE, VICTORIA THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. The score of the first set says it's an easy match, but it wasn't for you, was it? MARIA KIRILENKO: No, actually, first set was really tough. And first, like six games, like it was like quite long, you know, and I thought, Oh, my God, if it's going to be, like, all game, it's going to be really difficult. But, well, then it went, you know, I didn't feel so tired. Actually the end of the first set, we start to make easy mistakes because I think of concentration, her, mine. Then when I lost I thought, So nothing's happened. Just, like, the game like with three sets, so just decide to fight like in the first set, you know, and went much easy, you know, 6-1, 6-2. Pretty good, I think. Q. Do you see this as a bit of the breakthrough win at a Grand Slam? MARIA KIRILENKO: Yeah, actually I think it's quite good to win for me. And before, of course, I beat a couple good players, like top 10. Usually I'm losing like every time first round in the Grand Slam. Really it's good I broke this tradition in the first round already, so I'm quite happy. Q. Can you talk about maybe the last six or seven months, why your game has been improving so much, and how you've gotten to this stage? MARIA KIRILENKO: I don't know. I just continue to work really hard. You know, before I work really hard and now, like -- and maybe it's everything together, you know. Now I start to play better. Actually, like, I started to work with the coach, also with another one, and so I think it's going very good. You know, like, I understand him, and he's saying to me like, the things, you know, which is, like, before I didn't maybe hear. And so I think we working also like on a good things. You know, like what I didn't do before maybe. I think maybe it's also helped me in this. Q. So it's that you have confidence in what he's telling you, and then you can bring that to the court? MARIA KIRILENKO: Yeah, I like it. Like before the match he's saying me some things, like getting more confidence, you know, and I know he's right. Maybe he can say me just simple things, and I'm, like thinking, and of course it's true. And I'm just going out there and just fight, you know, fight, playing my best game, you know, showing everything what I can. Q. Were you surprised at how Anna fell away in the second two sets? MARIA KIRILENKO: Yeah, like I saw that she's little bit tired, you know, because there's like two big screens on the court. Sometimes I watch on that. And it was like big face of Anna, she's like, Oh, like seems like she was really tired. And actually I wasn't so tired in the second, third set. Just, you know, I was tired in the first set. I don't know why. Then when I broke it, then it was like good. Q. Gave you a big boost to see she was really struggling? MARIA KIRILENKO: Of course when you see like someone is dying on that side you feel more energy. Q. Are you two good friends? MARIA KIRILENKO: With Anna? Q. Yeah. MARIA KIRILENKO: Yeah, I know her from small age. Like we practiced in the same club and also was quite friendly, you know. I couldn't say that we're like best friends, you know, but, I mean, good friends. Yes. Q. Does that make it hard for you? MARIA KIRILENKO: What? Q. Out there on the court when you're playing somebody you know so well? MARIA KIRILENKO: Actually not. It's different, you know, when you're like for example in the locker room with the girls, like, everything, like everybody laughing, smiling. Then when you go on the court you don't really think, She's my friend. Oh, my God. You know, you just going like with everybody. Playing, don't think anything. Just thinking about the right thing, what you should to do. Q. When you were in the juniors and at the club with Anna, who won most of those matches? MARIA KIRILENKO: Usually, like actually I was always the best, you know, like when I was small. Like in juniors every time. Then like last two years she had very successful, like, you know, wins everything, so she became like top 10 player. To be honest, like I was little bit surprised, because -- I don't know, because from the small age I never thought that she could play as good as like she's playing. It's good for her. She always practiced a lot, I remember. And she always, like she has a good character, you know, like she's like fight and like angry on the court, you know. I think it's helped her a lot, you know. It's good that I won today. I'm happy. Q. Do you feel a little bit more calm and patient in the court? And if so, do you think it's a matter of growing, or you work on it with your trainer? MARIA KIRILENKO: You mean -- I try to -- what? Q. More calm and patient on the court? MARIA KIRILENKO: Yeah. Well, like, I try, you know, to be more calmer, you know. Because sometimes I feel like when I'm playing, you know, too much energy, and so I need to keep it more for the game, not for -- like when I have, like this 25 seconds between the points. And, yeah, I try to be more calm, to show that I'm quite confident, you know, to show that, like, here I am. So it's helped, actually. Q. You work with your trainer, or it's just a matter of you growing and getting more... MARIA KIRILENKO: I don't know. Maybe because I'm getting older, you know, "older." I don't know how to say. I don't know how to say. Yeah. I know like sometimes what I should to do on court, what I should. You know, I already feel inside, like the second voice already telling me what should to do, so it was good. Q. When Anna passed you in the rankings the last couple years and she beat you three times in a row coming into this match, did that give you sort of a wakeup call? Did it tell you, I have to do something else with my game now, because now I'm seeing players I used to beat and they're going beyond me? MARIA KIRILENKO: Yes, of course, it's true. Like first time I played against her in Miami, or like in WTA, I remember I beat her like two sets, but it was also like difficult. And then always like we had like competition between us, you know, like who would be better and better. And last few times I lost her, like, both in Indian Wells, and I got really pissed, you know. Oh, my God, I beat her every time and now I'm losing, you know, like two times. But it's getting better. It's not really easy to play against her because she playing quite deep and she has good hands. But today, you know, I felt like I was running good, and it was like the key, also. And I felt like I'm strong, you know, like I can run, you know, like I can play the ball like how I want, not just hitting. I tried to change -- I think it's also help, because she likes to play when someone is hitting. She just, like make running the opponent. Q. So now you're in your first fourth round of a Grand Slam. Can you dream a little bit that maybe you can win a couple more matches and belong with the top players? MARIA KIRILENKO: Yeah, of course. I wish, you know, like I keep going like this. You know, if I'm going to play, like, good game I'm going to go far. Tomorrow I have a rest day. I mean, I will practice, of course, one hour, and just, you know, concentrate on the game. I don't want to think about, you know, like -- like how to say? I want to think about each game, you know, like each opponent so I'm not too far away. It's better step by step, so... End of FastScripts |
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