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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 16, 2008

Amelie Mauresmo

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA

THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. Amélie, congratulations on your win. Let's talk about the second set. 5-1 for you, and then what happened?
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: Not some great things. I probably got a little bit tight in that moment and really wasn't able to finish that match off. I really think the lack of confidence showed a little bit, lack of playing matches and being in that position a little bit more often the last few months, last year even.
Yeah, the tension got to me at that moment, so after that I was just happy that I could finish it still in that second set. But it was little bit of a pity because the whole match was very good. It was a bit of a shame that it happened that way.

Q. Can we ask how the groin is? We saw you play Gold Coast and then you pulled out of Sydney. How is that?
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: It's good, actually. It's been going better and better last week, and definitely better during my first match. So I could play today with really not thinking about it, and no -- being 100 percent, really.

Q. Did you need a solid match like that today at this time of the tournament?
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: Yeah, I needed to do what I did in the last two sets of my first round, which I did for the biggest part of this game. Unfortunately, as I was saying, it's not good that I had this much trouble to finish off the match.
But I have to -- I think I really have to stay on the first big part of this match, which was, I thought, pretty good.

Q. Was it surprising to tighten up like that?
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: Not when I -- as I said, you know, not obviously when you're missing a little bit of playing and really wanting to get some confidence back. That's just the way it is.
I wasn't really expecting that, but it just happened.

Q. Yaroslava looked relaxed out there. Do you think you were carrying all the pressure in that match?
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: Not really. I didn't feel like that. No, I thought I was playing some good tennis and I didn't -- I didn't think that, you know, she -- she was that relaxed. But, yeah, maybe. I don't know what she said.

Q. After Fed Cup last year you took some time away. What did you do? Where did you go?
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: Nothing, really. Yeah, I needed some time off. I needed to spend some time for myself and really quality time to, you know, figure out what I really want for the -- first for the rest of that season, but then for the future, as well. Make sure I really, you know, rest.
I went on a boat on the Mediterranean Sea and not doing really anything special but just relaxing. That was it.

Q. But thinking about whether tennis was really what you wanted to do?
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: Yeah, and how I wanted to keep going, especially how much effort I wanted to put in practicing and preparing for obviously this season.

Q. Last year you were defending champion. This year you're one of the top players, obviously. But do you think the talk is a little bit missing over you and jumping over you, or do you feel there is less pressure on you now? Do you feel like this is an average Australian Open?
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: I don't really think in that way, you know, being defending champion last year or being more of an underdog this year. I'm just thinking really what I'm feeling and how I'm feeling and how I'm playing and the way I want things to go, you know. Get the confidence back. Yeah, I'm thinking really in terms of this. That's the main concern for me.

Q. Were you confident, I suppose, playing in Australia playing before an Australian crowd might be your a boost to your confidence?
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: I'm expecting a tough one every time I step out on the court, but definitely wanting to feel that these couple matches gave me still some confidence more. But I saw a little bit of Patty and Dellacqua's match earlier because I was waiting in the locker room. I thought she was playing good tennis.

Q. Do you know much about her game at all?
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: Well, as I said, I watched her a little bit earlier. That's all I was able to watch. I haven't seen her play before that.

Q. You say you're looking to build your confidence back. Did that last match give you match confidence?
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: I hope so. As I said, before that 5-1 moment I really thought I was playing some good tennis.

Q. How difficult is it to play a local player in a Slam?
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: I will tell you that after the match, I guess.

Q. Does it add extra difficulty to it?
AMÉLIE MAURESMO: I really don't think about it that much. I just, you know, focus on what I have to do. And really, you know, of course the crowd is definitely going to be behind her. But I know that here people are really -- they can appreciate some good tennis, anyway.

End of FastScripts

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