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FED CUP BY BNP PARIBAS WORLD GROUP FINAL

November 8, 2009

Melanie Oudin

REGGIO CALABRIA, ITALY

F. PENNETTA / M. Oudin
7-5, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Your first year in Fed Cup. First time the United States has been in the final since 2003. You were a huge part od that. Can sort of reflect on the whole year and such an emotional victory in Argentina and Czech?
MELANIE OUDIN: Yeah, we've had an amazing year in Fed Cup. Since 2003 the United States hasn't been in the final. You know, I'm definitely really disappointed that I lost today. That means that the team lost.
The final is a big deal, and we all worked really hard to get here. It's definitely disappointing, and I feel like I let my team down and the whole U.S., too.
I think this was a great experience for me. I'm gonna look back on it. And someday, when the I'm in Fed Cup final again, hopefully I'll be able to pull on the win. You know, it'll go my way instead of theirs next time.

Q. Don't you think you're being a little hard on yourself? You're young and inexperienced and only 18 and you were in the Fed Cup final. Can't you see that aspect and take away the kind of dynamics of winning the Cup?
MELANIE OUDIN: Yeah, I do, but I'm -- I feel like I was put in the position -- like playing No. 1 for the U.S., I felt like I could have done better. You know, I mean, I put a lot of kind of pressure on myself to do well because I wanted to so badly, because it wasn't just for me.
Playing for your country, I realize, is so much harder than just for yourself. I didn't want to let anyone down. I did, but, you know, I know that it's gonna be -- it's a good thing. You know, I can learn so many things from here. In the future I'll do better.

Q. Not getting into the specifics, but we all know the situation. Can you understand somebody choosing not to come play for your country and doing other things this weekend, not resting or whatever?
MELANIE OUDIN: Yeah, for me, this is what I wanted. I wanted to come here. I wanted to play for my country. I don't know. Other people, you know, choose different things. Some people, I guess, didn't want to play as badly as I did.
But I think that the team that we had here really wanted to be here. I think that was what -- that's what should have happened. I mean, you don't want people here that don't want to be here.
So think that, you know, next year we're gonna have people that want to be here again. That's what you want. You don't want people that don't want to be here and play for your country.
Even if you lose, if you give it everything you have, you know, then that's the best you can do.

Q. You said you could have done better. Do you feel you let the occasion get to you a bit in the second set? There was of moment where you seemed to lose your cool a bit, and that's when you went on a run of losing games.
MELANIE OUDIN: Yes, I think so. It's really hard playing in front of an entire crowd that's cheering against you and yelling during the points, you know, just saying things that I definitely could understand right before I was serving. And I tried not to let to get to me, but it's always in the back of my head.
But, yes, I think I could have done better. I think I could have played better on some points. In the first set it was so close and I had a lot of chances, so I feel like if a couple things would have gone my way or if I would've hit this shot on that point, then it would have changed the momentum in the match.
But after she won the first set, just like what happened yesterday, she kind of ran away with it. Just the crowd started getting louder. She got more pumped up and started playing better. You know, I think I letdown a little bit.

Q. Next year, the United States play in France, I think. Would you like to be there, because your name sounds a lot French.
MELANIE OUDIN: Yes, I would like to be there. If I get asked to be to be on the team again, I would love to play for my country again.

Q. Can you take anything away from what the Italian team has constructed over the last few years winning two Fed Cup titles? What do you see in the Italian team?
MELANIE OUDIN: I knew this coming into this Fed Cup that they have a real team. Every single one of them has played Fed Cup before. They all want to be here. I'm at tournaments, and I always see them hanging out with each other and warming each other up and watching each other's matching and cheering for each other.
So they are a real team, and I think that's what's really helped them this Fed Cup this year. Their team effort, the team atmosphere, everything, they do it extremely well. I think that's a huge part of Fed Cup.

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