	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

ROGERS CUP

August 18, 2009

Shahar Peer

TORONTO, ONTARIO

S. PEER/M. Niculescu
6-4, 4-6, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. I guess the first question I want to ask you is regarding playing today with your opponent. Did she do anything at all to surprise you? Did you know anything about her before you played her?
SHAHAR PEER: Yeah, I know Monica. I haven't played her for a few years, but I know her. I mean, we all know each other. We are both in the tour for few years. So yeah, I do know her.

Q. Just to follow up, it was a very, very strange match. All the points were very, very long, three hours. You called your coach twice. I just wanted to know if you could just give us an idea what was going on in your mind? Because after the first set you trailed 4-0, and then you really fought back. You seemed to have a lot of problem. You broke serve well, but in terms of holding your serve, it seemed to kind of let you down. I wanted to know what your thought process was as the match was going along.
SHAHAR PEER: Um, I think we both broke and hold serve, each of us in her own time, because otherwise it wouldn't be 7-6 and 6-4, 6-4, you know.
So it's not that it was with no break almost, but a lot of breaks for both. I think like in the third set when I got to play better, I just had to push more and I didn't let her come back.
I think I could be more aggressive today, and there were a few points that if I would finish them better instead of making so many mistakes, I think which was the main thing today. I made a lot of errors, unforced errors, and I hope for next match, for tomorrow, I be able to do less, because this is the main key for today.

Q. I knew you had a stress -- if I'm correct, you had a problem with your foot. You were out of the French Open. I want to know if you feel now that you're back to where you want to be or if you feel it's going to take a few more weeks to really get back to be the very competitive Shahar Peer that advances deep into the draws of most tournaments.
SHAHAR PEER: Yeah, I did have a stress fracture in my foot. I missed all the clay season almost. But I think what you were asking about, the competitive, I think today I did compete, and this is the main thing I did today.
I don't think I could see any other plus in the match today. I think the only things I really did good is fighting. That was the only good thing unfortunately, but you know, I won the match and I can try and improve myself for the next round.

Q. Can you tell us in your own words what happened to you in Dubai and how that made you feel, that incident, not being able to play there?
SHAHAR PEER: Yeah, I mean, it's been so long ago. I've been talking about it so many times, but I know it's my first time here so I will repeat myself.
Unfortunately I couldn't go there, and I got the notice three hours before my flight, which I was in Thailand losing in the semifinal and about to go there, and I had been playing very, very good.
But I couldn't get into Dubai unfortunately, and I got very upset. I mean, it shouldn't happen, but you know, it's been so long ago. What I was saying and I will still say that the main thing that Andy Ram was going the week after, which he's Israeli, so it means I didn't know it would be such a big thing in the media all over the world, but I'm really happy that it was, because it showed that sport and politics shouldn't be involved.
I'm happy that next year I can play this tournament, I'll be able to. I really think the WTA was behind me the whole process. They were trying -- until the last minute they told me I go, and unfortunately I couldn't go.
But like I said, I'm really happy I can go next year, because it's a big tournament. It's one of the biggest during the year. I was in such a good performance. I was playing very good. I won my Fed Cup singles, and then I got to the semifinals. So it was bad luck about the scheduling, but this is life and that's it.

Q. I'm led to believe that you're here because you didn't go to Dubai?
SHAHAR PEER: Yeah, because to Dubai I already qualified as the main draw. I was already in the draw actually there, and it's the same press money,
$2 million tournament. So I could get a wild card to one of the tournaments if I don't get in, and I chose to get wildcard here.

Q. Can you give us a sense of your daily routine today here at the Rogers Cup? What time do you get up? When do you eat? When do you practice before a match and then what do you do after the match?
SHAHAR PEER: Yeah, so I woke up at 7:10 today. I left the hotel at 8:00 to come here. I did some warmup, long warmup, physically I mean, and then tennis from 9:30 to 10:00.
Afterwards I go talk to my coach about the tactic and everything. Then I get ready for the match, which I played at 11:00, which I wasn't planning to play for three hours, but it did happen.
So after the match, I did 15 minutes bike and stretching. I went to eat. I came here, and after I have like 30 minutes massage to flush myself, because I need to be ready for tomorrow. I have two matches, singles and doubles.

Q. You mentioned the attention that the incident in Dubai generated.
SHAHAR PEER: Sorry?

Q. The attention that the incident in -- the Dubai incident in Dubai generated around the world. You've talked a lot about politics and sport. Do you ever think the two can be separated, or because people...
SHAHAR PEER: I do think. It's not only I think; it proved. Because like I said, next year I'll be able to go and play in Dubai. It's nothing to do if I'm Israeli or not. This is the main thing.
I think even sports can get those two things together. And as long as it does happen and help it, I'm happy to be there and support it, because I really think this is the main thing to not involve anything.

Q. What do you think of the support that -- I know Andy Roddick decided he wasn't going to go and defend his title. What do you think of the support and people spoke out on behalf of you?
SHAHAR PEER: Yeah, for me, it was a huge thing what he did, you know. To step up and say, I'm not going because one of the players -- and I'm not even in the men's side, you know. I'm a female. It's a big tournament also for them, and it's important week for them and during the week.
I think maybe he even won maybe the year before over there. So I mean, for me, it was amazing, and I really thanked him after when I saw him in Indian Wells, and I think it was a huge thing, because he's a very big character, and a lot of people respect him. I think it was a really nice step and good step for what he did.

Q. Along the same lines, what sort of a reception have you got here in Toronto and indeed everywhere you've gone since Dubai? What have people said to you?
SHAHAR PEER: Yeah, so I think I've been talking about it every press conference I had. But I'm fine with this, you know. I've been repeating kind of the same things because those are really my thoughts.
But I do get a lot of support, and especially in America. When I went to Indian Wells, I got huge support and people came to me and said that they are sorry for me and those things, and a lot of people heard about the story.
I was all over the news in every -- you know, like Italian, Sweden, like everywhere, people came to me to my house, actually, right after it happened.
So I'm really happy that the media covered it, because it shows that the people also believe what I believe. And like I said, I mean also I got good support from the WTA, which was very important for me.

Q. Not only have you inspired so many others around the world, but I also want to get your reaction about this being a very special year in Israel in tennis with the Israeli Davis Cup team. Does that help you inspire? Because Harel Levy, what is he ranked 343? He beat Russia before 10,000. And Israel is now semifinal first time in history. I just want to know this year, that started from Dubai which was basically a negative thing, if all this is basically turned around, do you feel that everything is positive for Israel now, including your play and your game?
SHAHAR PEER: I really think it's two things, because Dubai is nothing to do with the Davis Cup. I am nothing to do with the Davis Cup. It's really different things.
So I really hope to my own career that I play good. I'm really happy for the men what they did, because it's an unbelievable achievement to be in the semifinal of a Davis Cup, but that's it.
I inspire myself, and I think I've been in the tour for enough time and did good results that I can do it to myself.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297