	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

WIMBLEDON

June 23, 2008

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

LONDON, ENGLAND

A. CORNET/A. Pavlyuchenkova
7-6, 7-6

Q. What did you think of your victory?
ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Well, first, I'm really, really happy because, first of all, I qualified to make main draw. Second, I beat a good player today: Alize Cornet. She's No. 20. Also I know her quite well from the juniors, so I knew it was going to be tough today.
I don't know, I just went to fight and to show my best game, and I was really happy that I could beat her. That's it. But I feel really, really good about it.

Q. You played her in the juniors?
ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Yes. Last year and in the Australian Open, and I beat her in the semifinals, 7-6, 6-1. It was tough even last year. It's always tough with her, because she's a good player.

Q. How much have you played on grass in your life?
ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: It's actually my third Wimbledon. I just played one tournament before, here and Roehampton two years ago, so not so many.
Until now I thought I'm not that good on grass because I didn't show good results, but I think it's my best achievement on grass this year. I'm really happy about it.

Q. How hard is it to play that first-round match after qualifying as you did, the same thing at Roland Garros? How hard is it to bring the energy and the enthusiasm?
ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Well, yeah. It is a little bit tough, but I had some time to recover, and it was enough. You have to just forget about qualifying and just go on the court and just imagine that it's your first main draw match.
Like if you're get in by yourself to the main draw and you go to play first match. I mean, it's not the same, but still, I was trying to do this, and it worked.
I just forgot about qualifying and I just went to play my first match in main draw, so that's it.

Q. When you play someone that you beat in the juniors and you're here again but she's ranked much higher, how does that feel? You know you've beaten her before and she's done better in the pros. Do you have more motivation to show that you're not where you feel like you should be yet?
ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Well, it was maybe easier for me because she's much higher ranked. I have nothing to lose. I just qualified, and I'm younger, a little bit, one year, so I just went to play my best game.
But on the other hand, I beat her in the juniors, so I was better in the juniors. Why not I can beat her again? She's top 20 now and I just qualified. It doesn't change anything. I think the game is quite the same. If I can beat her then it means I can beat her now, so I just went with this mentality. That helped me, I think.

Q. It was a very close finish to the match. Did you get nervous at the end?
ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Yeah. I tried to not be nervous. Also I was focusing on every point, so I just tried not to think about the score, even if she came back from 5-2.
Of course you start to feel a little bit uncomfortable about it. But, still, I mean, I was quite calm. I knew I just had to play every point. It doesn't matter even if I'm 6-5 down or 5-2 up, I can win the second set. There is one more set, so you have to just play. That's it.

Q. Cornet said that she was a little bit disturbed about the timeout. It was a very long timeout. After that she couldn't get her rhythm back so she was a little upset. What was the problem with your leg?
ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: It's problem because we slide a couple of times on that -- on one side of the court. On one side it was okay and the other side there was a little bit less grass on the baseline, so we slide, both of us, like three or two times.
Then after my ankle turned a little bit, so my muscle was really sore. Actually it's quite her fault, I mean, her problem if she got disturbed. I didn't want this, because my leg was quite bad. That's why I took a physio for me.
So I was thinking about this only because it was a problem. I didn't want to disturb her.

Q. She doesn't make an excuse of that, but she said she couldn't get back the rhythm.
ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Well, maybe yes, but it was actually the same for me because I was waiting, as well. I was on the chair. I wasn't warming up and running around the court, you know.
So then I went and I was playing and it was okay, but I'm sorry about this.

Q. One more question: When did you arrive at the Mouratoglou Academy, starting training there?
ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: It was actually last year after Wimbledon. Because I was there before, even two years ago, but it was just for one week we were coming before French Open because we needed courts to play.
The last day after Wimbledon we were a little more focused to be there and we started to work. I can say it's like one year.

Q. Who is your coach?
ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Patrick Mouratoglou. Now he's my coach, but before, quite, I don't know, like half a year, it was my dad and him both.
Also my dad used to coach me for all my life, but now it's Patrick Mouratoglou. My dad is still like my coach, but Patrick is.

Q. You began the season at around 300th ranked. What is your goal this year to finish?
ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: At least top 100. I don't know, as better as I can. Just I will continue to play and to try to win more matches, just to win every match I can, and then we'll see how it goes.

Q. After which win like this do you think maybe you're ready to get to the second week of a major?
ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: I don't know. Anything can happen, so I just will do my best and we'll see how it goes.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297