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FEDCUP FIRST ROUND: GERMANY v USAFebruary 4, 2008Ashley HarkleroadLA JOLLA, CALIFORNIA THE MODERATOR: Questions for Ashley. Q. You're pretty much the hero of the team. You clinched the tie. Is that something you really imagined doing before you got here? ASHLEY HARKLEROAD: No, I wasn't expecting for me to be able to do that. I think a lot of people expected Lindsay to come in here and blow everybody off the court. The girl, Lisicki, is a great player. I'm just happy that I could come through today for my team. It feels great. Q. You talked the other day about being a grinder. You didn't have any aces today. She clearly has more power than you. Is this an example of how you need to play to be successful? ASHLEY HARKLEROAD: Well, this is the way I've been playing pretty much my whole career. But I've incorporated coming to the net and being more aggressive. As I get older, I'm getting better. But, you know, my fight and my speed is really what helps me with my whole career. Just playing this game, it's really important to be able to move well, especially for me. Q. Talk about your emotions on that final point, when you knew it was over. ASHLEY HARKLEROAD: I missed the first serve. I needed to make a little bit more first serves that last game. I started off 30-Love up. I made both my first serves. But my arm, like I said, felt like it was a hundred pounds in that last second serve. I mean, I was nervous. I was more excited. It was a combination of things. But I think I handled it very well. I think that I'm just getting better at handling these kinds of situations as I get older also. I'm just happy that I could come through today. Q. You seemed to read her serve a little better than Lindsay. Was that your footwork and anticipation or did you see the ball off her racquet a little bit better? ASHLEY HARKLEROAD: No, it wasn't easy reading her serve actually. But I was moving around a lot. I was just kind of -- I kind of just saw some of her patterns, what she liked to do. But that's something I need to do well. I have to return well. Especially against girls like this who have big shots and a big first serve, it's a key for me game, is to be able to see the ball and return well. I am happy with the way I returned today. Q. Where does this win rank in your career, this weekend? ASHLEY HARKLEROAD: Well, right now I guess I'm 2-0 in Fed Cup. I think that it's going to give me a lot of confidence coming out of here just with my game going on, continuing to play the tour. It's definitely going to give me a lot of confidence. I'm just truly excited to be able to be here and just be able to play. When I got the call, I said, Do you want me to play singles? Like I said, right now I'm just really excited. Q. Who was the call from? ASHLEY HARKLEROAD: Lindsay and Zina. Q. Will we be seeing you in the Olympics this year? ASHLEY HARKLEROAD: I hope so. It just depends if I get in or not, what the whole situation is. I mean, I have no idea about the Olympics. I've never been before. But if my ranking is high enough. I don't really have that many points to defend. It looks like I'm probably going to continue to get better and my ranking will continue to get higher. I think going into the Australian Open, I was ranked 55 or so. I lost a little bit of points. So now I'm like 75. But I don't have that many points to defend. Hopefully if my ranking gets there, then you'll see me. Q. How would you feel about playing the Russians? ASHLEY HARKLEROAD: Yeah, I know, after I won, Lisa said, You're going to Moscow. I mean, they're a tough team. I don't know what the team would be. I definitely would be all for it if they asked me to go to Moscow, for sure. Q. What did it feel like jogging around the court holding a huge U.S. flag? ASHLEY HARKLEROAD: I wanted everybody to come with me, but they left me in the middle of it (laughter). Yeah, I mean, it's a great feeling. I wasn't expecting to come in here really and to be able to clinch it for everybody, I wasn't expecting it. Like I said, I'm just excited to be here right now, winning my two matches. Q. Not to take you away from this great feat you accomplished, but if Serena and/or Venus decide to play, and Lindsay, I would imagine your shot as going to Russia might not be that strong. ASHLEY HARKLEROAD: Right. Q. How disappointing will that be for you? Has Zina even broached the subject at all with you? ASHLEY HARKLEROAD: No, I mean, I wouldn't be disappointed at all. It just means that I would be able to continue to play tournaments and work on my own ranking, continue to play and continue to move up. So I wouldn't be disappointed. Q. What do you think the most important thing you took from this weekend's experience is? Do you think the Ashley Harkleroad of five or six years ago would have won that match today? ASHLEY HARKLEROAD: No, because I was too young five or six years ago. Mentally and physically I was too young, not strong enough. But being around Lindsay, Lisa, Mary Joe, Zina, it's been a great experience for me this week 'cause they're all great players and great champions. I've really learned a lot. They're all really cool. One of the main things I'm going to take from this, Zina just kept saying, Keep your body language positive. I think that's a key thing for me, because sometimes I do tend to maybe drop my head. But today, that's all really she kept saying, Keep your body language positive, don't show her anything. That's really what I'm going to take from this. Q. In the second set when you were trading breaks back and forth, then you held your serve at love, did you feel that was sort of a turning point in the set? Did you really feel in control at that point? ASHLEY HARKLEROAD: Yeah, I did. Her serve was big starting off in the match. I started to read it a little bit, like you said. I felt like, you know, I'm getting in her head a little bit with her serve. After I held easily, I thought, This is it right here. Let's break, let's hold, let's get off the court, let's get the win. So, yeah, I think I gained some confidence after holding that easily. Q. How long ago was it that you received this call from Zina wanting you to play? How long before the tie was that call? Where were you at the time when you received the call? ASHLEY HARKLEROAD: I was in Australia. I had had a good fall this past year. I won two tournaments in a row, ending the year at 65 or so. Then in Hobart, I quallied, made the semis there. So I came in at like 55. I was kind of the next best for the job, considering ranking-wise. They just said, If the Williams sisters don't want to play, can't make it, would you be interested? I was in Australia at the time. Q. You said yesterday your favorite team for the Super Bowl was Tom Brady. How did you react to the loss? ASHLEY HARKLEROAD: That's just because he's so good-looking (laughter). Q. How did you react after the loss? ASHLEY HARKLEROAD: My dad was really disappointed. But, you know, really I'm always for the underdog because I'm kind of the underdog all the time. I was excited for the New York Giants. I was excited for Eli. It was fun watching his brother up in the stands. They're a tight-knit group, really tight family. Of course, Tom Brady, like I said, is good looking. I wanted him to win. It didn't happen. Q. You don't think Eli Manning is cute? ASHLEY HARKLEROAD: He's very cute, too (laughter). End of FastScripts |
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