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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 18, 2010

Jelena Dokic

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA

A. KLEYBANOVA/J. Dokic
6-1, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: First question, please.

Q. Your thoughts after that?
JELENA DOKIC: Not much right now. It was a poor performance. Yeah, very disappointed with today. Yeah, this whole month hasn't been great.
But, you know, it's unfortunate and I would have liked to have played better. But, you know, in a way I'm glad it's over. I can move on. I have to really refocus on.

Q. The whole month hasn't been great. Take us through your thoughts on that.
JELENA DOKIC: I played okay in Brisbane, not great. I had so many chances to win that match. Hobart was terrible. I played really bad, couldn't get my rhythm. You know, kind of felt like even going into today's match I wasn't very confident.
You know, I think it showed out there today. I played really badly. You know, I tried to get back in the match, but I made just way too many errors.

Q. Have you started the year in a hungry way. Take us through your emotions that way.
JELENA DOKIC: Yeah, I did. But it hasn't been easy just thinking about defending the quarterfinal, even though I know I'll still be in the top hundred, even if I lose all my points.
But still, yeah, I just wasn't playing well. Sometimes that happens. It's been a couple of tournaments. Haven't been feeling that great on the court, and there's nothing else in it.
I just have to move on and forget about this. You know, take a couple days off, refocus, get on the court again, train even more.

Q. Are you hungry to get your best back? Is that still there in you?
JELENA DOKIC: Yeah, I am. I'm very disappointed, like I said, with this month, because I haven't played 10% of what I can. It's unfortunate, because I finished the year last year so well and I felt like I was getting back into it, had a lot of wins and everything.
Yeah, just last few tournaments this year haven't been great.

Q. But the hunger is still there?
JELENA DOKIC: Yeah, yeah, it is. I'm still fighting inside myself. I'm fighting with myself, trying to get through the bad patches, even in matches. But, you know, sometimes it's just the way it is.

Q. How do you go about rebuilding that confidence now?
JELENA DOKIC: Yeah, like I said, I haven't been playing well enough to have confidence. I haven't even had that many wins these last few tournaments. That's kind of, you know, where I think maybe I should have taken last week off, because I wasn't feeling great in Brisbane when I played the match.
Also felt like I, you know, should have won that match, even though I lost to Ana. Still, I should have taken the seven or ten days off and completely just practiced and focused on that.
So, you know, after not playing well in Hobart, I only had three days. I arrived on Friday. It was very difficult to do anything in two or three days.

Q. Obviously tough here after the Open last year. Emotionally are you in a good place to have a crack at this year?
JELENA DOKIC: Yeah. Look, I had a good Australian Open last year and I struggled for the rest of the year - not with my game, but also with health. I was sick. So maybe this year by not doing well here, I'll have a great year outside of that.
But, like I said, in a way I'm glad, you know. Now it's done. What I've played, I've played. You know, I just have to move on and play now as much as I can, practice, uhm, try to do everything that I possibly can to try and play better.

Q. There was always a lot of expectation on you coming back here. Do you think maybe a couple of weeks going somewhere else, playing a tournament somewhere else, might be the key?
JELENA DOKIC: Yeah. Like I said, that's why I think maybe I should have taken last week off and completely, you know, moved on my own and practiced somewhere quiet, not be at a tournament.
It was not a big tournament or a key, you know, tournament for me to play last week. That was maybe a mistake. I played doubles, as well. I hung around the tournament.
Like I said, I didn't have much time to come here. Whereas last year, I really had a good ten days of practice. I really felt in a way it really made a difference. I came into matches really confident, I was playing well.
Maybe it's a mistake to learn from, but, you know, I think I definitely need, you know, maybe a couple days or even a week or 10 days just to get away from everything and be on my own somewhere where no one even knows me, sees me.
I'm just with my own thoughts and I try and get back on court after that.

Q. That's what you'll do now, get out of the loop a bit?
JELENA DOKIC: Yeah. I have to play doubles, so I'll obviously have to stick around. But my next tournament also, you know, is not for a while. So, you know, even with that in mind, uhm, I'll still have some time.

End of FastScripts

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