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ROGERS CUP

August 19, 2009

Aravane Rezai

TORONTO, ONTARIO

A. REZAI/D. Safina
3-6, 6-2, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How do you feel about this win? What does it mean to you in your career?
ARAVANE REZAI: First of all, I'm very happy because it's my first time I've beat No. 1 in the world, and I'm happy because I take my revenge from French Open, and it was very important for me, because she beat me at home, and I would love to win this match.
So I win this match here, and I think it's one step forward. I'm happy.

Q. Knowing that you were going to face No. 1 in the world, what did you do to prepare for today's match?
ARAVANE REZAI: You know, it's not the day before. It's like I prepare like for a week, for a year, for all my career to beat the best player in the world.
Today is one step more, and you know, the day before I just try to be happy, relax. This morning I tried to, you know, to be with my family, with my coach, with my brother, just not too much talking about the match, just be happy and take, you know, to be happy to play on the court. That's the most important.

Q. Could you tell that Dinara was beginning to lose confidence in herself and was struggling with her own games, not just what you were doing?
ARAVANE REZAI: Yeah, really I'm very sorry for her, because, you know, I don't like -- I don't like to beat a player not confident. I prefer to beat a player like that are in good shape. I hope to nobody this, because I'm also a player that feel when I lost, it's the worst moment in my life.
So of course I knew that she lost confidence this moment, and she served very bad today. I tried to pushing her very much, to make a double fault, and I lost -- in the third set I lost my serve at 5-3. It was a very important game, and I was so scared to win. I tried to, you know, to not look in the future and be in the present for -- and fight for each point. That's the most important to win this match.
So I tried to fight every point, and it makes me, you know, fighting each point and I win the match.

Q. After the second set you went inside the stadium for a few minutes. What did you do? What was going through your head?
ARAVANE REZAI: Sorry? The question?

Q. After the second set you went inside the stadium for a minute. What were you thinking of -- what were you doing?
ARAVANE REZAI: First of all, I went to bathroom. (laughter.)
No, I tried to take off the pressure and just feel like there's one more set, and I need to fight on each point. The match start again, and that's it. You know, just take everything out of my head and just be ready for the third set.

Q. When you see that your opponent is losing her confidence, like you said, and she commits 17 double faults, where is your mindset when you see that happening?
ARAVANE REZAI: Like she's scared, first, like she's scared, and that's a good time to pushing her more and more, and to make her more mistake, to try to win more points.
It was difficult for me, because I couldn't play my really, really game, because my game is very attacking and pushing the player, but here sometime I was waiting for her mistake.
So I was in the back, and I didn't like very much how I played today, but I'm very happy because I fight and that's it.

Q. Off topic a little bit, but this tournament is changing formats in two years' time where in Toronto half of the men and half of the women would play and Montreal half of the men and half of the women would play. Then for the Sunday final, one would fly to the other city. What do you think of that idea?
ARAVANE REZAI: Sorry?

Q. Half of the men and half of the women in Toronto, and half of the men and half of the women in Montreal for the same week.
ARAVANE REZAI: Yes.

Q. For the final, one would fly to the other city.
ARAVANE REZAI: Oh. It's -- why not? It's nice to do that, but you know, I think it's good to switch sometime every year to be in different cities. We cannot ask a player like where you want to go, because some maybe more want to go to Montreal, more to Toronto. So I think it's better to keep like this.

Q. You said before the match you were with your family and your brother and just trying to stay relaxed.
ARAVANE REZAI: Yeah.

Q. So when you left the court and you saw them -- I assume you've seen them since you won?
ARAVANE REZAI: Yeah.

Q. What did they say to you?
ARAVANE REZAI: I just saw them like this, but I didn't have time to see them really. After the press I will talk to them.
I'm very happy, because they are cheering for me, especially my cousin. He's good karate player for Canada. He's championship. So he come here to watch me, and I'm very -- I'm very happy for this.
It's like when you have a team, they give more confidence to the player, and I feel this today. I hope they're going to come next match.

Q. You guys spend so much time in the heat. Do you find it hot out there today or was that just normal?
ARAVANE REZAI: You know, I have warm blood, I think. Yesterday was -- no, two days ago was much warmer, and it was more difficult for me, but today was okay, a little bit windy, but when you're in the court inside the match and focus, you don't think about this. You just want to win.

Q. Can we just get your cousin's name and where he lives?
ARAVANE REZAI: Saeed Baghbani.

Q. He's from Toronto?
ARAVANE REZAI: Yes.

End of FastScripts

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