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ROGERS CUP PRESENTED BY NATIONAL BANK

July 29, 2008

Ai Sugiyama

MONTREAL, QUEBEC

A. SUGIYAMA/N. Vaidisova
6-3, 3-6, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. How was the game?
AI SUGIYAMA: Well, it was up-and-down game. Actually I think I started good, but in the second set, middle of the second set, I make some double-faults and let her play a little better. I lost the second set.
But luckily I got through third set, so it was good all over.

Q. You seemed a little bit tired, maybe sick.
AI SUGIYAMA: Yeah, a little bit. Yeah, since L.A. last week I wasn't feeling hundred percent. But I'm playing good and playing a lot of matches. That makes me a little tired. With coming here, all the way down from L.A. it's a long way and I really wanted to play. Also it was three-hour time difference. It was kind of tough to adjust, tough to adjust the body here.
If I get through here, I think it's going to be better. So I would just play point by point, then focus every single point today.

Q. Must be difficult to play when you're sick. Do you know what you have?
AI SUGIYAMA: Yeah, I had an upset stomach, I wasn't feeling great. But tennis-wise I was feeling good. I don't want to give it up.
Unfortunately, I mean, Nicole wasn't perfect day probably. She gave me a lot of unforced errors as well. That gave me a lot of confidence also. If I can play point by point, game by game, I thought I had a chance to get through today. I wanted to see how it goes. It went my way, so it was good.

Q. Are you one of the six or nine players that have the same virus?
AI SUGIYAMA: Probably. Yeah, I don't know. Some players has, yeah. It's a tough tournament, three in a row. This is my third tournament in a row. Playing a lot of matches. I play singles and doubles also. Probably I have to adjust schedule. When I'm playing good, I really want to play. That's the tough balance to make.
THE MODERATOR: You're not feeling sick right now? You don't have a virus?
AI SUGIYAMA: I think, yeah.

Q. You've been checked by the doctor?
AI SUGIYAMA: By doctor, yes.

Q. You must love tennis very much to keep playing.
AI SUGIYAMA: Yeah, but I'm feeling better. It's getting better each day. If I can hold this today, if I can pass this day, then maybe I feel better tomorrow. I just wanted to play so bad.

Q. Are you going to the Olympics?
AI SUGIYAMA: Yes, I am going to the Olympics.

Q. What do you do physically and mentally to be able to play for such a long time? On your time on the tour, what have you seen change so much and stay the same in the women's game?
AI SUGIYAMA: The first one, what I do, to make my motivation up there, of course there's up and down for me as well. Sometimes I kind of flat and I can't find my motivation. But now I'm really motivate because I'm 33 year old and been on tour for a long time. But it's challenge myself, how can I be fit as a physical. When I'm physically fit, really it's also affect mental. It's always connected. So it's kind of challenge myself how long I can perform well at the top level.
I'm really motivate, like train good, like a good quality, not like a young days like pushing, pushing, pushing too hard. Maybe good quality, but like really concentrate.

Q. Are you always finding new elements of your game to work on?
AI SUGIYAMA: Yeah. If I have something that I work on, like I really want to work on specific things like training-wise and tennis-wise, try to fix like movement and stuff. That's my motivation right now, try to fix as much as I can now.

Q. Do you try to avoid repetition so you don't get bored?
AI SUGIYAMA: No, sometimes I need repetition because if you have a bad movement, you have to fix it. You need to correct your swings or like form that you have to do right things. So you need a repetition for doing that.
But the changes from the time I just started and now is I think the depth of women's game, probably before only two top is really top top, then nobody could beat them. But now, I mean, level is going up in general. Top maybe 30 player can beat top 10. A lot of depth compared to before. So a lot of player who is really good, in shape, has more opportunity to beat somebody top 10 or top 5 players, I think.

Q. Can you contrast that with the men's game right now?
AI SUGIYAMA: It's just a matter of the timing, I think. I mean, Nadal and Federer is really dominating men's game, I think.

Q. Sort of like you're saying it was with the women.
AI SUGIYAMA: Yeah, before it was Steffi and Monica was the only one who is winning the tournament every single week. But now Safina just win a tournament. Wozniak, a Canadian, just qualified and win a tournament in Stanford, which is really good for the women's tennis. A lot of young ones also has a great chance to come up. Yeah, it's good depth, good for the women's tennis.

Q. A young Japanese player played a great game, your doubles partner. You must be sort of a mentor to her.
AI SUGIYAMA: Yeah, she's actually from our academy. We do have a tennis academy at home. When she's 13, she was practicing our junior academy. She turned pro when she was 15 and play the tour like the professional. Her game is there, but just maybe the mental is not following her much. But once she winning the big one, big match, then she gets confidence. That give her a lot of confidence. It's going to turn around really quickly. So it's just a matter of timing.

Q. Is that something that has to come from experience?
AI SUGIYAMA: Yes, I think so. A lot of players have a bad patch, once something going wrong, cannot get away from it.

Q. What are your ambitions for this tournament?
AI SUGIYAMA: Well, I like here very much. I always enjoy. We won the doubles last year. Not here, but Toronto. This is one of the best organized tournaments on the tour. It's right before the Olympic Games for me. So I want to have a good match, couple of matches, before Olympics. I'm really looking forward to playing a good summer season on hard court.

End of FastScripts

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